Michael Reinsdorf

June 4, 2020 Bulls President and COO Michael Reinsdorf, as well as Executive Vice President – Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas, have released the following statements:

MICHAEL REINSDORF:“It is disappointing that we will not return to play for the 2019-20 season, but ultimately this decision is about more than just one team. We are supportive of Commissioner Adam Silver and the outcome of the vote by the NBA Board of Governors. We thank Adam and his team for their thoughtful work in exploring all available options to come up with a solution that allows the NBA as a league to resume. They spent countless hours having open dialogue with leaders and experts across various industries, as well as team executives, listening and educating themselves to ensure the NBA made the best, safest decision for the league and our players during these unprecedented times.

“We will now shift our focus to continue to build our team under the new leadership of Arturas Karnisovas and our Basketball Operations Department with a focus on the Draft, free agency and offseason development. To our fans and the great city of Chicago: We thank you for your continued support. Keep moving forward with us as we prepare to return to the court for the 2020-21 season.”

ARTURAS KARNISOVAS: “To be included in the plan to restart the 2019-20 season would have been a positive for our players and their development, but we understand the need to compromise and we support the decision made today by the NBA Board of Governors.  We are disappointed that our season is over and there won’t be opportunities to see our team or players in game action, but we will be creative in discovering new opportunities to support their growth as we prepare for the next season. Commissioner Adam Silver had the difficult responsibility to develop the best option for the league, and I commend him for the job he has done, particularly given the extraordinary circumstances.”

statement-on-todays-nba-announcement

Statement on Today's NBA Announcement

It was early in a season of resolve that was beginning to show cracks. The Bulls were stumbling along falling close to the NBA's Maginot Line of despair, 10 games under .500 near Christmas. Once passing that, there isn't much defense.

So the Bulls decided to hire Arturas Karnisovas as Executive Vice-President of Basketball Operations.

It became official Monday with the announcement by Bulls President and Chief Operating Officer Michael Reinsdorf during a media conference call. The new chief basketball executive didn't have a name back then. But he had a job, which was restoring order and excellence at a time Michael Reinsdorf called a potential turning point in franchise history.

Michael is confident the Bulls acquired the right general for the battles. And he conceded it began with an altruistic transfer of power from Karnisovas' predecessor, John Paxson.

"Did we get the No. 1 person out there? I believe we did," said Michael.

"John Paxson came to me and my dad back — I think it was around December — and we started talking and he felt that we needed, the organization needed, to make a change and an upgrade," said Michael Reinsdorf. "He felt that we were too set in our ways. And when you look at it, our basketball department had long been one of the smallest departments in the league and it hadn't really grown with the times. In John's words, we needed to make changes in terms of the leadership and structure that would set up the Bulls for the next 10 to 15 years.

"During these conversations with John — and there were multiple conversations — John also made it clear to us that he would change his role or step down if that's what was best for the Chicago Bulls," Michael continued. "Because at the end of the day he's a Chicago Bull and that's what he cares most about. At the same time, I was kind of struggling, too, as most of you know, with trying and wanting to get the Bulls back on track. It was difficult because even though we made the decision to rebuild, we knew it was going to be hard in terms of losing. I looked at our draft record. We actually had some good drafts with Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter and Coby White. And then I look at a lot of our injuries and I saw what was going on and obviously that clearly affected our record. But at the end of the day, what John is really good at is simplifying the issue. When he said the next 10 to 15 years comment to me, that really, really stuck with me."

And so Michael Reinsdorf set out on the lonely path of responsibility.

While Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf remains "the boss," as Michael reiterated Monday, it was another significant leg in the race to succeed. This time Michael was getting the baton. His father remained back in Arizona. Paxson slowed from a sprint. Michael took off running.

"I started to spend a lot of time talking to a lot of people and really trying to understand other team's organizational structures," Michael said. "I wanted to understand what other teams were doing differently than us. I learned that there's no one way of building a strong and sustainable operation or team. But the two keys to success are having the right people and the right processes in place.

"During this time, John and I were talking and meeting on a regular basis. I started to share with him what I was learning," said Michael. "John continued to share with me what he was thinking. And it was kind of at this point that John indicated to my dad and me that he was no longer the right person to lead the Chicago Bulls. That's really the kind of person John is. I've always said when the time came to make a change, John would be the one to let us know. And that is indeed what ended up happening. I was really excited because it made the next steps clearer for me. We not only needed to grow our basketball operations department, but one of the most important steps I had to take was to find the right person to lead our organization. I believe — this is my view of the role ownership should play in sports, and certainly in terms of basketball —the ownership is responsible for hiring the right person to lead the basketball team and then should step to the side and allow the basketball people to do their work. If we pick the wrong person it can take years to recover. So we needed to get this right."

This wasn't about waiting for Godot, who never did arrive. It was getting out on the road. Perhaps not in search of Paradise, but something of finding an alchemist who might be able to turn the vibrant raw materials of the Bulls into franchise gold.

"We identified needs and areas of importance in our basketball operations person," said Michael. "I loved the idea of bringing in someone from the outside to lead the organization. That's worked incredibly well on the business side (Michael's primary responsibility in recent years). Bringing people in who have new ideas and new ways of doing things different than the way we do it, I think, is terrific. So I kind of led the search. I spoke with other owners, former GMs, agents. I spoke to even the media, people at the league. I spoke to former NBA players, people that were in our organization. Anyone who I thought could help me. I wanted to know who was out there that was ready to take the next step in their careers and move into the lead role.

"The name that kept coming up at the time was Arturas'," said Michael. "Arturas' name came up as well as other really good candidates. One thing I definitely learned during this process, the Chicago Bulls are indeed an iconic franchise. And we are one that deserves a proven leader of our basketball operations department.

"So I was looking for someone with a wide range of experience, but, of course, someone who's passionate, hard working and really smart. That's kind of our mantra when we're hiring people at the Bulls," said Michael. "We also needed someone who had experience in helping to build a successful basketball organization, a person who strongly believed in the benefits of great player development. The talent internationally continues to grow and the ability to navigate international basketball is more important than ever. We wanted someone that would bring their own ideas and concepts and have a strong presence, a leader who will be process oriented in trying to build a winning team, someone who works collaboratively with others and surrounds himself with really smart people and develops talent in the basketball operations department. This job isn't just a one-person job. Building a winning team, as we all know, it's players first. But we need to have an organization that is strong up and down. And we wanted someone who is passionate about being part of the Chicago Bulls family."

Great players with effective organizations win championships.

"But there was still one thing left and that was my dad," said Michael, who also commended the Nuggets for their cooperation and exceptional organization. "At the end of the day, my dad, Jerry, is still the boss. So we had to have that final interview with my dad. We did that over video. And it was clear after that meeting that we had our new head of basketball operations.

"My dad said to me after the meeting, 'I never thought you would find anyone as great as Arturas.' So I knew we were done," said Michael. "That night we were able to negotiate a deal with Arturas. It took a few minutes and we were ready to move. This organization is at a crossroads and we're fortunate enough not only to find someone who can lead this organization, but someone who's as qualified as Arturas. At the end of the day, what matters most to me is we ended up getting the right person."

michael-reinsdorf-finds-the-right-leader-in-karnisovas

Michael Reinsdorf finds the right leader in Karnisovas

Watch as you get an inside listen to the first introductory conference call with Arturas Karnisovas and Michael Reinsdorf.

Arturas Karnisovas is introduced as the Bulls new Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations via conference call with the Chicago media.

Time Stamps:1:26 - Why change was needed12:25 - Why the Bulls was an appealing job17:10 - Arturas explains what he values in a General Manager26:56 - Arturas gives his philosophy on player development

For more exclusive videos, check out the video page

arturas-karnisovas-bulls-introductory-conference-call

Arturas Karnisovas - Bulls Introductory Conference Call

Thank you to all of the heroes on the front lines of this pandemic

thank-you-to-all-of-the-heroes-on-the-front-lines-of-this-pandemic

An Evening with the Chicago Bulls: Michael & Nancy Reinsdorf

an-evening-with-the-chicago-bulls-michael-nancy-reinsdorf

nba-announces-chicago-will-host-2020-all-star-game

NBA ANNOUNCES CHICAGO WILL HOST 2020 ALL STAR GAME

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Friday the league is comfortable and satisfied the way the Bulls dealt with the Bobby Portis/Nikola Mirotic incident.

Portis received an eight-game suspension for punching Mirotic during a scrimmage. It is one of the longest team suspensions in league history. Mirotic remains out recovering from his injuries. Portis Friday against the Pacers played his second game since returning and scored 20 points. It was the first time in his NBA career he's scored 20 points or more in back to back games.

"I think they handled it the right way," Silver said of the Bulls. "The only part of the process I was involved in was deferring to the team to deal with discipline in a situation like that. And my view was that if the basketball operations people at the league thought it was getting proper attention from the team, the league did not need to step in."

Silver was in Chicago for the official announcement of the 2020 All-Star game being played in the United Center. After a media conference, Silver met with reporters and discussed several topics, including the Portis situation, the previous hesitancy of the Bulls to embrace All-Star weekend and the lottery reform that goes into effect in 2019.

"It (Chicago's interest in hosting the game) surprised me a little bit given Jerry's (Reinsdorf, managing partner) longstanding opposition," said Silver. But Mayor Emanuel was very persuasive. And I, of course, talked to Jerry at the time and he clearly had mellowed a bit over the years. I think especially now with Michael (Reinsdorf) in day-to-day operations being in favor of bringing it here, I think Jerry said, ‘If everyone wants it here, it should be here.'"

The NBA recently agreed to lower the odds for the team's with the poorest records to get the top picks starting in 2019. Silver without mentioning the felonious tactics of the Philadelphia 76ers, said action was needed because of the stain on the league of teams coming to believe purposely losing games was in their best interests.

"Draft lottery reform was important to me because I think our teams were going down a path where even if they didn't think a perpetual rebuild was the right strategy for winning a championship, there seemed to be enormous pressure on them from fans and other people in the basketball community as if that were the only way to build a team," said Silver. "It felt to us at least that the existing odds for the first, second and third picks were almost too tempting. So, we changed the odds. This isn't the first time we've tinkered with the draft lottery. It's a compromise of sorts but I think it will appropriately focus teams on winning, which is first and foremost what they should be doing. I think this will work itself out, that coaches and gms will realize it's a balance and a race to the bottom is not the way to a championship team."

Silver did concede most season ticket holders would lose out on attending the game, which always was the Bulls' objection.

"It does potentially displace some season ticket holders," Silver acknowledged. It's part of the issue for the home team. We're bringing in people from all over the world. We, of course, need those seats. What's helped since 1988 is because we now have all these other events, whether it be a rookie/sophomore game on Friday night or a celebrity game and huge Jam session in town, it creates other opportunities, frankly, to take care of the season ticket holders. My sense for the season ticket holders, many of them whom I've talked to, I don't think their ultimate deal is, ‘We'd rather not have it all if we can't have our same seats.' I think they still appreciate what it means for the community and team to bring All-Star festivities to Chicago."

Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf also met in an informal session with media confirmed the team doesn't share in any revenue or profits with an All-Star game, that it becomes the league's event and the league runs it. Michael Reinsdorf said it's still good for Chicago basketball.

"Having the All-Star Game brings a lot of excitement to the city of Chicago, a lot of people talking basketball," he said. "When people are talking basketball, they're obviously going to be talking about the Chicago Bulls. I think it can be really helpful. But most importantly, bringing the All-Star Game here to Chicago really benefits the city of Chicago, the economic and cultural impact. The way we're looking at this, this is what's good for the city of Chicago."

As for the Bulls now, Michael Reinsdorf said he's confident about the way the Bulls are proceeding.

"I'm not normally the spokesperson on basketball stuff," he said. "We're only a few weeks in. Lauri's (Markkanen) playing really well. So far we're happy. When Zach (LaVune) comes back, that's going to be a big indication. Kris (Dunn) just came back from an injury. We have to see, but right now, we're happy. The team is playing really hard. Fred's (Hoiberg) got them playing really hard. It's not going unnoticed. There's certain sports writers in this city that have written positive articles about the way the team is playing right now. Hopefully, the fans will start to take notice. Because we know this isn't necessarily about wins and losses this year, but we do want to make sure the team and the players are trying their hardest to win games and giving their best effort. Because that's kind of the mentality the city of Chicago has and the fans: Work hard and let's see what happens. As far as the rebuild, the Cubs did a great job with their rebuild, the White Sox are in the midst of their rebuild, and I think the fans understand that's kind of the nature of sports."

silver-reinsdorf-met-with-media-following-2020-nba-all-star-game-press-conference

Silver, Reinsdorf met with media following 2020 NBA All-Star Game press conference

Presented By

AT&T

<a href="https://www.nba.com/bulls/live">LIVE: Zach LaVine Media Availability today at 4:00 p.m CT</a>