They said Arturas Karnisovas was a no-nonsense guy who lives and breathes basketball. Seems they weren’t joking. The ink is barely dry on his new contract as VP of Basketball Operations and he’s already begun making changes to the front office. According to K.C. Johnson and Joe Cowley, the Chicago Bulls are set to bring in New Orleans Pelicans Executive Director J.J. Polk as their new Assistant GM.
Polk was the cap specialist in New Orleans. A position he held for nine years. He actually studied at the University of Illinois College of Law. So this would be a bit of a homecoming for him. It’s actually a good sign when a man holds a position like that for such a long period. A surefire indication he’s pretty good at what he does. He also studied in economics at the University of California-Santa Barbara.
So it seems the Bulls are getting a man both experienced and well-educated.
Arturas Karnisovas is only getting started with this
Expectations are this is just the first move of many to come. Rumors persist the Bulls plan to significantly expand their front office to include more people with specialized responsibilities. Polk won’t just be the assistant GM. He’s going to be one assistant GM. Johnson indicated somebody else will hold a similar title. It’s not yet certain who it will be but this is a surefire indication that Chicago is finally planning to join the 21st century.
Since Jerry Reinsdorf took over the team in 1985, the Bulls have constantly had one of the smallest front office structures in the NBA. Yet as the league has grown and globalized, the need for more help has come with it. Karnisovas was front and center for that evolution and is prepared to escort Chicago into the future.
