Bulls Officially Move John Paxson To Advisory Role
With Arturas Karnisovas taking over the executive VP of basketball operations position that he previously held, John Paxson has been named a senior advisor of basketball operations, the Bulls announced today in a press release.
“John has an invaluable perspective on our organization and where we want to be, and he played an instrumental role in this change by bringing forward the idea of a restructure and reorganization,” Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “I have always held his knowledge and basketball insight in the highest regard, and he has earned my respect as well as that of his peers. His decision to take on a new role reflects what I’ve always known about John – that he is forever a willing teammate on and off of the court and always does what he believes is in the best interest of the Chicago Bulls.”
After spending nine years with the Bulls as a player and then joining the coaching staff as an assistant in 1995, Paxson spent some time as a broadcaster before being brought back to Chicago as the team’s general manager in 2003. He became the executive VP of basketball operations in 2009.
After he and longtime GM Gar Forman ran the Bulls’ front office for the last decade, Paxson’s re-assignment had been expected. He was reportedly prepared to leave the organization altogether if newly-hired head of basketball operations Karnisovas decided that was in the team’s best interests.
However, a report last week suggested that Karnisovas viewed Paxson as “a resource, not a roadblock.” Another report indicated that Paxson will only weigh in on basketball decisions if asked by Karnisovas for his input.
The Bulls parted ways with Forman today after officially announcing the hiring of Karnisovas.
Bulls Part Ways With GM Gar Forman
Longtime Bulls executive Gar Forman has been relieved of his duties as general manager and will no longer be involved in the team’s basketball operations department, the team announced today in a press release.
“Gar Forman worked tirelessly for the Chicago Bulls organization, first as a scout and then as an executive,” Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “He made many significant contributions during his time here and helped to bring some of the brightest young basketball talent to our team, from Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson to Jimmy Butler and Coby White.
“He has been a trusted advisor and friend to me over the years, and on behalf of everyone I want to thank him for his commitment to the organization. Gar will always be a part of our Bulls family.”
Forman, who initially joined the Bulls as a scout in 1998, was named director of player personnel in 2004 and was eventually promoted to GM in 2009.
With Chicago revamping its front office and hiring Arturas Karnisovas as the club’s new head of basketball operations, there was an expectation that Forman would either be re-assigned to the scouting department or let go altogether. It appears the team has opted for the latter path.
[RELATED: Bulls Officially Move John Paxson To Advisory Role]
Forman issued a statement of his own thanking the Reinsdorfs, calling it an “honor and privilege” to have worked for the Bulls for over two decades, and saying that the team “will always hold a special place in my heart.”
Forman had two years left on his contract with the Bulls, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, who tweets that the veteran executive will be “in demand” as a scout for other NBA teams.
Bulls Officially Announce Hiring Of Arturas Karnisovas
Five days after reports surfaced suggesting the Bulls were finalizing the hiring of Arturas Karnisovas, Chicago has made it official, announcing in a press release that the former Nuggets general manager is now their executive VP, basketball operations. As expected, Karnisovas’ new title with the Bulls is the one John Paxson held for the last several years.
“Arturas is one of the most respected basketball executives in the NBA. His résumé speaks for itself. I am thrilled that he is now a member of the Bulls,” said president & COO Michael Reinsdorf, who led the front office search. “As the new head of basketball operations, I am confident that his vision, ability to lead and experience helping build winning teams in Houston and Denver will serve him well here. I am very pleased to welcome him and his family to the City of Chicago and have him officially join our organization.”
Karnisovas had been with the Nuggets since being hired as an assistant general manager in 2013. He was promoted to GM in 2017 and helped build a roster that won 54 games in 2018/19 and was on nearly an identical pace this year prior to the suspension of the NBA’s season.
Before working with Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly to build a contender in Denver, Karnisovas was part of the basketball operations department in the NBA’s league office and served as an international scout for the Rockets. He also had a successful EuroLeague career as a player and won a pair of bronze medals for Lithuania’s national team in the Olympics.
“This is the height of a dream for me, and I am prepared for the challenge that it presents,” Karnisovas said in a statement of his own. “I grew up watching the Chicago Bulls. They represented American basketball and the NBA to a kid from Lithuania. I’ve always had a love for this franchise and to be a part of it and influence its revival is a privilege. I want to thank (team chairman) Jerry (Reinsdorf) and Michael Reinsdorf and the entire Bulls organization for presenting me with this opportunity and welcoming me and my family to Chicago.”
Since news broke last week that the Bulls had landed on Karnisovas as their new head of basketball operations, there have been rumors and reports on executives who may join him in Chicago’s new-look front office. The team reportedly reached a deal to hire cap guru J.J. Polk away from the Pelicans and was said to be in serious talks with Nuggets director of pro personnel Pat Connelly as well.
Of course, two of the most important initial decisions Karnisovas will have to make involve the head coach and general manager roles. Jim Boylen reportedly has some concern about his job security despite remaining confident he’ll be retained. Meanwhile, longtime GM Gar Forman has been let go, with Karnisovas said to be putting together a list of candidates to fill that position.
As for the Nuggets, they’ll need to plug the hole created in the front office by the departure of their general manager. Assistant GM Calvin Booth is a candidate for a promotion in Denver, though he’s also said to be on Karnisovas’ list of potential GM targets.
Gobert, Mitchell Work On Repairing Relationship
A report last Friday from The Athletic indicated that a rift still exists between Jazz stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, stemming from their positive coronavirus tests last month and the cavalier attitude Gobert reportedly showed with teammates and their belongings in the days leading up to his diagnosis.
One source who spoke to The Athletic even went so far as to say that the relationship between Mitchell and Gobert “doesn’t appear salvageable,” but the two All-Stars spoke on the phone on Saturday, sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). According to Haynes, the conversation went well and represented the first step toward repairing that relationship.
Prior to Haynes’ report, Gobert himself revealed that conversation with Mitchell during an Instagram Live interview with Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report on Sunday.
“It is true that we didn’t speak for a while, a few days, but we did speak a few days ago and we’re both ready to go out there and try to win a championship for this team,” Gobert told Rooks (video link). “It’s all about being a professional. Everyone’s got different relationships, it’s never perfect — people that are married, it’s never perfect. So me and my teammates, it’s far from perfect. But at the end of the day, we both want the same thing — and it’s winning. We’re both grown men, we’re both gonna do what it takes to win.”
There has been a perception over the last few weeks that Mitchell has been the one angry at Gobert for not taking COVID-19 seriously before testing positive. However, a source tells Haynes (Twitter link) that both players had issues with one another. The Saturday phone call between the two teammates was a good first step, though there’s still work to be done to fully mend fences, Haynes adds.
Speaking to Rooks, Gobert expressed confidence that he and Mitchell will patch things up and suggested that their rough patch shouldn’t be atop anyone’s list of concerns when it comes to the effects of coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s not really about me and Donovan — this little fight is no fight,” Gobert said, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. “It’s about thousands of people are dying every day, and it’s all about, ‘What can we do to help? What can we do to bring some positive?’ And at the end of the day, that’s really what my focus is on right now.”
2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Charlotte Hornets
Hoops Rumors is looking ahead at the 2020/21 salary cap situations for all 30 NBA teams. Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the NBA, it’s impossible to know yet where the cap for 2020/21 will land. Given the league’s lost revenue, we’re assuming for now that it will stay the same as the ’19/20 cap, but it’s entirely possible it will end up higher or lower than that.
Projected by oddsmakers before the 2019/20 season to be the worst team in the Eastern Conference, the Hornets outperformed those low expectations, holding the 10th spot in the East when the NBA suspended play, albeit with an uninspiring 23-42 record.
While this roster isn’t stacked with talent and Charlotte doesn’t have great odds to land a top-four pick in the 2020 draft, the organization is at least getting some money off its books this summer. In addition to getting out from under Bismack Biyombo‘s massive contract, the team also moved on from longtime Hornets Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marvin Williams earlier this year. With Nicolas Batum‘s $27MM option for ’20/21 still on the books, the slate isn’t entirely clean, but the Hornets should finally have a little cap flexibility going forward.
Here’s where things stand for the Hornets financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:
Guaranteed Salary
- Terry Rozier ($18,900,000)
- Cody Zeller ($15,415,730)
- Malik Monk ($5,345,687)
- P.J. Washington ($4,023,600)
- Miles Bridges ($3,934,320)
- Cody Martin ($1,517,981)
- Total: $49,137,318
Player Options
- Nicolas Batum ($27,130,434)
- Total: $27,130,434
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Devonte’ Graham ($1,663,861) 1
- Caleb Martin ($1,517,981) 2
- Jalen McDaniels ($1,517,981) 3
- Ray Spalding (two-way)
- Total: $4,699,823
Restricted Free Agents
- Dwayne Bacon ($2,023,150 qualifying offer / $2,023,150 cap hold): Bird rights
- Kobi Simmons (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $3,468,847
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Bismack Biyombo ($25,500,000): Bird rights
- No. 3 overall pick ($7,839,960)
- Willy Hernangomez ($1,620,564): Bird rights
- Shelvin Mack ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 4
- Brian Roberts ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 4
- Marcus Paige ($1,445,697): Non-Bird rights 4
- Total: $39,647,349
Offseason Cap Outlook
Although they have less than $50MM in guaranteed money currently committed for 2020/21, the Hornets can expect that number to rise significantly when Batum officially opts in. Throw in Graham’s modest team option and a cap hold for their lottery pick and the Hornets are up near $86MM in guarantees.
Still, that’s not a massive number. Even after accounting for empty roster charges and a potential dip in the ’20/21 cap, Charlotte still projects to have $19-22MM in space to work with. And that number would increase if the cap does.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Room exception: $4,767,000 5
Footnotes
- Graham’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after October 24.
- Martin’s new salary guarantee date is unknown.
- McDaniels’ new salary guarantee date is unknown.
- The cap holds for Mack, Roberts, and Paige remain on the Hornets’ books because they haven’t been renounced after going unsigned in 2019/20. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
- This is a projected value.
Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are based on the salary cap and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Early Bird Rights was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Central Notes: Bulls, P. Connelly, Turner, Kennard
The Bulls have yet to formally announce the hiring of Nuggets GM Arturas Karnisovas as their new executive VP of basketball operations. That delay is related in part to the fact that there’s still a possibility of other Denver staffers joining Karnisovas in Chicago, tweets Mike Singer of The Denver Post.
Sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links) that one such candidate who is in serious talks to join the Bulls’ front office is Nuggets director of pro personnel Pat Connelly, the brother of Denver’s president of basketball operations Tim Connelly.
Woj adds that a deal between the Bulls and Pat Connelly could come together quickly, and that an official announcement on Karnisovas’ departure from the Nuggets for Chicago could happen as soon as today.
Here’s more from around the Central Division:
- No decisions have been made yet on Jim Boylen‘s future as head coach, but there has been “a lot of smoke” today around Adrian Griffin and the Bulls, tweets Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. One executive tells Cowley that the current Raptors assistant is so ready for a head coaching role that he’s “over-qualified” for most jobs.
- Pacers center Myles Turner revealed during an appearance on CJ McCollum‘s podcast (hat tip to Dan Feldman of NBC Sports) that his father was hospitalized with COVID-19 for nearly a week before recovering. “He’s not contagious anymore. He’s back on his feet,” Turner said. “It’s a blessing that he was able to make it through, but there’s a lot of people that aren’t. So, I think having something personal happen to you like that, that’s kind of what made it, the perspective, all feel real.”
- Getting Luke Kennard back on track will be a top priority for the Pistons if the regular season resumes, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. The former lottery pick will be eligible for a rookie-scale extension during the offseason.
Chris Crouse contributed to this post.
Coronavirus Notes: Resumption Plans, Financial Impact, More
Within an in-depth feature about how the Jazz dealt with the ramifications of Rudy Gobert‘s positive coronavirus test last month, Shams Charania, Sam Amick, and Tony Jones of The Athletic cite sources who say one preliminary plan the NBA has discussed for a resumed 2019/20 season would involve a two-week quarantine period in which teams could use facilities and players could work out individually.
That period would be followed by a two-week training camp and an abbreviated regular season and postseason, per Charania, Amick, and Jones. All games would take place in a single “bubble” city and without fans in attendance.
The league has also explored the possibility of a play-in tournament for the seventh and eighth seeds, sources tell The Athletic. However, both that idea and any sort of return timeline remain hypothetical at this point, since the NBA still has no sense of if or when resuming the season will be possible.
Here’s more on the coronavirus situation and the NBA’s hiatus:
- In a memo to players and agents this week, the NBPA said there’s no “drop-dead date” for any final determination on the 2019/20 season, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. There have been whispers that the NBA doesn’t want this year’s playoffs running any later than Labor Day.
- For those interested in how a postponed and/or canceled season will impact players financially, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report and Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN have provided good breakdowns of the situation and what might come next. As we detailed on Thursday, players are still receiving their full pay checks for now, but will likely eventually have to forfeit – or even give back – a portion of their salaries.
- Even when the NBA and other sports leagues eventually reopen their events to fans, the coronavirus pandemic will have changed the way we attend games, writes Kelly Cohen of ESPN. As Cohen detailed in a separate ESPN article, a poll released this week by Seton Hall’s School of Business suggested that 72% of respondents – including 61% who self-identified as sports fans – aren’t planning to attend a sporting event until a COVID-19 vaccine has been introduced.
Joe Lacob Unsure How Hiatus Will Impact Warriors’ Future Spending
The Warriors, who wouldn’t have hosted any playoff games this spring if the NBA season had played out as scheduled, may not be the team hit hardest by the league’s indefinite suspension. However, owner Joe Lacob admitted that the lost revenue as a result of the hiatus and its potential impact on the salary cap going forward have created uncertainty about Golden State’s future spending ability.
Appearing on The TK Show with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, Lacob was asked whether the Warriors still plan to go full-steam ahead next season, using their $17MM trade exception and full taxpayer mid-level exception to bolster their roster. As Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area relays, Lacob has adjusted his stance a little since declaring last February that the franchise can “do whatever we want” financially.
“We’re looking obviously at all of those questions and the possible answers,” Lacob said. “But I don’t really have a good sense yet because I really have no idea how this is gonna shake out. We don’t know what the salary cap is going to be, we don’t know what the luxury tax is going to be, so we don’t really know what we can plan on at this point. We just have to look at a lot of different scenarios, and that’s what we’re doing right now. (The NBA’s stoppage) could make a huge difference and it might make no difference.”
When Kawakami pointed out that the Warriors may have a limited window of opportunity to continue competing for championships, given that Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are all now in their 30s, Lacob acknowledged that the team still wants to take advantage of that window as best it can.
“That was our plan and still – until further notice – is our plan for next year and the next few years,” he said. “However, a lot of things could change. And we’re going to have to adjust, just like every other team’s going to have to adjust, to whatever the new world order is, to whatever the new situation is in the NBA.”
During his half-hour conversation with Kawakami, Lacob addressed a few other topics of interest. Here are a few of the highlights from the discussion, which is worth checking out in full for Warriors fans:
On the Warriors’ draft plans:
“We’ve never spent more time as a group on the draft as we have this year. Obviously we have a lot more time to do it, we all do. I have watched videos of probably all the top players at this point. I’ve watched interviews, I’ve watched high school highlights, AAU highlights, like everybody else. … I think there’s enough information out there and enough work that’s being put in our side that we’ll be able to make a good decision and try to help our team.
“We’re going to look at all scenarios. … We’re going to look at drafting someone at our position, we’re going to look at maybe we trade down. I’m not saying that’s preferred or not preferred, I’m just saying it’s something we have to look at. We’re going to look at all options and we’re going to figure out a way to have our team be the best possible team that it could be for this year, but still with an eye toward building for the future.”
On signing D’Angelo Russell to a four-year contract and trading him seven months later:
“We thought (acquiring Russell in a sign-and-trade) was a great opportunity to be able to get a player in the wake of losing a Kevin Durant. To get anything of that quality was just an advantage, whether it worked out or not. We did not do it just for that reason, but we did it because we thought he could potentially be a part of what we were building for the future.
“That wasn’t without risk. We all understood that he was another guard, so we had to wait and see how it all worked out. I think as time went on we obviously began to take a little bit different look at the whole thing in terms of the fit, and even though he’s a good guy and really performed quite well for us, I think we all made the decision that perhaps there was a better fit out there than that. … Maybe it could have worked out, but we made the decision – right or wrong, we’ll find out – that (Andrew) Wiggins would be the better fit for us. And we think it’s a great fit, actually.”
On finding the silver lining in Durant’s decision to leave Golden State:
“He wouldn’t have played this last year, he was injured. We would have had a huge payroll as a team. So I think maybe this is the best thing. We’re able to start a rebuild a little bit earlier than we otherwise might have, and maybe it’ll prove to be the right thing in the long run that that occurred. I’m an optimist, I always look at things for what’s the positive in the situation. Yes, he left, that’s negative, but the positive is we got a chance to move forward quicker and to move into the next phase of what we’re doing.”
On NBA teams reducing certain employees’ salaries and/or furloughing staffers:
“There are no plans like that with us. … I think at this point in time, knowing what we know… our view is that we need and value all of our employees. We spent a lot of time hiring these people and training them and building up this organization to be a really good one, and I don’t want to tear it down unless for some reason we really had to, if there was economic calamity.”
Arizona’s Josh Green Entering 2020 NBA Draft
Arizona freshman swingman Josh Green is entering his name into the 2020 NBA draft pool, he confirmed today to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
Green is the third Wildcats underclassman to declare for the draft, joining teammates Nico Mannion and Zeke Nnaji. All three project to be possible first-round picks. Coming in at No. 21 overall on ESPN’s big board, Green slots in between Mannion (No. 14) and Nnaji (No. 34).
In 30 games (30.9 MPG) as a freshman, Green averaged 12.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.6 APG, and 1.5 SPG with a .424/.361/.780 shooting line.
In his scouting report, Mike Schmitz of ESPN notes that Green doesn’t have an elite skill on the offensive end, but is a versatile defender and improved shooter who has an ideal physical profile for an NBA wing.
Green is the second potential first-round pick to declare today for the draft, joining Duke’s Vernon Carey Jr. Carey’s father confirmed that his son has officially declared for the draft and will sign with agent Jeff Wechsler for representation, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
Bulls To Hire J.J. Polk As Assistant GM
Although the Bulls have yet to officially announce the hiring of Arturas Karnisovas, it appears that the team’s new head of basketball operations has already lined up the first new addition to his management group. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter), Chicago is hiring Pelicans executive J.J. Polk as an assistant general manager.
K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter links) first identified Polk as a candidate to join the Bulls and noted that he would likely be made an assistant GM.
Polk, known for his salary cap expertise, held the title of executive director of basketball administration in New Orleans. He has a connection to the Chicago area, having earned his law degree at the University of Illinois.
Karnisovas and the Bulls figure to continue filling out the front office in the coming days and weeks and are expected to hire at least one more assistant GM in addition to Polk, according to Johnson (Twitter link).