Oklahoma City’s Sam Presti and Toronto’s Masai Ujiri were never being hunted.
Just two white whales that the S.S. Reinsdorf knew couldn’t be caught or even run down.
In that regard, maybe the reshaping of the Bulls front office was always going to be underwhelming, especially for a fan base that was hoping a big-name executive could be landed, giving the organization a new voice, a better direction.
Instead, Monday was more about who else was out of the running rather then who was actually in.
Members of the Toronto media reported that Raptors general manager Bobby Webster was staying put, close to landing a new deal to keep his current role, while Miami vice president of basketball operations/assistant GM Adam Simon will also stay with a Heat organization that he’s spent decades with, starting off as a video coordinator.
It’s the Simon news that was a real slap in the face, as Bulls COO Michael Reinsdorf had his eye on the Miami Heat model. The best way to duplicate that model? Take a key figure from it.
One executive told the Sun-Times on Monday that Simon would have been the best way for the Bulls to go, and would have given the front office restructure instant credibility.
Over the weekend, Indiana Pacers GM Chad Buchanan pulled out of the interview process, also opting to stay put.
A source close to the situation did say that Utah Jazz GM Justin Zanik was interviewed by video on Monday, and Nuggets GM Arturas Karnisovas was also scheduled to do the same.
Zanik, who attended Northwestern before taking the route of a player agent turned NBA executive, is more than just a “cap guy,’’ building a solid reputation as a great communicator and an understanding of how to delegate scouting and player development.
Karnisovas’ strength is scouting – both at the college level and internationally – and has also been instrumental in some key deals that have lifted Denver back to a threat in the Western Conference.
As previously reported by the Sun-Times, this will be a Michael Reinsdorf production, with his father – and team chairman – Jerry Reinsdorf a key figure in the background and in the final decision making.
The source did say that current Bulls VP of basketball operations John Paxson was not in on the Zanik interview, and has opted to move to the background by choice.
Paxson will retain a key role in the organization, and even if he’s no longer involved in the decisions made in the day-to-day basketball operations, he will still be a sounding board for both the Reinsdorfs, as well as an advisor that understands what the Reinsdorfs want in the Bulls culture.
