Chicago Bulls Reportedly EXTEND Front Office Duo | By The Horns
what’s up everybody and welcome into another edition of the By the Horns podcast presented by Toyota toyota has more all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles than any other brand so find yours and shine on toyota let’s go places you know the squad cam Smith with my guy CHSM Bulls insider Casey Johnson casey another week into the off seasonason but still the news is coming fast especially as we get closer to next week’s NBA draft on June 25th but we’re going to start it here Casey we’re going to go NBA Finals because you and I we’re going to be humble about this because we know that quickly the basketball guys will make us look like fools but the Thunder are in position to close out the NBA Finals tomorrow night in Indianapolis against the Indiana Pacers with that 3-2 series lead and a game coming off of game five where it was forcing the Pacers to look like the team from game one where they were high turnover ball club turning the basketball over in uncharacteristic ways but this time it resulted in an OKC win 23 turnovers for the Pacers resulted in 32 points for the Oklahoma City Thunder when you look back at that performance from the Thunder especially Jaylen Williams who had a 40 piece and Shay Gilas Alexander who woke up a little more in the second half especially the fourth quarter of course Caruso you throw him out and Chad Homegrren what he was able to do with his efforts what stands out to you specifically Casey from OKC game five well to me that was the team we saw all season i mean a dominant defense leading to offense i mean Caruso’s offense has been off the charts this series um they won 68 games for a reason and had a historic defense uh for a reason uh you know even though Chad Holgenrren has struggled a little bit at the offensive end I think his rim protection has been phenomenal particularly for a player in his first final so look this is not a surprise uh you say we’re going to be humble i’m not going to be humble unfortunately going to happen six uh on the road because uh you know injuries are the worst part of sports and even Tyrese Salbertton is able to play he’s clearly not going to be himself he clearly wasn’t himself last game that said you know as great of a season as Indiana’s had I do think Oklahoma City’s been the best team in the league offseason for a reason you’re seeing why I like that Cam even flexed and called game by game how this series was going to be you even said that this was going to be a split in both cities and then going back to OKC for game five and and here we are um but yeah it’s it’s been a fantastic series i I hate that injury has crept into the picture because injuries are the worst part of sports um but I’ve loved every second of it and OKC’s you know ability to come at you in waves and just the depth it always stands out to me i mean you can have you know Case Wallace come in and hit three threes and you’re like where’ that guy been for a game or two it’s just like they have so many weapons and are such a well- constructed roster it’ll be fun if they can close it out to see Alex Caruso get a chip and um and Sam Preie to get his first chip because he’s he’s been doing he’s been doing what he’s been doing at a high level for a long time yeah and that’ll be ring number two for Alex Caruso so just what he’s been able to ascend from right we know his journey to the NBA and coming from Texas A&M and spent some time um in the G- League actually cur curiously enough and coincidentally enough with Oklahoma City’s G-League team there um and then reuniting with Mark Dagno this past season with this group and putting them in position one game away 48 minutes away from winning the franchise’s first championship but to your point man this it it’s like looking at the Thunder’s roster and how they attack you in the ways that they attack you and it’s not just starting five and you have other guys like Kase Wallace or Isaiah Joe or Wiggins off of the bench um they’ve gone with that double big lineup of Hardstein and Chad Hungren but Mark Dagnalt has been a mastermind with how he staggers the minutes of his rotational guys and guys in this rotation it’s really been a marvel for that and it’s something that should be examined a little deeper in what Mark Dagnal has been able to do and this is not Mark Dagnal’s first rodeo in terms of being uh celebrated for just his basketball mind i mean it was coach of the year last year so people know who Mark Dagnald is and how he’s been able to get the best out of this Oklahoma City roster but it’s also when Shay is off of the floor or you have guys in place that are like Kase Wallace or an Aaron Wiggins or um Cambridge Williams like guys like that that just step up you’re just like where are these dudes coming from like are they growing them in a factory in Oklahoma City like what is happening yeah it’s like I’m glad you brought up uh Wiggins because it’s like you know you you sometimes for they have so many guys like you see and and credit goes to the players because like Kendrick Williams or Isaiah Joe or Kase Wallace or uh Wiggins you know um can can have like a Aaron Wiggins can have like a smaller role one game you almost forget like he’s on the roster because they’re just so deep and all of a sudden you throw them out there and they just look like they belong and they’re they’re in producing in big moments so again it it speaks to Sam Prey the job he he’s done i mean to build that kind of depth for this young of a team and all all these guys kind of go out there and not be afraid of the moment um and look we’re folks in OKC i mean look Indiana’s had a remarkable run and we should probably circle back a little bit to them because that’s really who the Bulls are obviously trying to compete against moving forward and you’ve seen you’ve heard our turus carnesh talk about you know the roster bill 910D playing fast wearing teams down you know you’re try maybe there’s some soft emilation of the Pacers i mean the Bulls are clearly a long way to go but you know Indiana’s had a fantastic season too to me it’s just Oklahoma City is showing why they’ve been the best team in the league all all season for a reason yeah we know the NBA is a copycat league so a lot of teams across the league are going to try and match and mirror what the Pacers and Thunder are doing in terms of coming at waves with people we heard our tourists talk about that as well with this Bulls team at his end of the season presser Casey and his conversations with you all right so we have game six tomorrow night we think that it’s going to be a wrap um and if it is a wrap then we’ll definitely double back and spin the block and get our flowers because we need that for everybody out there we we’ll retreat this pod and remind everyone that we got one right for us exactly exactly right right all right so let’s move forward Casey because um as we continue on with this offseason there’s always Bulls news in the offseason and so the first thing up which will lead us into our final conversation before we wrap things up is some moves in the front office with this Bulls team and so it was reported by our guy Drew Stevens who’s one of the co-hosts for the By the Hornets podcast but also writes for the bigs uh tweeted this out actually on people don’t say tweet anymore I guess posted this on X I still say tweet Casey I don’t care but uh posted this on X on the heels of reports the Bulls and Billy Donovan have begun contract negotiations to Kishviss and Mark Mark Evley have already had their deals extended according to a source for the bigs on Tuesday so with that news KC you have this ownership for the Bulls really putting a their their belief and trust in the front office with AK and Eversley to get this thing right with this roster and this new roster iteration so is there anything more that you can give on this and just the thinking of this Bulls front office and the moves yeah I I’ll dive into all the context i know and we talked a little bit about this you and I and David Hall and the Chicago lead i mean I’ve emphasized many times this is an ownership group that values continuity and stability really in in both franchises but particularly with the Bulls it’s remarkable if you think about it jerry Rhinorf purchased the controlling interest in the Chicago Bulls in 1985 arturus Kernish is the third lead executive in 40 years think about that i’ve said this many times jerry Cross 18 years john Pax in 17 years are terrorists we’re five years into his regime and I’m told he’ll be here through unless something unforeseen happens they don’t usually fire our executives i’d be shocked if that happened told us this extensions through the 2728 season and um a couple things to emphasize here um is uh they don’t announce coaching extensions or front office extensions that’s just been their mo throughout really both franchises they control they feel like that’s their business they don’t really like this stuff being publicized but I’ve emphasized many times fans are not going to want to hear this but from ownership’s perspective Arturus hit on his first roster build okay he inherited the roster that he did from John Paxton and Gard Foreman we all thought he was going to keep a lot of those young players like Lowry Markin Wendell Carter Jr and build through the draft because that’s really what Denver did i mean they held on to a lot of those guys for a long time and had a lot of stability from their own draft pick so that was the working assumption and he blew that up quick with the Nicole Vuchich trade and then just doubled down on that with obviously Alonzo Ball signing trade acquisition the Demar Rosen sign and trade acquisition yeah and then the Alice Caruso straight up uh signing in free agency and so again I’m just explaining the context don’t shoot the messenger this is ownership in that first roster build he He won he hit it worked and we all agree on that and I know that’s ancient history i know fans don’t want to hear it but he’s one for one so he he held on to that roster iteration way too long i’m sure this is my speculation i’m sure ownership knows that we all know it we’ve talked about it many times on this podcast on the airwaves etc etc all that said now that he has moved off that roster Alice Caruso is gone Demar Rosen is gone Zack Lavine is gone only Nicola Vuch and Lonzo Ball remain i don’t think Lonzo Ball’s long for this world point being this is in ownership’s mind his second chance he’s one for one um to limited success but to some success um so they want to give him a chance to to take this one next and that’s why to me um when you heard him ask for patience at the end of the season I was told that the extension was or at least the talks were done shortly after the season look now that there’s Billy Donovan news coming out there’s no way a coach is getting extended past uh front office executives right so they’re all lying um the Billy Donovan extension is still not finalized i I’m told I’m sure it will be at some point point being they like stability they they want to see where this next roster iteration goes and here we are yeah there you go and basically saying that we’re in this thing together right locking horns and making sure that everyone is on the same page of pushing this thing and getting things on the right track and that’s being a team that is competing for not only a playoff spot but being a playoff team and even further than that as they continue to build with this new roster iteration look going back and throwing it back to uh that first move with trading for Nicola Busousvich i remember doing at the time working with stadium network and doing our NBA uh trade deadline show and Shant at the time was with the network Shan Shirani who’s now with ESPN and when we’re doing the show and he releases the news about Nicolus being traded to the Chicago Bulls I’m like oh my goodness our tourist this is the carnish like this is this is important because you don’t see things like this happen when it comes to the lack of information that’s out there right Sometimes some people will get some things out and you’ll hear about some rumors or some murmurings about possibly a player being moved to a different city but this is not that wasn’t the case with that and so I made this reference to Michael Corleó of the Godfather Casey and not with the negative darker aspect of Michael Kolleon and the Corleon family but in terms of if you remember the Godfather I know you do Casey because you’re my guy but people out there and people listening if you watch the Godfather you saw how Michael Corleion moved it was like silence you didn’t know what move he was going to make he had a very stoic face but then you look up and bam it happened and you’re just like okay well we didn’t expect that we didn’t see that coming so that was the energy that I got from AK when he took over you start to see that with the moves with Demar Rosen and bringing in Kuso those are the parts of it where if you’re ownership and you’re looking at it and you have to give him credit and I’m with you KC fans don’t want to hear it but he’s one for one hitting on the roster that he built and if Lonzo Ball doesn’t go down we’re in a different reality than I believe than we are now with this Bulls team so you have to give him credit for that he deserves that no matter how you feel when it comes to this front office but you have to give it that respect and so now again this ownership is saying we’re going to extend AKN Eversle we’re going to extend Billy Donovan making sure that they’re locking step and moving forward with this new roster iteration that they have and so for me moving into this going off of what we saw previously there is confidence that they can get this thing on the right track right and you know what’s going to be really fascinating to me Cam about this is if you think about what we’ve been talking about with that first roster build it was unexpected to your point it was Silent Assassin it was big moves it was big swings it was completely uh I was not expecting Arturus Carnishes to come in and build a roster that way so what’s going to be interesting to me is now you’ve heard him ask for patience all my sense is that he’s going to kind of build this out methodically they reacquired their draft picks it sounds like they’re going to try to do it through the draft so let’s see how he did it he did it one way the first time unexpectedly but aggressively this one seems like it’s going to be a little bit more methodical internal development drafting obviously looking for opportunities in the free agency market or the trade market but um can he do it this way too i mean ownership obviously believes that he can because they’ve extended him but um I’m going to be curious to see it because th this new approach that I assume the the Bulls are going to undertake for this next roster iteration is the one I thought was going to happen when he first got the job given his track record coming from that Denver front office where they just you know build through the draft and they were loyal to their guys a lot of those guys are still there obviously and Jamal Murray and and obviously the greatest player in the world in Yokic so um yeah I’m fascinated to see how this one works out uh I think it’s going to they’re they’re a long ways away let’s emphasize that right right uh they to me still do not have they’ve got some nice pieces obviously incredibly talented players and Kobe White and Josh Giddy vh is still around at least for now um but and and Modis looks like a nice piece but they they have a long way to go and I’m curious to see if they can succeed so let’s let’s uh let’s let’s check it out and the word for that and Bulls fans don’t want to hear it but the word is patience patience everybody let’s just all say it together with that but Chronicus is a guy to me strikes me as someone that wants to get this thing done the right way and he is encouraged and motivated to get this thing done the right way and that’s the sense that I got from him at the end of the season Preston that he had in his one-on-one conversation with you over at the Advocate Center is you can feel that just that lack of success and a little of the frustration too coming through him now he’s not going to show it as much right because AK is just so like I said he’s Michael Corleone but I can understand if I was in his position behind closed doors like yeah we we’re getting this thing right so we can get this franchise back to where it should be yeah let me let me peel back the curtain on that a little bit and and he might get mad at me for saying this but like uh you know I I see a side of AK that that some people don’t and you know I know he’s right now not very well loved by the fan base i get that um he understands that too he knows it’s part of the job this to your point Cam this dude is as competitive as they come i mean he gets mocked for this a little bit but he talks about you know wanting to establish a home court advantage and make the United Center a tough place to play and you know he kind of gets mocked by that a little bit by the fan base but look that speaks to his um his sense of what he feels indebted to the organization and to this city and to this fan base he recognizes playing in the United Center selling out that building with the history of this franchise and the amount of fans that come out he he feels a responsibility to that and it I’ve talked to him about this privately and again he’ll probably be mad at me for sharing this but I I feel like he at times need needs to be defended a little bit um in this regard like he he it really really bothers him particularly when they play poorly at home like it like to the point where he’ll start the game watching in his uh in his suite at the advocate or at the United Center and by second quarter so he’ll be across the street at the Advocate Center watching in a private office because he can’t take it anymore that’s how competitive this guy is so again I understand he’s a he’s an unpopular guy for a lot of people right now i’m just offering that as some context i’m not telling you what to think or how to feel as a fan that’s totally your right i get it i understand there’s frustration there the definition of stuck in the middle right now they are very mediocre right now so but my sense is I know he to your point Cam really really really wants to fix this and change this so uh he has the security to do so now so let’s it’s it’s on him it’s on him there you go all right all right Casey and as they continue to build through the draft with the draft coming up next week let’s transition into that a piece potentially that can help this Bulls team get on the right track now we’re not saying again everybody that the player that they draft at 12 is going to save the franchise but it could possibly be a piece to help this team get moving in the right direction and get back to the playoffs not playing we’re not doing that we’re talking playoffs so Casey a number of names for this Bulls team we had you on the Chicago League a few times discussing this draft for this Bulls group and the players that have been in four workouts a lot of front court players that they’ve brought in to try and maybe fill that hole that we anticipate will be going with Nikolus being dealt this off seasonason at some point so uh a list of names a list of guys that we’ve touched on with uh the Bulls at that 12 spot so let’s just throw out our guys that we think will fit for this Bulls team and again this is another game that Casey and I are doing where we’re going to pull the receipts and double back on this and see who was right yeah yeah uh yeah I I mentioned this briefly in the Chicago lead a couple names they’ve had in recently are are Danny Wolf and Carter Bryant um you know so you know they’re clearly again if if if if player available on their draft board as a guard and he’s there that’s all they’ll take but but my sense is they obviously would prefer to add a front court player that whether that’s a defensive-minded wing or uh you know a center for the future with both VC and Zack Collins up after next year and Jaylen Smith is nice of a player is clearly a backup to me and and more of a specialy player a stretch five so they are thinking about senders of the future um uh yeah I mean there’ve been mocked so many different players i think two big takeaways before I I I thought we’d have some fun and kind of say who I wish I I’m terrible at GMing but I personally think it would be fun to say like who we wish lands at 12 but the overall point I want to make here is there I’ve heard some rumors and I have not reported this and I don’t think this to be true of the Bulls potentially moving up um my sense is they really feel like they are going to get a good player at 12 and that’s I completely agree that given the number of names that have been mocked to them like they there are so many people all over the board this is a draft where the beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I think somebody unexpected to them could fall to them at 12 so I think personally they will be staying at 12 and uh again I’m bad at GMing but my personal wish wish list I want to see Colin Murray Boils in a Bulls uniform and I know he’s got a lot of uh offensive um uh work to do in terms of improving his shot but to me this team really really is lacking um defensive firepower and to me he is by far the most versatile and uh highest ceiling defensive player in the draft i loved his demeanor at the combine i loved his personality um I’m not going to be mad if he’s gone and they end up with somebody else but if he’s there at 12 I’d like to see Colin Murray Boils in a Bulls uniform look Casey I’m not mad at that pick with CMBB going to the Bulls at 12 because again he’s one of those players defensively that his IQ is there just in terms of how he reads thing not just on the ball but just off the ball as well and if you just go back and look at his film from South Carolina and just the intangibles that he brings to the court like the Bulls need a guy and that makeup to help this team push it forward and to your point with this Bulls group and where they’re drafting at 12 they’re going to be a lot of good players available to them and then again going back to Arurus and him saying at the end of the season press conference that he knows the Bulls will get a good player in the draft that’s again this is a little bit of the Marco Corleone feel that I’m throwing out again with AK and he’s right there will be good players available for this team now at the time AK didn’t know that the Bulls would be drafting 12th and he would hope he hoped I’m sure at that time that the Bulls would get a higher spot in the draft but it didn’t happen that way but still with them being at 12 they have a lot of options especially depending on how these first 11 teams draft and you just never know what could happen on draft night there could be d trades out there for some of the bigger names right we’re still waiting for the dominoes of Kevin Durant to fall right maybe Giannis falls and this other veterans out there um that are looking elsewhere for the next destination for their careers so with this group and the Bulls they can allow everyone else to make their selections make their mistakes and then find that gym that’ll be waiting for them so again I’m not mad at Kyler Murray Boils being drafted for the Bulls at 12 i would say that in the same vein and theme of what you’re speaking of of defensively and needing to have someone in the front court to help him out on that area in that area I like Assa New out of Georgia the freshman um with him and his size at 611 and him being able to rip attack with him averaging a block in the SEC which was very difficult to play in especially for a young freshman this is nothing new for our fans on by the horns or if you watch the Chicago lead on CHSN we’ve talked about Asenul as well we’ve had this conversation ourselves KC in terms of what he could possibly bring we spoke to him during media availability during the draft combine i I like his confidence and what he brings because um I said this a few episodes ago on the pod that when I asked him about you know a part of his game or an aspect of his game that he needs to improve is it his three-point shot and he looked at me like “No my my three-point shot I’m confident in it i I really like what I’m doing from three.” Now the numbers don’t support that but when you look at his mechanics and just the rhythm of how he shoots the basketball from the perimeter especially from three there is something there something that he will be able to develop into a player that can stretch the floor at that position and so with good hands and a good touch and feel around the rim quick off the feet quick off the floor with his feet and just his activity around the rim I think he would be a good selection for the Bulls at 12 i like it um yeah yeah i mean uh like you said uh there this draft to me is one of those drafts in five years where you’re going to be like uh reddrafting it and like the Hallebertton draft like if you rerafted that I mean Hallebertton would be what top two top three pick yeah and so I think this is that that this to me shapes up to be one of those kind of drafts where it’s going to be deep but it’s going to be all over the board and you could uh reddraft it in five years and you’re going to have obviously a pretty significantly different order uh two last things um I almost kind of wish and I want to end on this point so I almost kind of wish um Derek Queen is available at 12 to see if the Bulls take him or not because he is such a polarizing player before I want to end end that conversation I want to say one name just to get on the record that I keep hearing link to the Bulls that keep keep your eyes on for is Noah Sen that uh French prospect the young kid the 18-year-old the Toolsy uh forward um from that’s been playing professionally overseas um that’s just one name I keep hearing link to him um I don’t I can’t report much contact that the Bulls had with him um because I know he’s been busy playing professionally overseas but just not a name to keep your eye on but back to Queen real quick man i I know you and I have kicked it around many times on him i almost kind of hope he’s there 12 just to see if they take him or pass because the offensive upside is massive but defensively it could be it could be a rack so it’s the risk versus reward spot with Derrick Wayne there but yeah he’s he’s polarizing as a player and just what he brings offensively and what I love about Derek Queen and it when when when you hear people speak of prospects no matter what draft it is but they talk about the confidence of a player and I mentioned that with Aenu but Derek Wayne has a little bit of that modalis irrational confidence where he is like I’m I should go number one overall a lot of these players might say that but I think Derek Wayne actually believes that he is the number one overall pick and he’s a guy that was a teammate of Cooper Flag at Mount V along with Aenua at Mount Verde Academy and Liam McNeely so I’m sure Derek Wayne is thinking like you know no disrespect to my former teammate and Cooper but I should be the one that should be drafted number one overall two doubts but that’s the energy that he’s going to bring into the NBA wherever he’s drafted if the Bulls are going to if they take him at 12 KC I think it’ll be a good pickup offensively but he has he has a ways to go on the defensive end for sure i mean the talent is so obvious that if he is there at 12 you almost think that they will probably not you almost have to take a swing of that upside because if he’s there at 12 I don’t know man i mean there’s concerns about his his body and how hard he works i you know you heard all the athletic testing issues at the combine but man all I know is the film I’ve watched the guy knows how to score the basketball yes he does yes he does especially in today’s NBA that is the name of the game so yeah no doubt about that and I’ve called him Brand 2.0 the today’s version of Elden Brandon when it comes to the game of basketball and Elen Brand was a hell of a pro all right that will do it for this edition of the By the Horns podcast presented by Toyota toyota has more all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles than any other brand so find yours and shine on Toyota let’s go places for my guy Casey Johnson I’m Cam Smith thank you for everyone that has tapped in and the next time we do a pod we will have an NBA champion hopefully Casey and I on the right side of that theme with Thunder in six but we will see and also we’ll be ready for the NBA draft which kicks off next week on Thursday June 25th all right everybody take care have a great week
With the NBA Finals nearing a possible conclusion, Cam Smith and Bulls insider K.C. Johnson break down how the Thunder have taken control of the series—thanks to elite defense, balanced depth, and smart coaching. They also reflect on what the Pacers’ rise means for a Bulls team hoping to emulate a similar build. Then the conversation shifts to the Bulls’ front office, where reported extensions for Artūras Karnišovas and Marc Eversley signal ownership’s continued trust in their leadership. Cam and K.C. discuss the implications of this stability, how it sets the stage for the next roster iteration, and what Bulls fans can expect with the 12th pick in a wide-open draft class.
✅: 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 – https://www.youtube.com/@CHSN_Media
📱: 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽
▪️ https://2ly.link/243X4
🖥️ : 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝘀𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 – bit.ly/3D4PDaR
📱: 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀
▪️ Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CHSN
▪️ Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CHSN
▪️ Follow on X: https://twitter.com/CHSN__
▪️ Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chsn
