Arturas Karnisovas has made too many errors as Chicago's Executive VP of Basketball Operations, but Josh Giddey's latest injury is a painful reminder of his most critical mistake.
Karnisovas has failed to get the Bulls a star.
Maybe it's just pure ineptitude, but it seems like the lack of star power in Chicago is by design. Karnisovas has preached the idea of a "competitive rebuild," an idyllic concept impossible to follow through on in the NBA. Even the Indiana Pacers have Tyrese Haliburton. And Pascal Siakam.
Building a championship caliber team while simultaneously changing its identity and overhauling its roster is not an accomplishable strategy. The fact that the Bulls are frozen in mediocrity is proof enough.
But the loss of Giddey -- not to mention more missed games for Coby White and Zach Collins -- is even more damning evidence that building a roster with depth and ignoring star power is a franchise-crippling strategy.
Giddey injury proves Bulls will be mediocre until they get a star
This team has proven, when it has an empty injury report, that it can compete with almost anyone in the NBA. Compete with, not beat, but that's still an accomplishment for one of the league's youngest groups.
With even a few names on the injured list, though, the Bulls aren't good enough to hang with the poorest of teams. Losses to the New Orleans Pelicans, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, Pacers and Brooklyn Nets prove it.
Chicago does have a deep rotation ... full of average players
Chicago is 9.1 points better this season with Zach Collins on the floor. Unfortunately, Collins has only appeared in 10 games (the Bulls are 6-4 in those 10) and played a total of 184 minutes.
The team is 7.4 points better with White in the lineup, but he's ninth on the team in minutes after missing the first 11 games of the year.
Kevin Huerter and Ayo Dosunmu are two of Chicago's most important bench players. Huerter has missed five games, and the Bulls are 1-4 in those contests. Dosunmu has missed six. Tre Jones has also missed six. Isaac Okoro has missed eight.
Now, the Bulls will be without Giddey for at least two weeks. White reinjured the same calf that delayed his start to the year. Collins is already out again with a toe injury. Lottery pick Noa Essengue is done for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Karnisovas is still depriving the Bulls of a true difference maker
Before the year, Karnisovas controversially claimed, per The Athletic (subscription required), “There’s (having) two, three star players and a lot of role players or you can build a (team) of 9 or 10 very good players. I think now we’re leaning towards having a lot of solid good players, 9 or 10, that can last through the season because there’s going to be injuries."
Not only is it a flawed team-building concept unless you're the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the idea of building depth to withstand injuries was obviously a misfire. It's already cost the Bulls wins, and now, down their two best players, more losses are on the way.
Though it probably won't stop Karnisovas from chasing that elusive "competitive rebuild." If there's one thing we've learned, Play-In Tournament berths are OK. Doing the logical thing -- leaning into these losses and tanking for a high enough draft pick to land a star -- wouldn't be on the table even if this group tried.