Bulls 1st Day of Media Week Recap

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Chicago Bulls Confidential

5 min readDec 1, 2020

THE BULLS ARE BACK! Well, sort of. Today marked the 1st day of training camp, as some Bulls personnel met with the media to answer questions. And after a nine-month layoff, it is certainly an exciting time for Bulls fans. The Bulls enter with a new front office and coaching staff. The players might be the same but the energy has definitely changed, for now at least.

Here are the highlights from today’s interviews:

The Bulls returning leading scorer was the first to meet with the media today.

Zach LaVine:

His main goal is to win. Went on to acknowledge that he hasn’t done that yet but plans to.
Acknowledges that this nine-month layoff will be difficult. Looking forward to preseason games for first time in his career.
Addresses trade rumors. Says that they don’t bother him, and are simply part of business. As long as he is on the team, his focus is with the team.
Says he notices new energy with the new front office and coaching staff. Feels like they are willing to listen to him and others. Excited for a new beginning.

Lauri Markkanen:

Says doesn’t feel that the pandemic affected his offseason. Was able to do what he needed to do training-wise.
Says he is confident in himself. Acknowledges his struggles, and that he needs to be better.
Says he needs to be more active. Says it is easy to just blame Jim Boylen, and how he was used. Takes responsibility for his performance.
Says he wants an extension done before the season. Pushing his agent to get it done. Wants to stay with Chicago.

Arturas Karnisovas:

Was asked about Noah Vonleh. Says he will have a chance to compete for a roster spot.
Karnisovas values Markkanen and wants to get an extension done as well.
Likes the roster. In a short time with the team, they have surpassed his expectations. Wants to use the 2020–21 season to evaluate the team, figure out how to best use the players. Then figure out what will work for them moving forward. Also mentioned keeping cap space open for next offseason was valued.
Spoke on the Garrett Temple signing. Said his versatility, experience, and leadership were most valued when looking to sign him.
Praised Zach LaVine’s offseason. Said that he has a unique skill set that is hard to find. Must find ways to make it work in a team setting. Says it is a results-driven league at the end of the day.

Billy Donovan:

Said he expects Coby White to be the primary ballhandler.
Likes 1st round pick Patrick William’s defensive versatility. Also likes his ability to handle ball.
Billy Donovan spoke on where he thought Bulls’ offense struggled in past. “We need to move more. Run, move, cut. We can not just rely on LaVine’s dynamic scoring ability.”
Otto Porter Jr’s health is the “most important aspect” for upcoming season.
Markkanen can not be one-dimensional. He can’t just be a catch-and-shoot guy. He can do so much more.
Believes in Wendell Carter Jr. as a “facilitator”. Very unselfish player.

My key takeaways from 1st media day:

Markkanen’s extension is probably the most intriguing question for the Bulls before the regular season begins, which is also the deadline for an extension. Both sides are publicly expressing a desire to get one done. But for Markkanen, entering restricted free agency will likely get him the most money. If money is most valued, and it usually is, NOT signing an extension makes the most sense. For the Bulls, anything higher than $20 mil/yr wouldn’t make much sense. He hasn’t played well enough to warrant that, and anything higher than that cost the Bulls cap space next season. Markkanen’s cap hold is $20 million for the next offseason. If the Bulls and Markkanen can’t agree to anything lower than that, certainly both sides waiting it out is the most likely scenario.
Arturas Karnisovas acknowledging cap space for 2021 was valued wasn’t shocking, but confirms their offseason approach a little bit more. It lines up similar to what the previous regime was trying to do. So the Bulls brought back the same roster. What changed was the coaching staff and the developmental team. But also AK being able to see firsthand for himself what is going right or wrong with development. The main goal of the 2020–21 season will be figuring out how to best utilize everyone on roster, and then determine what will work for them going into the next offseason. In other words, Karnisovas is willing to be patient for now. But with more flexibility next year, he will be able to change what isn’t working for him after this season.
Billy Donovan acknowledging the offensive downfalls were nice to hear. Point blank, team basketball was not a strength for the Bulls. They stood around way too much, relying on LaVine’s abilities too much. Markkanen was way too one-dimensional. It is good that Donovan has acknowledged that he and the staff have to find better ways to put Markkanen in a position to use his skill set. The Bulls have to figure out how to create easier baskets. They need to develop a more team-oriented style of basketball. I liked that he recognized Wendell Carter Jr.'s potential as a facilitator, something Boylen seemed to ignore.
Lastly, Arturas acknowledging Noah Vonleh has a chance to make team. If Vonleh impresses in camp, expect the Bulls to waive Luke Kornet or Cristiano Felicio for him. Kornet makes more sense to waive simply because Felicio’s $7.5mil could possibly be a salary filler in future trades. No mention of Zach Norvell making team. Likely just camp body but with good play you never know.