Where in the world is Gar Forman?

In one of the Chicago Bulls smartest PR moves this season, it appears Bulls organizational punching bag (and nominal General Manager) Gar Forman has retreated into the shadows, with Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson replacing him as the public face of the franchise.

This new trend persisted on Thursday afternoon as Paxson again took charge of handling the spin doctoring of the postseason press conference. Forman hasn’t spoken publicly since media day in early September.

Now to the million dollar question: Oh where, oh where has Gar Forman gone? Oh where, oh where can he be?

He’s been both looking at the amateur ranks here as well as in Europe scouting Luka Doncic in case the basketball gods sprinkle the Bulls with lottery luck dust again.

Before you get too excited, the Chicago Sun-Times (Cowley tho) dispelled the possibility that Forman’s absence was a signal that his removal from the franchise was imminent. As the Sun-Times reported, it’s an effort to stop him from speaking publicly because the franchise knows he just pisses off fans when he does that.

Apparently, Forman will still be the “point man” in contract negotiations with Zach LaVine this summer. Paxson still can’t deal with the nitty-gritty of his job like talking to agents.

Stripping Forman of his public role was a smart move. But, for a lot of Bulls fans stripping him of any role would be a lot smarter.