Arturas Karnisovas Finally Said What Chicago Bulls Fans Want to Hear ... Sort Of

An hour and a half after the NBA trade deadline came to a close, Arturas Karnisovas sat down for one of his rare meetings with the media.

In the past, the executive has preached competitive integrity for the Chicago Bulls. He has touted small sample sizes of success and has raved about the potential inside the locker room. Thursday afternoon's conversation had none of that, and how could it after the moves made over the past handful of days?

Karnisovas put on his goggles and pulled down on the lever. The Bulls' roster blowup sent Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Kevin Huerter, Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips, and Jevon Carter packing. In return, they added a slew of second-round picks and expiring contracts. They also took a chance on a few more former lottery picks, seemingly with plans to evaluate their future fit with the organization.

To be sure, players like Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, and Nick Richards have the experience to help this Bulls team stay afloat. And, thus, some are likely still concerned that a Play-In Tournament appearance could still be in this team's future. However, the moves as a whole signaled a drastic change in philosophy for this leadership team, and Karnisovas made that clear in the aftermath.

“The Play-In is not our goal. A championship is. We know where we are in the standings, and we’re not satisfied with being in the middle as an organization or for our fans," Karnisovas told reporters. "At the same time, we are committed to building the right way without skipping steps. This process takes time.”

To Karnisovas' credit, the actions that came alongside these words make them much easier to believe. But there are still plenty of questions about what this process entails and how long he expects it to go on. Does he view this as a multi-year operation? Is he hoping to cash in on his assets and financial flexibility as soon as this summer? In the meantime, is he specifically instructing head coach Billy Donovan to prioritize development over the win-loss column?

While the Bulls may deserve a little time to figure things out, having a clear plan is essential. The organization has seemingly lacked that in the past few years, which is a big reason why they have been stuck in the same spot.

What sure doesn't help ease continued concern is the fact that Karnisovas refuses to declare this process what many others would call it. Time and again, he has publicly stated that he wants to avoid the term "rebuild." Despite the drastic moves, this messaging continues:

“I’m still staying away from that word. I would call it a stage that we are in," Karnisovas said.

With so much flexibility and constant star player movement in today's NBA, I suppose it's not impossible to understand Karnisovas' hesitation. The Bulls could find themselves in a position to take a meaningful step forward sooner than expected. Regardless, the term "rebuild" shouldn't be considered taboo. It gives fans a much better idea of your intentions and suggests that you understand the need to assemble from the ground up. Fans can accept and embrace a rebuild. Fans aren't sure what to do with a "stage."

At the end of the day, though, acceptance matters more than vocabulary. Karniosvas at the very least said what fans have been waiting to hear for years: The life the Bulls have been living is unacceptable.

“Being in the middle is what we don’t want to do. I think we have seen that the last four years, and we want to change that. And the stage we’re in now, I think we have to look at different combinations of players," Karnisovas said.

Once again, what lies ahead for the Chicago Bulls is far from crystal clear. But that alone is an oddly reassuring feeling after years of knowing precisely where they would end up.