Bulls Fans Will Need to Take a Deep Breath After This Front Office Search Update

Are you sitting down? Good. I'd also recommend the adults in the room grab a cocktail.

The Chicago Bulls' front office search was never going to come without a few grimaces. Let's not forget who we're dealing with. The truth is, this ownership group simply isn't all that used to going down this road. And, when they do, they typically choose to lean on the folks close to home. That can be a big problem when home is exactly what you're trying to fix.

To be sure, the Bulls deserve some credit for at least choosing to hire a search firm. While it's unclear exactly how extensively this group will be used, it at least speaks to a willingness to hear outside feedback and embrace a more disciplined search. What isn't going to feel nearly as comforting for Bulls fans, however, is finding out who has reportedly started to lead this process behind the scenes.

Longtime Chicago radio personality Dan Bernstein recently shared some insight on his show with 312 Sports. According to him, former Bulls front office leader John Paxson is currently steering the ship again over at the Advocate Center.

“Right now, the guy on Michael Reinsdorf’s shoulder, leading him through this process, is John Paxson," Bernstein said. "In a lot of ways, John Paxson at the moment is the most important person in the Bulls organization. Whether he wanted to be or not, whether he wanted somebody like me to be talking about Pax, that’s just a fact. That’s just where they are … I’m told John Paxson will be heavily involved in these interviews, sitting alongside Michael.”

Want me to go make you another cocktail?

John Paxson Leading Search for New GM?

Jan 2, 2020; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls vice president of basketball operations John Paxson signs autographs before an NBA game at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

First of all, let's not forget that John Paxson has been a member of the Chicago Bulls' organization this whole time. While he may have moved on from his role as executive vice president of basketball operations in 2020, the franchise figure immediately stepped into a senior advisor role. How extensively the team has used his expertise over the last handful of years is unknown, but it's clear that the Reinsdorf family still values his insight deeply.

Nevertheless, if the idea is to start fresh, should a former lead basketball executive really be this involved in the hiring process? More importantly, one who was removed from his position because of his own long-term struggles to build a competitive team? It certainly feels like a fair question and concern!

At the same time, it's unclear if Michael Reinsdorf can be trusted to make the call on his own. The more glass-half-full approach is recognizing that Paxson does at least know what it takes to do the job adequately. Even if his tenure as the man in charge didn't bring overwhelming success, he certainly had better years than Karnisovas and got to see plenty of other front offices do it right.

This entire process is about vetting the right candidates and asking the right questions. Paxson is going to know how to do that better than Reinsdorf. With that said, decision-making has ultimately been the root of all problems for the Bulls. This all comes down to choosing the right person to do the job, and it's hard not to feel queasy about having either Reinsdorf or Paxson making the final call.

At the end of the day, I guess all that really matters is that something new is coming to the front office. If franchises like the Knicks and Pistons can finally dig themselves out of a hole after several hiring flops, the Bulls can too. And, hey, at least Gar Forman isn't sitting in on the interviews!

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