They were the right questions, but the wrong person was forced to answer them.
Unfortunately, that’s what Bulls coach Billy Donovan is these days. He’s the shield that his front office cowers behind.
Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas vowed months ago that hard lessons have been learned since his hiring in April 2020, and over that time he took the franchise to one — yes, one — playoff appearance.
That appearance included a Game 2 victory against Milwaukee, before the Bucks realized they were done screwing around and discarded the Bulls in five games.
Yet, there was Karnisovas on media day back in late October, again saying the right things to appease the masses short-term, before slinking off into the shadows, fully knowing all he did was spend the offseason rearranging deck chairs on the latest version of the Titanic rather than moving the organization in a positive direction.
“The results of last season were unsatisfactory, but they presented us the opportunity to learn, pivot, and take necessary steps to reshape our team,” Karnisovas insisted that day.
Pivot?
It was a stale product three seasons ago, a stale product last season and a stale product this season.
The “pivot” was trading off assets like DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso because they couldn’t afford them, getting no future draft assets in return, and seemingly having no real Plan B since.
“We have razor thin margins here right now,” Donovan said, when discussing the embarrassing loss to Atlanta on Wednesday. A loss in which the Hawks were without the likes of Trae Young and the team’s top three leading scorers.
Which begs the question — If the roster is so razor-thin when it comes to winning or losing games, why has the front office not changed anything yet or even seemingly picked a lane?
The 2025 draft class is loaded, the Bulls have a top-10 pick but lose it to the Spurs if it’s outside the top 10. Karnisovas has allowed the Bulls to stand on the fringe, currently with the ninth-worst record in the league.
Meanwhile, small-market organizations like Charlotte, Utah and Portland entered this season with a tanking plan and are doing everything they can to carry it out.
And it isn’t just the cluelessness that Karnisovas is seemingly operating with these days, but the arrogance to believe he doesn’t have to update the fan base on his message.
Accountability and transparency are not in the Karnisovas dictionary.
“What do you want him to say?” is the comeback for those defending his silence while the Bulls are on the brink of more mediocrity hell.
Something honest would be nice. A life jacket to a drowning fan base who watches their loyalty taken for granted year after year by not only this franchise, but also all of the Chicago sports franchises.
And there is a precedent.
After the Bulls hit rock bottom in late November last season, Karnisovas released a statement insisting, “We see what everyone is seeing and are just as frustrated. We’re disappointed, but I’m not running from it. It’s my responsibility.”
Over a year later, it’s still his responsibility, but Karnisovas has the running shoes laced tightly, sprinting away from his latest dumpster fire like he committed a crime.
And in a way he has — first-degree roster neglect with a charge of second-degree roster-building ignorance.
This is not on the players, this is not on the coaching staff. This is on a front office that came in here almost five seasons ago promising a return to the glory days when the Bulls were can’t-miss box office.
Not only have they not delivered, but they are going backwards.
The trade deadline is Feb. 6. It would be nice if Karnisovas said something on the record before then. He likely won’t. And why should he?
After all, he’s got a 5-10 shield with a New York accent taking all the heat.