Arturas Karnisovas is a busy man. The new VP of Basketball Operations for the Chicago Bulls hasn't wasted time assessing the state of his organization. Who should stay? Who should go? Topping his list of important decisions though remains the vacant GM position. Gar Forman is gone and Karnisovas has need of a right-hand man. Somebody he can trust who has different strengths that will be a nice blend with his own.
As of now, there are four primary candidates in the mix. All of them with varying backgrounds. According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, there is no definitive leader in the clubhouse at this point. However, he did say one of the names stood out during his interview. Something that is worth noting since Karnisovas did the same thing right before he was hired.
As far as does Karnisovas privately see a front-runner?
Only Karnisovas knows that for sure, as the former Denver GM has reportedly already spoken to the likes of Marc Eversley (Philadelphia 76ers), Mark Hughes (Los Angeles Clippers), Matt Lloyd (Orlando Magic) and Michael Finley (Dallas Mavericks).
The source did say Finley made a great impression on Karnisovas, but there was no indication of a leader for that job heading into the weekend.
Finley has been a hot name connected to the Chicago Bulls
Finley's name first popped up a few weeks ago when the VP jobbed first opened up. Dallas Maverick owner Mark Cuban championed the exec as a terrific fit for that organization. Finley is a former All-Star who won a championship in San Antonio before transitioning to the front office. There he quickly climbed the ranks while helping Dallas rapidly rebuild after the end of the Dirk Nowitzki era.
Finley is a Chicago-area native. Michael Jordan was his idol. He'd be coming home to save his childhood team. The best part is his strengths tends to be the U.S. area while Karnisovas is overseas. They seem to complement each other really well. If this ends up being the hire, the Bulls can safely say they made a strong choice.
