The Whiteboard: GarPax is finished, long live Kar???

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Bulls’ fans everywhere have been rejoicing (in social isolation) as the team’s front office has been dramatically remade in the past week. As the organization began the search for a new lead front office executive, it was clear that John Paxson and Gar Forman, known collectively as GarPax, had come to the end of the road.

The Bulls’ brain trust has been responsible for years of baffling vision questing, handled with an even with sloppy and often regressive execution. They have long been the thorn in the side of Bulls’ fans and every time “GarPax” is said out loud a Bulls’ fan somewhere in the world feels the strange burning desire to shake their fist at the sky. They probably slept like babies last night with the official news that Forman had been fired and Paxson had been moved into a vague advisory role.

New executive vice president of basketball operations, Arturas Karnisovas hasn’t wasted any time remaking the front office. In just a week since his hiring was announced, he’s already hired J.J. Polk from the Pelicans to serve as assistant general manager. Next up is hiring a general manager to work between himself and Polk.

A list of candidates has already been reported and while reviewing their credentials is important, it’s just as important to examine how their names will function in a nickname mashup. Karnisovas has the good fortune of an r-controlled vowel in his first syllable, a perfect replacement for “Gar.” Who will finish this new nickname?

KarBoo?

Calvin Booth has been getting plenty of buzz for a move to Chicago, and his previous relationship with Karnisovas is surely a factor. Booth has been an assistant general manager with the Nuggets since 2017. Before that, he spent time in the Timberwolves front office, eventually moving up to director of player personnel. At the end of a mostly unremarkable 10-year career as a lightly-used big man with seven different teams, Booth first moved into a scouting role with the Pelicans. Booth is well-regarded but it sounds like he could be in line for a promotion with the Nuggets as well and could be choosing between a general manager role with either team.

Everyone loves a long vowel at the end of a syllable but KarBoo has a weird syncopation to it. It’s fun to say, putting your mouth in fun shapes, but it lacks the sharp, assertive edges of GarPax. Maybe that’s a good thing?

KarEve?

Marc Eversley is currently the 76ers senior vice president of player personnel, a position he’s held for about four years. He previously worked with the Raptors and Wizards before Bryan Colangelo brought him to Philadelphia.

This is a tricky one. If we’re keeping with the spelling rules, we have to use three letters but in the case of Eversley, that second -e actually goes with the second syllable meaning what we get in the nickname doesn’t match the actual pronunciation of his last name. It’s probably a moot point because neither KarEv or KarEve sounds like a winner.

KarHug?

Mark Hughes is the assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Clippers and worked as both an assistant coach (with the Magic and Kings) and in the front office of the New York Knicks, reaching the level of Director of Player Personnel.

Here’s another tricky one. In Hughes’ last name, the -ugh all go together to create a single long vowel sound. If we cut it off and go with a short -g sound we get a pretty nice 1-2 rhythm. But again, his name isn’t Mark Hugs so this may be a bridge to far.

KarLlo?

Matt Lloyd is currently the assistant general manager of the Orlando Magic. He cut his teeth in Chicago though, working as a scout, manager of basketball operations and director of college scouting for the Bulls.

Booth should be considered the frontrunner, both because of his experience, connection to Karnisovas and the smooth pronunciation of KarBoo. However, if you’re looking for a solid challenger, I like Lloyd. He has Chicago ties, has helped discover some exciting talents in Orlando and KarLlo has a beautiful syrupy flow to it.

GarPax is dead. Long live KarLlo?

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