The masks are plentiful.
The in-house barbers are in place.
Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid has his hazmat suit.
Heck, Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard even posted a video of his gaming setup in the hotel room he is counting on occupying the next few months. System, camera, monitor to stream on Twitch, the whole shebang.
The Orlando “bubble’’ is up and running, and now the entire NBA is hoping that it holds.
Put Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas near the front of that line.
No, Karnisovas and the Bulls aren’t part of the 22-team restart bubble, but will directly be affected by it.
If the Orlando bubble doesn’t burst by September, the organizations left out could form the “Chicago 8,” giving the league a second working platform to salvage something meaningful from the 2019-20 season.
Will it give the Bulls more than the 22 wins they earned from the lost season? No.
But it will give Karnisovas more answers. Something he desperately needs.
A source reiterated on Friday that head coach Jim Boylen remained confident that he will keep his job heading into next season, and was pleased with the relationship he’s already built with Karnisovas and new general manager Marc Eversley.
The Sun-Times, however, reported last month that Karnisovas and the new-look front office had heard enough from key players and the mixed feelings they had about Boylen, to be prepared to make a coaching change once they went through a “deliberate’’ process of getting to personally know Boylen.
Why wait?
First of all, while ownership has empowered Karnisovas to make all basketball decisions, they also wanted the VP to at least be fair with Boylen.
“It’s very hard,’’ Karnisovas said last month, when asked about the difficulty in listening to what the players said about Boylen and making sure it wasn’t agenda-driven. “Like I said, I need to be there. I need to see it for myself. As much as I could talk to players and their experiences previously, I’m looking forward and they’re looking forward to changes and improvements.
“I think all of them were disappointed. None of them were expecting to win 22 games.’’
The other reason Karnisovas has taken his time is that while the Sun-Times has reported that Philadelphia assistant coach Ime Udoka is the leading candidate to replace Boylen, Udoka is still in year one of a three-year deal with the 76ers and the Bulls aren’t the only team interested in his services.
New York has reportedly been seeking permission to interview him, and don’t rule out Udoka staying with Philadelphia and getting the promotion if current head coach Brett Brown is ousted.
Yes, Karnisovas has the most to gain with a “Chicago 8 Bubble,’’ but not the only one in the organization with a lot riding on it:
Jim Boylen – head coach: Would being able to show his new bosses that he has strong relationships with players, as well as a developmental plan, help keep him in his chair? Unlikely, but never say never. While minds are seemingly made up, Boylen would love the opportunity to try and change them and has a history of building bonds with the higher ups.
Lauri Markkanen – forward: The Bulls would love to ink Markkanen to an extension based on a down year for the 7-footer, and an expected hit to the cap with all the money the league is losing. Offer low and hope. The belief is Markkanen, however, won’t bite. Having a bubble to show he deserves more would be nice for Markkanen, but would he even show up and play if it was voluntary?
Coby White – guard: The rookie finally won the starting point guard spot … for one game before the coronavirus shutdown. He needs the bubble to show the front office they need not shop in the point guard aisle come draft time.
