The Chicago Bulls know they’re up against the clock now. After dismissing Arturas Karnisovas as their VP of Basketball Operations, they must find his replacement before the NBA draft and free agency arrive. All of this must happen while also determining the future of head coach Billy Donovan. So little time and so much to do. Thus, team owner Michael Reinsdorf, with assistance from the Turnkey ZRG search firm, has begun a comprehensive search process to find their new man.
According to Sham Charania, the team already has several candidates lined up. No fewer than five current NBA executives were listed as upcoming interviews in a recent column, along with prominent agent Austin Brown.
The Chicago Bulls have started the search process for their new head of basketball operations, receiving permission to interview Timberwolves GM Matt Lloyd, Pistons senior vice president Dennis Lindsey, Hawks senior vice president Bryson Graham, Cavaliers GM Mike Gansey and Spurs assistant GM Dave Telep, sources told ESPN on Monday.
The Bulls are also expected to speak with the co-head of CAA’s basketball division, Austin Brown, regarding the vacancy, sources told ESPN.
While none of the names involved are big surprises, each comes from an organization enjoying considerable recent success, and one stands comfortably above the rest. That is Dave Telep. San Antonio’s assistant general manager has had a direct hand in the organization’s rebuild over the past several years and is widely considered one of the best talent evaluators in basketball. He was a major voice in key acquisitions like Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, and Keldon Johnson.
The Chicago Bulls are wise to explore Telep.
He’s been one of the better-kept secrets in basketball for a long time. Before joining the Spurs in 2013, he ran one of the most successful independent scouting services in sports, which many college programs used when recruiting. Telep is credited for being one of the first people to recognize point guard Chris Paul as a potential future star. The same was true of Russell Westbrook, who was unheralded coming out of high school before Telep spotlighted him in his top 100 list. The man trusts his eye, and with good reason.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
If anybody is ready to run their own team, it is Telep. He’s learned in one of the best basketball organizations and has loads of connections at both the college and high school levels. His talent evaluation is beyond reproach, which is something that Karnisovas couldn’t offer. The obvious question for him is whether he’d be willing to work with Donovan, presuming the coach decides to stay. They are obviously familiar with each other since Telep was a recruiting analyst while Donovan was the head coach at Florida. Telep always showed a high opinion of the coach. Maybe that is something to work with.
Ultimately, this will be a Reinsdorf decision.
One thing we know about this ownership is that they tend to lean more conservative with such big decisions. As much sense as Telep makes, the smart money should probably be on Matt Lloyd. The Timberwolves general manager spent the early years of his NBA career in the Chicago Bulls’ scouting department, helping build their last great teams from 2011 to 2016. That feels more like something the Reinsdorfs would do rather than taking another swing at a true outside candidate.
Still, it doesn’t change the fact that Telep’s track record speaks for itself. If the Bulls want somebody who is all but certain to identify and draft good players, this is the guy to hire. He might not be the flashy name, but that doesn’t matter. Hire somebody who knows how to build a roster. Telep can do that. How he communicates with the media should be immaterial. Sadly, that will be a prerequisite for this organization. We’ll see how the assistant general manager handles the interview.
