Column: Bryson Graham, saying all the right things, is the fresh start the Chicago Bulls need
Chicago Bulls introduce Bryson Graham as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations.
It's a new era for the Chicago Bulls. The franchise introduced Bryson Graham as its next Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations on Wednesday afternoon.
The air was a little different in the Advocate Center on Wednesday.
The Chicago Bulls introduced Bryson Graham as their next front office boss. He takes the Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations title from Arturas Karnisovas.
The different air is how new everything is with the Bulls. Graham is a brand-new face, obviously. But, he brings a near opposite vibe than the last.
It was refreshing to hear what Graham said. It was fun to consider how much the Bulls can do this offseason. It was fun to feel excitement about the Bulls again.
It won’t be easy, but it’s fair to think about all the ways the Bulls’ will be different from the Karnisovas era. Graham's the fresh start this franchise needed.
Big picture view:
First of all, Graham is just a different person than Karnisovas. That’s what the Bulls were going for, as Bulls President and CEO Michael Reinsdorf said he wanted a better communicator than what Karnisovas brought to the table.
That meant whoever the Bulls hired would probably have a new personality. Graham is over 15 years younger than his predecessor.
"While he's young in age – he's not even 40 yet – he's old and experienced," Reinsdorf said. "He's worked his way up from the ground level."
Spending 15 years with the New Orleans Pelicans organization, Graham worked his way to the top. He was the general manager before in New Orleans before moving on to Atlanta.
Being with an organization that long is significant. The team always found a spot for him, and saw how skilled he was in different front office jobs.
Growing in that way is also a lesson for Graham as he takes over a rebuilding team.
"I want to keep on saying this," Graham said. "It's going to take time."
There were times it felt like Karnisovas would rather do anything than actually commit to a rebuild. If he had, then he might still be around.
He never did. Graham did on Day 1.
Graham was honest, too. It is pretty bleak after all.
"A real rebuild, you can look at the record, right? I mean, just being honest," Graham said. "Most rebuild situations is when you don't have star-caliber players."
Graham clarified the Bulls could have star-caliber players, but I can definitely say the Bulls do not have star players. Matas Buzelis is the Bulls’ best bet for a high-caliber player, and he’s shown plenty of promise in his two years in Chicago, but even he has ways to go.
It’s never great when the two best draft picks from the last front office were Buzelis and Ayo Dosunmu, the latter being a hometown hero who was shipped off for pennies on the dollar.
In that vein, this will not be the same as the last regime because Graham won’t overspend to course correct quickly.
Karnisovas traded so many first-round picks and younger players to acquire Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and others. So much so, when that core failed there was no avenue to improve.
Graham had an answer that didn’t mention that specifically, but it applied all the same.
"I'm not going to be up here and mince words and say like, we're further along, we just add a couple of pieces, because that's not the case," Graham said. "I hope that as fans, we kind of understand where we're at and we're going to get there."
What we learned as the Chicago Bulls introduced Bryson Graham and started a new era
Here's what we learned from Bryson Graham's introduction as the Bulls' new EVP of Basketball Operations.
What's next:
Graham is going to take his time. He needs to hire a head coach, first. He also wants a staff of ambitious developers and evaluators.
"If I'm the smartest person in the room, we're going to fail," he said.
It helps that he has the right ambition, too.
"Look, there are 30 of these opportunities, and this is the Chicago Bulls," Graham said. "Michael really didn't have to sell me much of anything."
That’s the right approach. It won’t be easy. There will be frustrations. But, Graham said all the right things.
His first moves will be under a microscope, but Bulls fans should reserve judgement. If Graham is guilty of anything, it’s that he’s a bit corny in his communication.
When he said, "We want guys who have SLAP. Size, Length, Athleticism, Physicality," it sounded a little too Matt Eberflusian. The H.I.T.S. principle will never be forgotten for all the wrong reasons.
But, having a corny side is a long way from Karnisovas’ style. Graham won’t be vague. He won’t try and cut that corner. He won’t try to make something work when it clearly doesn’t.
Graham’s making it okay to think about what’s possible with a new regime leading the Bulls.
"We're going to obviously take our time," Graham said. "This is not going to be something that's going to be rushed, but this is the beginning stages."