John Paxson’s tenure as the Bulls top basketball executive — a 17-year stretch that included the post-Jordan era, Derrick Rose renaissance and this recent stagnant stage — came to an end this week.
The Bulls gave Arturas Karnisovas Paxson’s old title of vice president of basketball operations. And although Paxson will remain in the organization, he will move into a new role as senior adviser. Consider him a resource for Karnisovas when needed but someone who ultimately will fade to the background.
“When I came here in 1985, I never imagined what the Chicago Bulls would mean to me more than 35 years later,” Paxson said in a statement. “While I’m in a new role and a new phase in my life, what won’t ever change is my commitment to the Bulls and appreciation to Jerry and Michael (Reinsdorf) for the incredible opportunities I’ve been afforded.
“I’ve had the rare opportunity to see this team as a player, broadcaster and executive, and at every turn I’ve been fortunate to experience what makes this organization so special.”
Paxson will not be involved in the Bulls’ day-to-day decision making for the first time since 2003, which made him the third-longest-tenured top executive in the NBA, behind only Gregg Popovich and Pat Riley. Paxson also started a month before Danny Ainge. The trio of Popovich, Riley and Ainge all have championships on their resumes as executives.
Paxson’s Bulls tenure had a few highs despite the sour taste it left in the mouths of Bulls fans. In Paxson’s 17 seasons, the Bulls missed the playoffs six times, were eliminated in the first round seven times and made one trip to the conference finals. They finished 684-677 (.502) during his tenure, including the first 65 games this season before play was suspended.
As the Bulls embark on a new era and Paxson takes on a new title, here’s a look back at his career with the team.
1. ‘John Paxson is my kind of people.’
After the Spurs drafted Paxson and he spend the first two seasons of his career in San Antonio, the Bulls signed him as a free agent in 1985. Then-Bulls general manager Jerry Krause descried Paxson as a good defender, shooter and passer. The Bulls looked at Paxson as a backup and perimeter shooter to help a team led by a young Michael Jordan. Krause did his homework with Paxson, however, inquiring with people who knew him at Notre Dame.
”It required a lot of patience,” Krause said. “But I know John Paxson is my kind of people.”
It wound up being a telling statement from the man Paxson would eventually replace as Bulls general manager and started a Bulls marriage still alive three decades later. Paxson would spend the next nine seasons playing for the Bulls, appearing in 645 games as a part of the first three-peat. He knocked down all eight of his 3-pointers in the clinching Game 5 of the 1991 NBA Finals and hit the game-winning 3 with 3.9 seconds remaining in the clinching Game 6 of the 1993 Finals. Those moments would endear him to Bulls fans for years.
2. He climbs the ranks in the Bulls organization.
Paxson battled injuries during his final season and retired in 1994 but remained in the organization, joining Phil Jackson as an assistant coach. He helped guide the Bulls during a memorable 72-10 season that culminated in the 1996 championship. But Paxson wanted to spend more time with his family and retired from coaching after that season. He spent the next seven years in the broadcast booth as a commentator for the Bulls on TV and radio. Paxson turned down the opportunity to coach the Wizards under part-owner/President Michael Jordan.
But when Krause began signaling that he wanted to retire because of health reasons, Paxson was on the Bulls’ short list to take over, even though he did not have management experience.
“Just having talked to him over the years and also listening to him when he was doing the radio, I knew that he really understood the game and how it should be played,” Jerry Reinsdorf told the Tribune in 2014. “He had great insight into the game. I knew he’d be a very good talent evaluator. And I knew he had the personality to get along with people.”
It further underscores why the Bulls’ hiring of Karnisovas was significant as the first time the Reinsdorf family has gone with an outside hire.
3. His general manager takeover and roster flip.
Paxson arrived as Bulls general manager and almost immediately began turning over the roster. He handed out T-shirts on the first day of training camp that read “No excuses.” He began the turnover when he fired his former teammate Bill Cartwright as coach in November 2003 and hired Scott Skiles.
Paxson built a roster centered around Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich along with players he inherited, such as Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler. “The Baby Bulls” became yearly playoff contenders, advancing to the postseason the next three years in a row. While that team was fun and helped revive the franchise, it won only one playoff series during that span.
At this point, fans started to criticize Paxson for his reluctance to trade for a star player, a criticism that would define his tenure as general manager. Paxson has maintained that it was difficult to attract free agents and convince stars to play with the Bulls because of the pressure of following in Michael Jordan’s footsteps.
The Bulls missed the playoffs after the 2007-08 season, but a fortunate bounce of lottery luck turned a 1.7% chance into No.1 pick Derrick Rose.
4. John Paxson nearly quits as Bulls GM.
In the weeks leading up to the trade deadline in 2009, it seemed as if Paxson’s time running the Bulls was coming to an end. Speculation swirled for weeks that Paxson’s step-down from his position as general manager was imminent.
It was Derrick Rose’s first season, and the Bulls were stumbling yet again. Fan criticism reached such a fever pitch that Paxson was booed during a halftime ceremony honoring former coach Johnny “Red” Kerr. Instead, Paxson had an active trade deadline with three moves, albeit all minor, before announcing that he would not resign.
Through it all, he still had the confidence of Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.
“If there’s one person that is not responsible for what’s going on right now, it’s John Paxson,” Reinsdorf said in an interview with Comcast SportsNet. “I have tremendous confidence in John Paxson.”
That confidence never wavered. The Bulls were so confident in Paxson that he had to convince ownership it needed a change. In December, with the Bulls scuffling and falling short of their preseason expectation, Paxson came to COO Michael Reinsdorf and his father.
“It was kind of at this point that John indicated to my dad and me that he was no longer the right person to lead the Chicago Bulls,” Michael Reinsdorf said during a conference call with reporters Monday. “And that’s really the kind of person John is. I’ve always said that, I said when the time came to make a change, John would be the one to let us know, and that is indeed what ended up happening.”
If that is truly how it played out, it’s worth wondering whether the Bulls would have arrived at this decision on their own.
5. GarPax becomes infamous.
John Paxson was promoted to vice president of basketball operations in 2009 and Gar Forman was named general manager.
Paxson wanted a better work-life balance and apparently did not enjoy parts of the general manager job, especially working with the media and agents. In 2010 he infamously got into an altercation with Vinny Del Negro, grabbing his coach by the tie in an argument over a minutes limit for Joakim Noah. Paxson also grew more combative with the media as the years went on and the criticism grew.
The so-called “GarPax” era was born officially in 2009, and together they built the Bulls’ most successful team since Jordan’s retirement. Rose was the youngest MVP in NBA history in 2011 and Thibodeau was one of the most respected coaches in the league. The Bulls were set up to challenge Lebron James for control of the Eastern Conference for years before it was all derailed by Rose’s injuries. Paxson would refer to that fact almost ad nauseam in the years after Rose’s decline.
Still, Paxson and Forman had their share of draft hits — Rose, Noah, Jimmy Butler, Deng, Taj Gibson — to outweigh the misses — Tyrus Thomas, Doug McDermott, Marquis Teague — even when combined with some puzzling free-agent moves — signing Dwayne Wade and Rajon Rondo — and other free-agent swings that did not work out as expected — signing Ben Wallace and Carlos Boozer.
And then there were the embarrassing incidents for the franchise. Forman, who was fired as general manager on the same day Paxson was reassigned, reportedly set up spies throughout the organization at one point. Butler’s then-trainer, Travelle Gaines, once said he had met drug dealers with better morals than Forman. Thibodeau was fired with a petulant press release. After the hiring of Fred Hoiberg, the locker room became dysfunctional — with incidents that resulted in Butler and Wade as the target of an Instagram post from Rajon Rondo. Bobby Portis also broke bones in his hand after punching Nikola Mirotic during practice. A crowd at Navy Pier during All-Star Weekend in February 2020 hijacked a segment on ESPN with chants to “Fire GarPax.”
Rose’s injuries were a franchise-altering setback, but the Bulls still found themselves with a superstar on the roster ready to replace him in Butler. Yet they never committed to building a team around him. Butler ended up bouncing from Chicago to Minnesota to Philadelphia before landing in Miami, but the Heat built their roster around Butler’s strengths and embraced his mentality and were the No.4 seed in the Eastern Conference when play this season was suspended.
The Bulls, meanwhile, have not made the playoffs since trading Butler during the 2017 draft, shipping him to the Timberwolves for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the right to move up in the draft to pick Lauri Markkanen.
6. The Bulls rebuild and Paxson’s transition to a new role.
That’s where the Bulls find themselves currently, mired in a rebuild that has become stagnant.
They were on track to miss the playoffs for the third straight year. With back-to-back No. 7 selections, they drafted Wendell Carter Jr. and Coby White the last two seasons and have managed to build a collection of young talent that seems promising but has struggled to win.
The Bulls started the season hoping for a return to the playoffs but were one of the most disappointing teams in the league, ending the season 21 games below .500 when play was halted because of the coronavirus. This injury-wrecked season finally led the Bulls to deciding to change their infrastructure.
Although it is unclear just how much influence Paxson will have as senior adviser, and a portion of the fan base remains skeptical, Paxson never has been known for meddling. If he truly is the one who set the Bulls in motion toward hiring Karnisovas, then he likely will be happy to fade into the background. Karnisovas made it clear during his introductory conference call that he viewed Paxson as a potential asset.
“John has a great reputation around the league and has been with the organization for a number of years and can be an asset of information,” Karnisovas said. “He’s been gracious in welcoming me. I’ve appreciated his candor, and he has great love for the Bulls and the city of Chicago. So I see him now as an asset and could be a huge help while I’m making this transition.”
Added Paxson in his statement Monday: “I’ve always tried to do what was best for our organization and put our team in position to succeed and ultimately compete. I know Arturas will do the same. He brings the kind of talent, experience and commitment to collaboration that will allow him to succeed in his new role.
“I truly believe this is a great opportunity for the Bulls organization and that there are bright days ahead.”
