NBA Rumors: Bulls Start Search For Next General Manager, Boylen Fate Next

New Chicago Bulls President for Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas has started the expected management revamp starting with the general manager position. Gar Forman is expected to be relieved and the 48-year-old Lithuanian already has a list of prospects to take over.

Among the names on his list are Calvin Booth, Michael Finley, Mark Eversley, Mark Hughes, Matt Lloyd, and Nazir Mohammed. But the list may have just added a new name, with reports claiming that former New Orleans Pelicans general manager Dell Demps is also in consideration. And it appears Karnisovas has a reason behind it.

According to NBC Sports, the new Bulls president is trying to make it a point to hire a black general manager. It appears that this is in response to black executives getting frustrated with the Bulls' tactics of hiring a new head of basketball operations. This could be in response to a report by Marc Spears of ESPN involving Troy Weaver. The African-American passed on the opportunity, believing that it was merely a token offer.

Related to this Bulls' general manager search is the fate of other front office personnel. As mentioned in a previous post, current head coach Jim Boylen's future is also murky. Though the 54-year-old coach believes that he has a good chance of staying at the helm, the last say will be on Karnisovas.

There is a fair chance that Boylen could be axed. It has not been a smooth stay for the Bulls mentor who drew criticism earlier this NBA season for his extreme tactics on players. Some were complaining and harmony from within the team was broken. Also, his record since taking over from Fred Hoiberg has not been that impressive. He holds a 39-84 win-loss record since last season and this may not be enough to convince Karnisovas to keep him around. However, he did have a bright moment for Chicago before the season was suspended.

The Bulls are unlikely to make the playoffs but the reason behind that is not solely because of Boylen. They are undermanned with several players injured. Regardless, Chicago has managed to rank well in the NBA Eastern Conference. They hold a 22-43 win-loss card, not that good but not that bad as well.

But the reality of it all is that Bulls management wants immediate results. A coach's success is something but it will have to align with the vision of the top honcho. And from the looks of it, Karnisovas may have other coaches in mind.