Bulls executive VP Arturas Karnisovas running out of people to blame

At some point very soon there’s not going to be anyone else to blame.

No medical trainer, no analytics expert, no shooting coach, not even the equipment guy that cleans the jerseys.

That’s when it will get very interesting for Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas. Because even if it’s accidental, he’ll have to stumble across a mirror.

Karnisovas’ creation continues toiling in NBA no man’s land: Too untalented to even be in the annual “Bulls Play-In Invitational,” too naïve to understand they shouldn’t be playing veteran free-agent-to-be Collin Sexton long enough to score 25 points in Monday’s win over Houston.

The suit finally chose the proper path of tanking – albeit at least a season too late – and still can’t carry out the assignment correctly.

So where does the finger point this offseason from his perch?

Coach Billy Donovan might not be an option. There’s been growing momentum around the building that Donovan could step away from the mess and take a season to re-evaluate what he wants from the profession. It would make sense considering how emotional the year has been for the Hall of Famer, losing both his father and mother-in-law within weeks of each other.

Plus, while Donovan is the ultimate optimist and isn’t close to being done coaching, it is now six seasons without a proven elite talent, instead being asked to build a brick house out of straw and mud.

Could general manager Marc Eversley be the one left holding the bag in Karnisovas’ blame game? That’s not a stretch, either. While the Sun-Times reported last April that all final decisions not only run through Karnisovas, but anyone that questions those decisions is quickly escorted from the building, there have been whispers that Eversley hasn’t been 100% on the same page with his boss the last few years.

Eversley’s problem, however, is even if he tries to go elsewhere on his own, what's on the resume he hands out?

“Go getter who is a team player and proactive in building six seasons of failure.”

That doesn’t exactly scream great candidate.

No, Eversley’s only way out is organizational success or his stuff left in a cardboard box at the Advocate Center loading dock. The latter seems more realistic at this point.

Maybe the roster takes another cleansing. Unlikely considering the strip job that went down at the February trade deadline. What’s left to go? Karnisovas has already said that the roster centers around Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey.

Rookie Noa Essengue’s name was also thrown out there by Karnisovas, but if the fortunes of the franchise fall on a 19-year-old French kid that weighs 190 pounds and has already physically been overwhelmed with a season-ending injury, yeah, that shouldn’t comfort anyone.

But never fear, the loaded 2026 draft class is here!

A collection of talent that has game changers one through four and possible game changers five through nine before there’s a dip. The problem is the Bucks and Bulls are battling for positioning at No. 9 and Milwaukee seems much better at it the last few weeks.

It feels like the Bulls will finish in the No. 10 spot and then need lottery luck to bounce their way.

Bulls fans might want to start preparing for the 63.4% odds of picking No. 10 – if that’s where they end up – and embracing the addition of a guard like Labaron Philon or a big like Yaxel Lendeborg while other teams in the Eastern Conference are loading up on AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer.

That’s fine with Karnisovas because he’ll still have his “competitive integrity” intact.

What he won’t have? Many more people to blame for his failures and still not a mirror in sight.