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Former OKC Thunder head coach Billy Donovan will be the fourth head coach in the past six years for the Chicago Bulls, after being hired this week.
The recent hiring of former Oklahoma City Thunder and Florida Gators basketball coach Billy Donovan was a major step in the Chicago Bulls’ new regime. They officially hired Donovan to be the Bulls’ next head coach, and replace former head coach Jim Boylen, on the afternoon of September 22.
According to an article by Erik Horne of The Athletic this week (paid content), one of the biggest problems for Donovan in OKC was that he never had the “respect of the star players.” From Kevin Durant to Russell Westbrook to then Chris Paul, Donovan coached a number of star players during his five seasons with the Thunder.
A big reason the Thunder parted ways with Donovan was a lack of postseason success. He never made it past the Western Conference Finals during his five years with the Thunder (and they only made it that far once). Donovan ended his time as the Thunder’s head coach with a regular season record of 243-157 (.609 winning percentage). His playoff record with the Thunder was 18-23 (.439 winning percentage).
The other big reason the Thunder likely parted ways with Donovan was the fact that they could soon begin a full rebuilding move. If the Thunder trade Paul this offseason, then rebuild mode should be in full effect. They are also likely to pass prominent veteran forward Danilo Gallinari.
But the fact that Donovan never mixed better with star players like KD and Russ in OKC isn’t that surprising. Donovan developed as a college head coach, and that can happen sometimes in the transition to the ranks of NBA coaches. KD and Russ have also proven difficult to train in the past.
The Brooklyn Nets already parted ways with former head coach Kenny Atkinson in a surprise move in the middle of the 2019-20 regular season to make way for a candidate largely more liked by KD and point guard Kyrie Irving. The Nets ended up replacing Atkinson with former two-time Phoenix Suns MVP and point guard Steve Nash as their next head coach.
However, the good news in this situation for the Bulls is that they don’t really have the same dynamic with their current roster as the Thunder in Donovan’s first three years at the helm. Guard Zach LaVine would have to be considered his biggest star, and point guard Coby White could have the brightest future. But it doesn’t seem like Donovan is finding it that difficult to fit in better with this roster than Boylen did.
Boylen seemed to be one of the less popular head coaches in both Windy City and the NBA. His constant antics and fumbles quickly grew old with fans and in the media. He also led the Bulls to a record of just 22-43 for the shortened 2019-20 season, good for 11th in the Eastern Conference standings.
Boylen posted a 39-84 record over the course of his two years as the Bulls head coach. Donovan is a major upgrade, despite whatever baggage he brings with him from the past. He’s a proven winner at both the college and NBA levels, something former Bulls head coaches Boylen and Fred Hoiberg weren’t.
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