It is important to note that almost all NBA members applauded the Chicago Bulls for hiring Arturas Karnisovas as the new vice president of basketball operations. He is widely respected and deserves to manage his team. Some even believe that he is too good for an organization like the Bulls, given their questionable history. Just ask for Marc Eversley’s hire as GM to get an idea.
Diversity has always been a question mark following Chicago. Their first and only black trainer was Bill Cartwright. It lasted less than two full seasons. BJ Armstrong arrived at the GM assistant in the front office, but was transferred by John Paxson as the best executive in the series. This is despite Paxson having no previous front office experience. Seeing such things, it’s no wonder that some people across the league raised an eyebrow when Eversley was hired.
Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic spoke to several executives. Their reactions to Eversley’s rental were interesting. While they were thrilled by the man himself, they also wondered how much influence he would have.
“I saw people say they hired him because they needed a black face,” said a senior executive on the African American team who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Another had a slightly different complaint about the move.
“With all due respect, I am delighted that Marc Eversley is the GM of the Bulls,” said the league manager. “But why wasn’t Marc Eversley interviewed to be the president of basketball operations? Why was no black person interviewed for that position? Are you going to tell me there was nobody in the mind of the Bulls leadership qualified to take on that job as president? Or was it just that they don’t know anyone?
Marc Eversley was qualified and is eager to prove it
COO Michael Reinsdorf defended his hiring process which led to Karnisovas. Many criticized the bulls for not speaking to any minority candidate. He said he wanted to do this, but the two he had in mind failed. One refused to interview and the team was not allowed to speak to the other. None of their names are known, but does that excuse them from not talking at least to Eversley about the best job?
The new GM doesn’t seem troubled by it. He is honored to be the first black man to cover that job in the team’s history and intends to represent him well. It’s a dream location for him, having grown up as a big Bulls fan in the 90s. He has worked hard to get where he is. The man who played an important role is finally bringing the Philadelphia 76ers back into playoff form after years of living in the basement.
Being the first black GM is not the piece of history to keep an eye on. He wants to be one of the men who help the Bulls lift the seventh championship banner.
