AK has “green light” to rebuild - doesn’t wanna

[Miltpalaciofanclub]

Interesting that the headwinds of this year’s trade deadline are catching the sails just now. The failure for the Bulls’ front office’s constipation is due to last year’s lack of movement.

Instead of relieving itself of bloated assets portended to inflame the inner walls of the organization in 2022-2023, it held onto this junk. And look, mistakes are made; failure from humans making decisions in the real world is inevitable. But when a community fails slowly, it’s because it ignored signals alerting it to change direction.

AK purportedly made the reasonable demand to the Warriors that any trade involving Caruso needed to include Kuminga. But when GS countered that they are only willing to offer the unproven Moses Moody, you can’t help but agree with AK that the offers in return just weren’t there this year.

Karnisovas is incompetent because of his inaction in the 2022-2023 season. If he would have assessed that Demar, Vuc, and Zach were at their peak in February, 2022, the Bulls wouldn’t be a national embarrassment. The offers would have been there if he then took a leap of faith. But here we are.

Instead of rooting for a team to win, we clinically asses this cadaver as an online community. We poke a prod its remaining nerve centers instead of expecting it to function fully as designed. Why can’t we just move on?

[Hangtime84]

AK: "I'm always going to look at how to improve the team. For now, what makes us more competitive and for the future. We didn't have those options available."

It's funny that he said "and for the future". What future is he talking about? One with an aging DDR and Vucevic? A roster that has a limited ceiling that won't go very far?

They traded that future away

[TheGOATRises007]

What a terrible viewpoint.

He might actually be delusional.

[jnrjr79]

Why do we continually take the bait on these nothing burgers? It's word salad. It's GM speak. It's what they all do.

No, it’s not. And we’ve had two GMs in a row who have been unusually frank and transparent. Though AK very rarely speaks in public, history has shown that he is frank and telegraphic.

He doesn’t want to rebuild. Has never wanted to. Has made statements for years to that effect. And now we know he’s the one driving the bus.

My hope is that since he’s calling the shots, perhaps it’s the owners giving him enough rope to hang himself with.

I don't think AK is as universally candid as you suggest here. His honesty is, IMO, somewhat selective.

As to his belief that this roster is pretty good and he doesn't want to rebuild - I totally believe that. It's also verified by (gulp, I don't want to trust this guy) Cowley's reporting today that there were voices in the room that wanted to tear it down to some extent and that AK was resistant.

But...this is the same guy who also said that the Bulls are a better team with LaVine. I don't think for a second that he believes that. It's the same person that supposedly wanted to see a post-LaVine incarnation of this team and evaluate it before making other decisions. Knowing LaVine was a holdover of the prior regime and someone who AK likely only maxed because he viewed that as the lead bad option, I fully believe that AK thinks that this team's more recent good play is attributable at least in part to LaVine's absence and that he does not actually believe the team is better with Zach. But he's smart enough to know you can't say that out loud when you're still trying to trade the guy, so he serves up the platitudes.

So overall, my read is AK is happy to lie when it furthers his aims. He's just deluded enough to think that the Bulls are actually, more or less, on a good path right now.

[Chi town]

From ESPN and AK’s very own and very stupid mouth:

"I'm always going to look at how to improve the team. For now, what makes us more competitive and for the future. We didn't have those options available."

Karnisovas stated that he has the green light from ownership to enter a full rebuild, but he continues to double down on his faith in the core of LaVine, DeRozan and Vucevic. The Bulls have been to one playoff series and won one playoff game in the past three seasons. And furthermore, since Lonzo Ball -- who Karnisovas said "hopefully in a perfect world" will be ready to play next season -- was injured in January 2022, the Bulls are 84-93 in the regular season.

"A shakeup doesn't guarantee your success," Karnisovas said. "Words like rebuild and all this stuff is thrown around, I think this group gives you the best chance to compete."

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39486456/bulls-stand-pat-nba-trade-deadline-3rd-straight-year

The tail is wagging the dog. Please put to rest the defenses of AK that try to portray him as trapped by ownership dictates. The opposite is true.

I’ve been posting here for decades. I consider myself, generally speaking, pro management. Or at least very patient and understanding of management and avoid hindsight analysis, etc.

But the hell with this guy. I’ve never seen delusional incompetence like this in any FO of any team I have ever rooted for in my entire life.

Dumba** wants to win instead of build a winner.

Been saying it for months.

[DASMACKDOWN]

My hope is that since he’s calling the shots, perhaps it’s the owners giving him enough rope to hang himself with.

The problem though Duck is that the Reinsdorfs have no history of just flat our firing their front office.

It takes a catastrophic action for the ownership to step in. The last one was the allstar game in Chicago. The ownership was flat out embarrassed by what they saw from the fans.Only then was Gar fired. He still had the job 10 years and 22 years overall.

AKME have been here 4 years. As far as ownership is concerned, they feel AKME have done a good job. AK said it himself that he has done what he has been asked to do. Build a team that is "competitive"

That makes me sick to my stomach and feel as Bulls fans we are stuck in a strange butterfly effect. No matter what we do or change, keeps coming to the same conclusion.

[HomoSapien]

We're getting killed on NBA radio. Justin Termine straight-up said we're the worst-run organization in the NBA.

[HomoSapien]

The odds are pretty good that there wasn't a deal that was beneficial to the Bulls. So we wait. Better than going backwards.

There hasn't been a beneficial trade available to the Bulls for three years?

[Dan Z]

We're getting killed on NBA radio. Justin Termine straight-up said we're the worst-run organization in the NBA.

On ESPN Bobby Marks was asked who was the biggest loser of the trade deadline. He said Atlanta and Chicago and that they need to "pick a direction". Later Richard Jefferson agreed with him and said that Chicago is "an absolute dumpster fire".

[MalagaBulls]

Ob boy, slightly turbulent times ahead:

Read on Twitter

AK doubling down on his "Continuity - Get the Band back together" delusional fantasy. He now insists Zach is good for the team along with an aging Demar.

[SfBull]

He wanna be a perennial 1st round loser as it seems.

[step]

Karnisovas stated that he has the green light from ownership to enter a full rebuild, but he continues to double down on his faith in the core of LaVine, DeRozan and Vucevic.

I can't even...

The Bulls have been to one playoff series and won one playoff game in the past three seasons.

And that is with LaVine, DeRozan and Vucevic all being healthy. Sure, Ball has been injured, but he's literally the 4th piece of that puzzle. The core 3 are failing to deliver over and over again and yet he continues to keep trying. And what's even worse... he's not even fixing any of the obvious shortcomings. How long have we been clamoring for a PF?! What has he done to fill that void?

And furthermore, since Lonzo Ball -- who Karnisovas said "hopefully in a perfect world" will be ready to play next season

I think this just needs to be highlighted here... for everyone hoping we'll pursue medical retirement, think again.

He's banking on the return of a player who hasn't played a professional minute in basically 3 years from a surgery no other player has had before.

A shakeup doesn't guarantee your success," Karnisovas said. "Words like rebuild and all this stuff is thrown around, I think this group gives you the best chance to compete."

I query his definition of 'competing.' They've failed to get you into the playoffs time and time again... and now your main centrepiece wants out. Yet you think this is somehow 'competing'?

But the hell with this guy. I’ve never seen delusional incompetence like this in any FO of any team I have ever rooted for in my entire life.

It just does not compute to him... and I can't understand why. And I couldn't have put it better myself.

[Jeffster81]

Maybe the Bulls can get off this treadmill of delusions by the 2030's.

[JockItch43]

Best chane to compete for 8th place....7th when healthy!

Exactly. Depends on what you consider the definition of competing is. I don’t think he is delusional regarding this roster, but clearly his and Reinsdorf’s definition of competing is a different one than what real fans should expect. Reinsdorf has already been on record regarding what his goals are when running an organization and this team definitly aligns with that.

Pathetic situation.

[League Circles]

Interesting that the headwinds of this year’s trade deadline are catching the sails just now. The failure for the Bulls’ front office’s constipation is due to last year’s lack of movement.

Instead of relieving itself of bloated assets portended to inflame the inner walls of the organization in 2022-2023, it held onto this junk. And look, mistakes are made; failure from humans making decisions in the real world is inevitable. But when a community fails slowly, it’s because it ignored signals alerting it to change direction.

AK purportedly made the reasonable demand to the Warriors that any trade involving Caruso needed to include Kuminga. But when GS countered that they are only willing to offer the unproven Moses Moody, you can’t help but agree with AK that the offers in return just weren’t there this year.

Karnisovas is incompetent because of his inaction in the 2022-2023 season. If he would have assessed that Demar, Vuc, and Zach were at their peak in February, 2022, the Bulls wouldn’t be a national embarrassment. The offers would have been there if he then took a leap of faith. But here we are.

Instead of rooting for a team to win, we clinically asses this cadaver as an online community. We poke a prod its remaining nerve centers instead of expecting it to function fully as designed. Why can’t we just move on?

How could Zach be at his peak in February 2022 when he played significantly better after that point? Players don't reach some well defined peak gradually and the decline gradually. If they did it would make team management a lot easier. Zach literally peaked less than one year ago, and considering his injury problems this year, its entirely plausible that he'll reach last spring's level of play again starting next year, possibly for years to come.


Vuc probably wasn't worth much as an expiring. The mistake was extending him, at least at the dollars they did.

[League Circles]

Very much like Paxson, AK is pleasing me with his philosophy but disappointing me with his implementation.

[ChiTownHero1992]

And furthermore, since Lonzo Ball -- who Karnisovas said "hopefully in a perfect world" will be ready to play next season

I think this just needs to be highlighted here... for everyone hoping we'll pursue medical retirement, think again.

He's banking on the return of a player who hasn't played a professional minute in basically 3 years from a surgery no other player has had before.

I said this in another thread, I would not be surprised at all if they give Lonzo Ball an extension...they do everything out of the public eye. Behind the scenes they are probably thinking, "He's worked so hard to get back, we should give him and extra year or two on contract to see if he can help this core out"

[samwana]

Hopefully he gets canned before he extends DDR. At leastbit seems Reinsdorf isn't as delusional as AK. Why do we have ME, not a word from him since forever. Strange. We have a dumpster fire at the top.

[League Circles]

We're getting killed on NBA radio. Justin Termine straight-up said we're the worst-run organization in the NBA.

Not sure who Justin Termine is, but does he know the Pistons have had a winning record once in the last 16 seasons and might finish this year with the worst record in league history?

We live in a post-W/L era for sure.

[sco]

I want a rebuild, but if I was in AK's shoes this season, I would think it's in my best career interest to hover around .500 and hope for incremental improvement from within or MLE type additions paying off over tearing it down and hoping for a draft pick miracle for 5 seasons.