Arturas Karnisovas took his time making a decision. Now the EVP of Basketball Operations feels he found right-hand man to help rebuild the Chicago Bulls into a contender. In a somewhat minor upset, he chose to go with Philadelphia 76ers assistant GM Marc Eversley. He spent 10 years working for Nike before going the scouting ranks with the Toronto Raptors in 2006. He worked his way up the ranks from there before leaving to join the Washington Wizards in 2013.
The Sixers scooped him up three years later and he played a big hand in helping the team finally emerge back into Eastern Conference contenders. Drafting All-Star Ben Simmons is one of the major successes he had a hand in. He’s also credited with recognizing names like DeMar DeRozan and Damian Lillard as future stars in the league before many did. It’s clear the Bulls got themselves a strong talent evaluator with that different background Karnisovas was looking for.
Chicago Bulls are getting a man who knows rebuilding
One thing about Eversley is he’s a man who understands what it’s like to work for teams that are rebuilding. When he arrived in Philadelphia, the team was coming off a 10-72 season. One of the worst in NBA history. Immediately changes were made. The roster started to shuffle in a big way. From his first year to his second, the starting lineup underwent a huge transformation which included three new starters in Simmons, J.J. Redick, and Joel Embid.
The 76ers went from winning 28 games his first year to 52 that second year. A remarkably rapid turnaround. No doubt that played a part in why Karnisovas tagged him as a candidate. Eversley has tons of experience on what must be done to transform a losing roster into a winning one.
