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Bulls fire Forman, announce Karnisovas hire, reassign Paxson

Apr 13, 2020 | 12:53 PM

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls fired general manager Gar Forman on Monday, while officially hiring Denver Nuggets GM Arturas Karnisovas as their executive vice-president of basketball operations and moving John Paxson into an advisory role.

The Bulls handed the keys to the 48-year-old Karnisovas last week, hoping he can spark a struggling franchise.

Paxson is moving into a background role after nearly two decades as the top basketball decision-maker. He took over as general manager for Jerry Krause in 2003 and was promoted to vice-president of basketball operations in May 2009 with Forman — who joined the Bulls as a scout in 1998 — becoming GM.

But now, Forman is out. And the future of coach Jim Boylen remains unclear.

The Bulls thought they were ready to contend for a playoff spot after combining for just 49 wins the past two seasons. Instead, they were 11th in the Eastern Conference at 22-43 when the NBA suspended play because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Andrew Seligman, The Associated Press