"Did we get the No. 1 person out there? I believe we did." - Michael Reinsdorf
It was early in a season of resolve that was beginning to show cracks. The Bulls were stumbling along falling close to the NBA's Maginot Line of despair, 10 games under .500 near Christmas. Once passing that, there isn't much defense.
So the Bulls decided to hire Arturas Karnisovas as Executive Vice-President of Basketball Operations.
It became official Monday with the announcement by Bulls President and Chief Operating Officer Michael Reinsdorf during a media conference call. The new chief basketball executive didn't have a name back then.