Conflicting Thoughts on Bulls' Front Office Opening

The Chicago Bulls may have gotten over an important hump this week, but another uphill battle awaits.

The firing of Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley was only the first step of a long and crucial process. The job now is for Michael Reinsdorf and his brain trust to find the right person to steer the franchise back toward relevancy. On Tuesday, he shared that the plan was to hire a search firm to aid in the process, which represents a very new approach for this desperate organization.

Whereas seeking outside help may be viewed as a positive, however, Reinsdorf's subsequent comments on Billy Donovan raised a red flag. The President and CEO stated that the team hopes the head coach sticks around, so much so that any executive who may want to hire their own head coach may not be the right man for the job. Likewise, Reinsdorf insisted that he wants Donovan to be even more involved in the decision-making process.

To be sure, Donovan is a heavily respected figure in league circles. The Bulls' desire to retain him shouldn't come as a massive surprise, and there certainly is a chance they find a suitable front office leader who also likes the idea of having Donovan in-house. At the same time, what kind of precedent does this set? Do the Bulls really want to limit their search or handcuff their future hire by insisting they keep Donovan?

It's a question that speaks directly to the broader one: How attractive is this Bulls opening? And might the Bulls' ownership situation genuinely be enough to scare some of the best candidates away?

Let's just say the answers seem to be mixed.

A Good Job or Not?

Apr 22, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas (right) talks with general manager Marc Eversley (left) before game three of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Zach Lowe scared some Bulls fans this week when sharing what he heard from a highly respected former executive at some point over the last year. He told this person that he believed the Bulls' job could be among the most appealing in the NBA, only for this former exec to disagree:

“I talked to – maybe six months a year ago – a front office free agent. And let’s just say he could have his pick of any job – most jobs, if they became open," Lowe said on the Zach Lowe Show. "And he said to me, ‘What would you do if you were me? What job intrigues you.’ And I said, ‘Whoever saves the Chicago Bulls will be a legend in the NBA forever.’ … He said to me, ‘That sounds great in theory, [but] I don’t trust the ownership.’”

There is no way of knowing for certain who Lowe is speaking about (though the description makes it sound as if it could be Bob Myers), but this is not what you want to hear from a voice with this much supposed cachet. If anything, it confirms the fear many Bulls fans have had over the years – nothing will change as long as ownership stays the same.

With that said, it's also the thought of only one party. Might there be more with a similar feeling? Sure, but that's why conversations are had and interviews are held. Especially if the Bulls plan to hire some outside assistance, it's likely only a matter of time before ownership learns how the rest of the league views them and potentially adjusts.

Reinsdorf also stressed how important gathering information on how other organizations do things will be during this process. In other words, maybe he will learn things that can help him sell himself and the franchise to prospective candidates. Too optimistic?

Additionally, let's not ignore that ESPN's Shams Charania sent a very different kind of message on Wednesday. The NBA insider stated that Chicago's opening is immediately being viewed as one of the most intriguing in the NBA:

“But the Bulls' job is still viewed as a premier job. One, because of the market. Two, because you see the loyalty the Reinsdorfs have had for years, for decades. When I talk to people around the NBA, it is viewed as a top job under those circumstances," Charania said on NBA Today.

Brian Windhorst and The Hoop Collective crew were also quick to tout the quality of the opening in Chicago. While they leaned toward the Dallas role being that much more intriguing thanks to the presence of Cooper Flagg, they pointed to the market, fan base, and future financial flexibility.

Considering the Bulls' longstanding irrelevance and repeated refusal to spend the big bucks, any hesitancy on the current front office opening is reasonable. At the same time, there are only 30 of these jobs available and only a handful in a market as big as Chicago. Throw in all the pedigree, and it's hard to imagine any executive refusing to hear out what the Bulls have to say.

At the end of the day, the only way we will truly know how this job is perceived is by a list of interviews and candidates that trickle out. If No. 1 executives for other teams begin to pop up, perhaps the ownership concerns were overblown. If the majority of names are No. 2s looking for a new opportunity, perhaps the Bulls have learned a hard truth.

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