Bulls GM opens up on Lonzo, DeMar, Chicago's 'ceiling' and much more – The Athletic

NBA
Entering his fourth season as the Chicago Bulls general manager, Marc Eversley remains a man of mystery.
The organization is looking to change that.
As second in command within basketball operations, Eversley often operates in the background as the right-hand man to executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas.
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Before the team hosted Bulls Fest over the weekend, Eversley’s speaking appearances had been spotty. He was curiously absent from the team’s season-ending news conference but sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Karnišovas at the team’s draft night news conference.
This weekend, Eversley opened up. In an attempt to connect with the community, promote Bulls Fest, the upcoming season (and their GM a little more), the Bulls put Eversley through a media blitz. He sat down for multiple podcasts and made appearances on several radio and television shows, not to mention the team’s in-house media.
Eversley’s final interview Saturday was a wide-ranging sit-down with The Athletic from his office above the practice courts inside the Advocate Center.
In a lengthy and illuminating chat, Eversley discussed the state of the franchise, addressing the implications of Lonzo Ball’s season-ending injury, DeMar DeRozan’s future with the Bulls, why this will be a big season for Patrick Williams and which player he thinks could have a breakout season.
(Note: This conversation has been edited for clarity.)
Let’s start with the time you all have been here, the front-office management and this new regime. In the three seasons that you’ve had, how would you evaluate your job performance?
Job performance is tough to sit back and evaluate yourselves. In our industry today, you are judged by wins and losses. That’s just the reality. Year 1 was tough — COVID-19. Everybody dealt with a whole different environment. Year 2, I thought we did some really positive things. Heading into the All-Star break, No. 1 seed in the East, Lonzo goes down, and we suffer with injuries the rest of the way. And we just kind of patchwork it until the end of the season. Play in the first round. And we know how that went.
Last year, ‘Zo’s not back — and I’m not putting this on ‘Zo, but I think he’s had an impact on how good we have been. And it speaks to how good he is. We made it to the Play-In. Won a game up in Toronto. Played a really competitive game against Miami on the road. And I thought our guys competed. We were 14-9 down the stretch post-trade deadline, and I really felt like the group came together. And I felt good about the group going into Toronto and Miami.
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All that being said, it was a sub-.500 year. We sat back and identified some things that we wanted to address this offseason to help the group. There are a couple of paths we could have gone. We could have (torn) it down. We could have rebuilt. Or we could have retooled. And we chose to retool.
In retooling, we brought back a lot of the same players that we had. And I think what takes us back is the first year that group was together. So by bringing in Torrey (Craig); by bringing in Jevon (Carter) and re-signing Coby (White) and watching his growth and development — we’re excited about him; by re-signing Ayo (Dosunmu), a Chicago kid who had a terrific rookie year. He showed up on people’s scouting reports last year, and that was an adjustment for him. I think he’ll be much better going into Year 3; and re-signing Vooch (Nikola Vučević).
Vooch is a starting center in the NBA. There’s just not a lot of them. So if Vooch went away, and that was never a plan for us, how do you replace him? And we didn’t like those options. That’s why we brought back Vooch.
So we like where we are today. We like the group. I’m excited about Jevon. I’m excited about Torrey and bringing them into the fold.
There is widespread criticism of this front-office regime that we know what the ceiling is of this current core. And if we know that, then why run it back so to speak if you already know the ceiling isn’t a championship-caliber ceiling?
I think for us as a front office, how we see our ceiling may be different than others. And the way we have operated is we’re going to operate this with our beliefs. We’ve all been to different places. We’ve seen what success looks like. We can’t run this operation based on what people may think the outcome may be. We trust each other. I trust AK. He trusts me. I trust J.J. (Polk) and Pat (Connelly) and Brian (Hagen) and Steve (Weinman). We trust in each other and we believe in this group. That’s how we’re going to continue to build out this program.
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We can’t get caught up in the negativity, the naysayers. If we do that, then how are we operating? What are we grounded in? We’re grounded in ourselves and our beliefs and the trust within the group that we’re making the best decisions for the organization daily.
I want to talk about you individually. I’ve heard you say that the higher you’ve climbed in your career, the less your role is about basketball. Can you share what your job responsibilities include as general manager?
I say that in jest. Everything is always about basketball. It’s about winning basketball games. When you do get to this level, you deal more with — whether you’re managing up, to Arturas and ownership, or whether you’re managing down with an assistant GM or VP of player personnel. It’s all rooted in basketball. But it’s less about going to scout a college game or a pro game or an international prospect.
When you’re a scout or a director of player personnel or a director of college scouting, your job is rooted in going to basketball games 24/7. When you’re a GM or a president, those opportunities become less because you have more of a responsibility to the organization.
Basketball. Staffing. Public relations. You sit in meetings with the people in the business office across the street. Marketing. Advertising. Those things pull you away from basketball. And it’s not a negative thing. It’s just the higher you go, the more you’re responsible for. And that’s why I say it in jest.
So what is my role? I deal with all those factions within our organization. Whether it’s sitting with someone and talking about, ‘What’s our tagline going to be for the year from a marketing perspective?’ It’s doing things like sitting here with you right now talking about the team, talking about Bulls Fest, talking about things we did last year, we did this summer and what we envision for the future.
It’s hiring staff. There’s turnover every single year.  We’ve lost four coaches, three from our G League team, one from here. We’ve lost a couple of bodies out of our performance area. We’ve had to re-hire people in the performance area. We’re going to hire a couple more people in the front office here moving forward.
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So there’s a multitude of things that you deal with. Staffing is one of them. The team is one of them. Managing the coaching staff is one of them. Managing the performance crew is one of them. There’s just a multitude of things that you do daily.
I think that’s an important distinction because you have become lumped in with Arturas — the “AKME” nickname I’m sure you’re aware of. And so there’s a wide segment of the fan base who doesn’t know Marc Eversley the GM, not AKME the front-office tandem but Marc Eversley. But you’ve quietly embedded yourself into the community, recently buying a home in Lakeview …
I have lived here for three years. And we bought a house three years ago. So that’s not new news.
Right. But you’re coming into this new city. We’ve talked about being the first Black GM of the Chicago Bulls. And yet for three years, you’ve sort of been behind the scenes.
And that’s OK.
Is that by design by you?
Um, I don’t know if it’s by design.
When you are public, you certainly speak and relay the Bulls’ message in a way that it seems people appreciate.
Thank you.
And so there are questions out there in the public of, why don’t you do it more?
That is not a question for me. That’s a question for these guys (media relations). Literally. I mean, am I a private person by nature? One hundred percent. My daughters are downstairs, and I get nervous when I’m walking across the street with them because that’s just me. I want to protect them. And I’m private.
We did buy a house three years ago. As soon as we moved here, I said to Jen (Eversley’s wife), ‘We’re going to buy a house. We’re going to live in the city. We’re going to get invested in the community. We’re not going to hide from people. We’re going to be a part of the community.’ And that was important to me and important to her. So we’ve been here.
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I walk down our main corridor and go get coffee, and sometimes people recognize me and sometimes they don’t. And that’s cool. We just walked through Bulls Fest, and it was like walking through a Beatles concert and I was one of the Beatles. And that’s cool too. But it’s not something that I seek or chase. I’m happy being in the background. If they need me to do things and be more forward-facing, then I’ll do that.
Am I a company guy? Yeah, I am. I’m a company guy. I never want anybody to think that I’m stepping out or doing anything to promote me or promote my brand. I’ve never been about that. I never want that label. That’s not what I’m all about.
I’m told your daughters are in Chicago Public Schools. Was that decision part of embedding yourself into this community?
I’m a big believer in investing in the community. We live in Lakeview. My daughter goes to a Chicago magnet school. My wife’s daughter is 15. She’ll be a sophomore. Straight-A student. She loves it.
But to answer your question, I never grew up in the private school environment. I don’t know what that’s all about. I’m sure people who have been in that environment, it’s great for them. I went to a public school. To me, there’s something about a public school that brings out a certain — I don’t know if it’s grit, toughness, awareness — I want my kids to experience. That’s what public school did for me. And I’m hoping they can take a couple of those lessons along the way being in a public school.
A couple of basketball questions. Has Lonzo Ball’s injury impacted the franchise more on the court or in the business sense in terms of being able to navigate the salary cap and how you operate?
I think it’s presented challenges on both sides. On-court is what we’re more focused on on a daily basis. He’s just a unique player. And he was a terrific complement to Zach (LaVine), DeMar (DeRozan) and Vooch as we envisioned this roster.
I think by going out and getting Jevon Carter, not as a replacement for Lonzo but as an enhancement. Because the guy who I’m really encouraged about from how he ended the season and what he’s done this summer and what I envision of him and how good he can be going forward for this group is Coby (White). Coby’s development on the court has been terrific. His development off the court has been equally as impressive. He’s found his voice. He’ll challenge guys in the room. He’ll be more decisive and assertive. And we need that from him. But I think it takes time.
No team in the NBA has put a roster together and won. It takes time. If you go back and look at the teams over history, those groups have been together for a minute. They’ve been there for a while.
Am I suggesting we’re going to win a championship? I’m not. But what I’m suggesting is this group being together as long as they’ve been together, going into Year 4, Patrick Williams develops, Coby White develops, Jevon Carter fits in, Torrey Craig fits in. The hope is we win more games and compete at a higher level come spring.
The player-development component of this franchise. There’s been criticism about it. How do you view what you all have done with player development?
I think when you look at what we’ve done with Ayo, that’s a win. I think Coby White is a win. I think Patrick Williams, we will see this year. I think this is a really big year for Patrick Williams.
We’ve done some things in the player-development space. We’ve hired Peter Patton, who is a shooting coach and our director of player development. And I’ll tell you, he’s had an immediate impact on our players in this gym daily. He’s brought an organization and a structure and a focus to the group that we sorely needed. We’re excited about bringing him into the fold.
Player development-wise, I feel like we’re in a really good place. Could we have done a better job over the past couple of years? Probably. But I think what we’ve done this summer by adding Peter, there’s a new focus on player development and Peter’s going to lead that charge.
And what about Billy Donovan? How do you evaluate the job he’s done, and moving forward, what do you need to see from him? How comfortable is the franchise with the job Billy has done?
Billy’s been terrific from day one. And I see no reason to believe that will change. He continues to communicate with our players. He’s communicative with Arturas and I, daily, weekly, whatever is going on. I think he’s an excellent head coach.
One of the things that brings us great comfort is the way he communicates with our players. Everybody understands their role. Everybody knows what’s expected of them. And he continues to have conversations with those guys to ensure that there are no gaps. When you have a head coach who does that for you on a daily basis it brings you great comfort.
DeMar DeRozan has been great for the Bulls for two seasons. He’s going into a contract year. What is the future of DeMar and the Bulls?
DeMar’s been great. He’s been terrific for this group, not only on the court but off the court. He’s been a leader. I would love DeMar to be part of this program long term. Let’s see how that plays out and what that looks like going forward. When those conversations take place, we’ll speak about that more when that happens. But we hope Deebo’s back. He’s been an integral part of this program’s success. We hope he is here long term.
You mentioned Patrick Williams earlier. He was the first draft pick of this front-office regime. He had a wrist injury that cost him most of his second season, but what do you think he needs to do to become the player you thought he was going to be?
I think he’s got all the physical aspects that you would want in a starting power forward in the NBA. He’s a wonderful athlete. He’s a great defender. He shoots it at a high clip from 3. He can put it on the deck. He can finish at the rim.
As he matures as a human being, when he starts to apply those skill sets that he learns as a human being onto the court with him — being more assertive, being more vocal, not being afraid to challenge the norm, having a voice in the locker room — that’s when I’ll really get excited about who Patrick Williams is and what he can become. And I think he’s making strides toward that.
We spent time with him on Thursday in Denver. Had a great conversation. Had a nice dinner with Billy and AK and a few of us. He’s making strides. He’s going in the right direction, and we’re really excited about him.
From where the organization was when you were hired in 2020 to where it is now, you’ve experienced some success and suffered a step back last season. How do you see the trajectory of the franchise? Do you feel you’re on the right track again, or is the Ball situation so significant that it’s delayed the process?
I like the path that we’re on. I like the path that Coby’s on and Patrick too. Because if you don’t get your young guys to contribute and grow, you’re not going anywhere regardless of how good Zach, Vooch and DeMar are.
I love the Jevon signing. I love the Torrey Craig signing. I think by bringing in those two guys, it addresses a lot of what we have lacked in the past. If those guys can fit in with the group that we have here today, we’re going to win a lot more ball games.
How would you define success in 2023-24?
Winning more games than we did last year.
(Top photo of Marc Eversley and Artūras Karnišovas: Kamil Krzaczynski / USA Today)

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Darnell Mayberry is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Chicago Bulls. He spent 12 years at The Oklahoman, where he handled the Thunder beat before moving into an editor’s role. Prior to The Oklahoman, Darnell covered the University of Akron men’s basketball, preps and recruiting at the Akron Beacon Journal. He is the author of “100 Things Thunder Fans Should Know And Do Before They Die.” Follow Darnell on Twitter @DarnellMayberry

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