There’s a fine line between due diligence and the perception of indecisiveness.
New Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas is inching his way toward the latter.
Simply put, Karnisovas was a 41 percent three-point shooter in six seasons of international play. Well, it’s time to shoot or get off the pot.
In one corner is current Bulls head coach Jim Boylen. Boylen is liked by the Reinsdorfs and former VP-turned-adviser John Paxson, has multiple years left on his current contract, and according to multiple sources, feels like the job is still his moving forward.
Karnisovas was willing to put the work in to build a relationship with Boylen, evaluate his standing with the players and the head coaching chair, and then make a well thought-out decision. He made that very clear a few weeks ago.
“Coaching in the league is very difficult,’’ Karnisovas said in a Zoom meeting with the media recently. “To make a decision about coaching is really hard. It’s probably the hardest thing for executives. So I look at a lot of aspects. I’ve had numerous conversations. That said, I’d like to be in a building, to be in practices, to be around the coaching staff in meetings.
“Talking to players and coaches, obviously everyone is disappointed with the results last year. They definitely underperformed. … In order for me to keep players and coaches accountable, I have to have personal relationships with them. That’s what I need to cultivate. That’s my objective this offseason.’’
That sounded good at the start of June, but the NBA doesn’t wait for anyone.
That’s what now sits in the other corner.
The New York Knicks have an advantage because they have a coaching vacancy. While Karnisovas is trying his best to be deliberate and fair in evaluating his new organization under the trying circumstances of the coronavirus, the Knicks are interviewing head coaching candidates.
And at least one candidate that the Sun-Times has reported as being atop the Bulls’ potential target list in Ime Udoka.
It might be time for deliberate to be thrown out the window.
This offseason has been stellar for a Bulls organization that far too often has spent its down time stumbling from outhouse to port-a-potty. They landed the executive they wanted in Karnisovas, and the general manager they sought in Marc Eversley.
League-wide both moves have been unanimously applauded.
It means nothing, however, if they don’t hit on the right coach. All the good will built since April with a fan base that has felt betrayed for years? Go ahead and flush it.
Look, if Karnisovas wants Boylen and believes he deserves another season, commit and announce it. The film has been watched, the .317 winning percentage doesn’t lie, and as the Sun-Times reported, the fact that several key players expressed mixed feedback with Boylen hasn’t changed.
There’s also the idea of making sure not to string Boylen along as well. Give him the opportunity to start the process for his next gig if it isn’t with the Bulls.
If Karnisovas wants Udoka or Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, go ahead and get them. Don’t settle for who the Knicks passed on.
Show the NBA that the days of the Bulls treating coaches like mere commodities with different names and faces are over.
The reality of the situation is that Tom Thibodeau is the best candidate out there for any opening, and is likely going to land the New York job considering his relationship with their new front office.
What if Udoka nails his interview, however? Why play this game of chicken?
Deliberate is appreciated, but there’s always a clock winding down and shooters gotta shoot.
Let it fly, Arturas.
