Repetition Defined the Bulls Under Artūras Karnišovas —And It Eventually Cost Him

The decision to extend Karnišovas and Marc Eversley less than a year ago hangs over all of this. If this outcome was unacceptable now, it’s fair to ask why it wasn’t then. What changed? 

And more importantly, what didn’t?

Former Chicago Bulls VP of Basketball Operations Artūras Karnišovas (The Bigs Archives)

By the end, there wasn’t much left to figure out.

Artūras Karnišovas’ Bulls had already told you exactly who they were.

Not bad enough to bottom out. Not good enough to matter.

Just there.

There was a moment when it felt like it might lead somewhere.

In 2021-22, after adding DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, the Bulls climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference as late as late February.

But it wasn't real.

By the end of the season, they were back in a familiar place — a lower playoff seed, a short series, and more questions than answers.

And in a lot of ways, they never really moved on from it.

The core remained. The approach never fully shifted. They kept chasing a version of that team that never fully returned.

But nothing ever stuck.

The direction didn’t change. Only the framing did.

Even the idea of a “pivot” this season felt more like a shift in language than approach.

Dealing Zach LaVine for Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter and Zach Collins did mark a shift, as the focus turned toward younger players with experience.

But it came late, and it raised as many questions as it answered.

By the time the Bulls moved on from Nikola Vučević, Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, Kevin Huerter, Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips at the deadline, Karnišovas framed it as a “transitional stage.”

But even that didn’t fully clarify what came next.

The Bulls kept trying to win while also trying to figure out what they had. They never fully committed to either.

That’s what defined this front office more than anything.

Repetition.

The same bets. 

The same outcomes. 

The same place in the standings.

The decision to extend Karnišovas and Marc Eversley less than a year ago hangs over all of this.

If this outcome was unacceptable now, it’s fair to ask why it wasn’t then.

What changed? 

And more importantly, what didn’t?

The situation with Jaden Ivey didn’t create the disconnect. It revealed it.

Between evaluation and reality. Between messaging and action. Between what the team said it was doing and what it actually was.

By the time the Bulls made this move, the answer had already been there.

The results weren’t changing. And eventually, that leaves you with one option.

This wasn’t sudden.

It just took longer than it should have.