PHOENIX – The assignment seemed to be an obvious one.
Then again, that’s where this Bulls front office continues to have a disconnect with not only a majority of their own fan base, but the rest of the NBA.
The league says the sky is blue, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas insists it’s purple. The non-play-in teams say down and Karnisovas screams up.
Common sense to improve lottery odds are that a sinking team limits the playing time of a veteran guard that could very well be in another jersey come July free agency, and Karnisovas thumbs his nose at that, allowing Collin Sexton to put in 38 minutes of work in Thursday’s win over the Suns and score 30 points.
Make it make sense.
Sure, Karnisovas can minimize the odds of hitting the top pick from the No. 9 spot – where the Bulls currently reside – compared to the No. 10 spot, pointing out it’s only a 1.5% difference (3% to 4.5%), but he’s again missing the big picture.
The chance of hitting in the top four picks – the heart of this draft class – is 20.3% if the Bulls stay at No. 9. Keep messing around and moving ahead of Milwaukee at No. 10 and the odds drop to 13.9%. Be better at staying the course and run down Memphis at No. 8? The odds of hitting top four increase to 26.3%.
If this Bulls front office had any sort of track record of consistently hitting on draft picks, sure, no big deal, but they have not. This is about trying to make it a bit more dummy-proof and give them the best odds at getting talent.
Meanwhile, the one person that loves the mentality of this Bulls front office? Sexton. As well he should.
It’s not the guard’s fault he’s doing his job, nor is it the fault of coach Billy Donovan who has been given the blessing by the front office to try and win as many games as possible with this roster.
Sexton has been around long enough to know that the Bulls could have handcuffed their coach and told him not to play the experienced guys, especially late in close games. Coming over from Charlotte in the Coby White deal, Sexton could easily be withering on the bench, counting down the days until free agency.
“Definitely very appreciative,” Sexton said of his showcase game against the Suns allowed to happen. “At the end of the day I always take one day at a time, one second at a time, one minute at a time. At the end of the day I always tell myself be where my feet are at and be grounded and focus on the now. Don’t focus too far in the future.
“I appreciate the team as well as the organization giving me the opportunity and trusting me down the stretch even with the ball, but also to make plays for others. I appreciate that.”
And Donovan appreciates him.
In Sexton, the coach has a hard-nosed, emotional leader that is learning to play the high-paced tempo in which Donovan wants his offense to run. And he’s done so with no push back. But even if there are plans to keep Sexton beyond the next five weeks, there are still ways that they should be finessing the standings.
Just don’t include Sexton in those plans, as he remains focused on winning games and building his relationship with Donovan.
“I appreciate Coach,” Sexton added. “He’s been going through a lot (the death of his father and mother-in-law in the last month) and I’ve been praying for him, my family has been praying for him. And for him to come out each and every day with a smile on his face and trying to encourage us … he’s had a lot going on.”
