Before the Bulls fired top executives Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley last week, it felt like there was a 90% chance that head coach Billy Donovan would be leaving the team, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, who suggests that the former front office didn’t seem to have a plan that would make Donovan optimistic about the team’s future.
However, with Karnisovas and Eversley no longer in the picture, Donovan’s decision feels more like a coin flip, Cowley writes, speculating that there’s now a “49%” chance of the head coach departing.
Within his story, Cowley writes that Karnisovas’ and Eversley’s talent evaluation had long been considered questionable, dating back to the 2020 draft, when Karnisovas “fixated” on Patrick Williams with the No. 4 overall pick. According to one of Cowley’s sources, there were scouts and executives within the organization who preferred Tyrese Haliburton, but Karnisovas didn’t view the point guard as a “serious prospect.” Haliburton has since made two All-NBA teams and gotten within one win of a championship.
We have more from around the Central:
- In a separate story for the Chicago Sun-Times, Cowley considers a few potential targets for the Bulls with their newly secured second first-round pick, courtesy of Portland. Cowley identifies UConn’s Braylon Mullins, Michigan’s Aday Mara, and Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance as prospects who Chicago may consider drafting using that pick, which will be either 15th or 16th overall.
- What’s at stake for the Cavaliers during this year’s playoffs? “Everything,” according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required), who believes that any number of organizational and roster changes could be on the table if Cleveland fails to advance to at least the conference finals this spring after spending more than any other team on its roster in 2025/26.
- Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscription required) poses some of the most pressing questions facing the Bucks this summer, including whether ownership wants to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo long-term, who will be the next head coach, and whether they can nail their first lottery pick since 2016.
- Pistons owner Tom Gores published a letter on Tuesday thanking fans for sticking with the team through a challenging rebuild that included five straight years between 14 and 23 wins, including a franchise-worst 14-68 mark in 2023/24. “What we’re building here is a story for the ages,” Gores wrote. “One of the great comeback stories in sports, and not just because of where we are today but because of how we got here.”
I can only wonder if the Bulls finally getting Portlands pick makes Donovan more likely to want to stay? Might be a case of win the battle lose the war scenario. I actually thought Donovan was a good hire at the time But now I want to know did Donovan have any input into the draft or was he playing this crap system because of what he was given to work with? Knowing that would go a long way to figuring out what to do here.
I think Karnisovas wanted to experiment with a faster pace and a deeper rotation. Since the Bulls didn’t have any stars and AK didn’t have any good way to get them, they needed to try something. It seemed to me that Billy was on board with that approach.
Yeah but everybody else in the universe knows that Playoff basketball is mostly based on the ability to execute half court offense in the clutch so once again we have a guy who’s trying to reinvent the wheel here. Basketball games are won by big men who dominate the rim and little men who can shoot the 3 ever since they started allowing it. But here come the Bulls trying to prove everyone wrong. Like they say in baseball, Steeeeeeriiiike!
Sure but everyone also knows the game is continually changing.
I think you mean evolving but OK. And so how was it working out drafting guys like Terry, Williams and Phillips who couldn’t shoot their way out of a paper bag or guard anybody who wasn’t a member of the Hadley School for the blind? I’ll tell you. They stunk plain and simple.
You asked whether Donovan was on board with AKs system and I answered you. I’m not sure how this turned into an analysis of the Bulls draft picks. I would give him a C I guess. The guys you named, not so good. Ayo and Matas, great picks. Noa, we’ll have to see. Overall, some hits, some misses.
The big problem AK had was not his talent evaluation, but his lack of negotiating skills. He overpaid for Vuc, gave PWill way too much on his second contract, and should have been able to get an OKC 2nd round pick along with Giddey. Plus he was not very good at explaining what he was doing.
Well I was just answering your question as to the game was changing. If you were trying to run an up tempo offense why would draft guys who couldn’t shoot? Williams , Terry and Phillips couldn’t shoot. Ayo couldn’t shoot when they drafted him it’s why he lasted til the 2nd round and they stole him. The Bulls shooting coach helped Ayo and Coby be better shots and got fired when he said Williams was lazy and would never be any good. In fact he was the only Coach or FO person who was any good at his job. And if you wanted to be a run and gun offense explain the logic of how you pass up Haliburton and draft Patrick Williams? That makes zero sense. So I wasn’t arguing with you, I was just pointing out that the picks didn’t match the supposed Plan. Peace man, Not disagreeing just confused at this team like usual. LOL
I remember saying out loud “Tyrese Haliburton” right before they said who we chose and then hearing Patrick Williams and being flabbergasted. I had been following the draft closely and hadn’t even heard of him until it was reported that week that we had made a draft promise to him. He would’ve been a fine swing pick at pick 15-20, but #4 was as malpractice as malpractice gets.
The mock drafts I saw had Williams anywhere from 4 to 7. When GMs make picks they usually err on the side of guys that are long and athletic. PWill was regarded as an unproven player with a lot of upside.
I don’t remember what happened with Haliburton that he dropped to 11. Hollinger in his mock suggested Hali to the Bulls at #4, so you are in good company. In the same article JH also said he heard the Pistons had committed to take Williams at #7 if he was still there.
I firmly believe, that tanking world and is a necessary part of the game. However, tanking by virtue of stripping the team of start veterans, playing the young kids, collecting picks and maintain cap flexibility is NOT the same as throwing the game by making bad in- game decisions and gaming injury reports of star players.
But Detroit, San Antonio, Cleveland, Charlotte and Houston are examples of teams that have tanked successfully.
Washington, New Orleans, Brooklyn and Sacramento are franchises that have had no direction, poor scouting and development that have failed at rebuilding their teams.
Milwaukee, Golden State, Miami and Dallas are great examples of teams that probably SHOULD tank but are too proud to do it and thus are sort of stuck in mediocrity where they’re too good to get a top 5 but too bad to contend for more than a play- in appearance, of lucky enough.
So Joe Cowley talked to some junior executive in the Bulls organization who said he would have taken Hali at #4 six years ago. I wonder why that guy is still a junior executive six years later? And for godsake, why is he talking to Cowley about it?
Probably because he knows he’s out the door as soon as the new POBO is eventually named so why not throw the old ones under the bus. Let’s be real there’s nobody in that Organizational FO that should be kept. The one guy they should have kept was the shooting coach who told the truth and he was the first guy out the door. And Cowley is horrible. If he said the Earth is round I’d double check it.
Mullins is not ready
If they had taken Hali or Avdija (who they were seriously considered in 2020), the following things would never have occurred under AK’s watch.
– Signing Lonzo Ball for $20M a deal – Saves cap to sign an actual big man
– Didn’t need to trade for Vucevic if they had an actual big man for $20M to spend
– Patrick Williams would never get $90M and crippling his trade value in the process.
– Keeping their 2021 and 2023 picks (Lively was the next pick) – Magic took Jett Howard in 2023 with Bulls pick. 2021 – Franz Wagner (Magic).
– Dalon Terry would never have picked because Bulls pick would have been terrible in 2022.
Essentially, this would have been the rotation
PG Hali – should have been drafted
SG Coby – already drafted
SF Franz Wagner – own draft pick
PF Wendall Carter Jr – never got traded
C – Derrick Lively Jr – own draft pick
Bench: Ayo, Gafford (who they traded in 2021), Alex Caruso, and a few others I’m forgetting.
Buzelis would never have been a Bull, because the roster above me would be in the playoffs. Giddey would never a Bull either.
Domino effect.
Also, hindsight is real and this got me depressed.
I could say some nasty slandering words for AK but I like talking on this site so I will refrain from it.
I’ll tell you one thing. The Bulls summer League team should be must see TV with Essengue and 4 draft picks. Maybe Dillingham and Miller too. It’ll give something to do. AK was the worst POBO ever. Didn’t talk, Didn’t have a plan, Never had a clue what was going on and now we find out the players knew nothing either. Nice guy to hire.
Raz: i really hate that night when they drafted polly william. After the 3rd pick, i yelled hoorayyyy….we get haliburton…than i silenced when they draft that bum
I yelled at my TV that night with my dad and my dad asked me is this kid any good and I literally said “I have never heard of him ever”.
After that I knew it was an all time disaster pick for us.
Nice restraint. I threw stuff at mine. Here’s the scouting report on an AK draft pick. He’s a wing who can’t shoot but he has a 15 foot wingspan. AK was big on wingspan. If a vulture or giant condor turned pro AK would have drafted it. I really could care less if a guy was called alligator arms if he could shoot the rock. Steph Curry has the wingspan of a baby seal but that man can shoot.
I compared him to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist when he came out. I was severely upset with him lol.
So sick of hearing about Donovan, either stay or leave just make the decision