Another coach has hit the market and the Chicago Bulls have quickly become the favorites for his services. But is he a good fit?
The Chicago Bulls coaching search has officially been on for less than a month, even if fans have been searching for over a year. We have seen them be linked to any number of candidates. Retreads, first-timers, both with connections to the organization and without. True to his ethos of moving at his own pace, Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley might be the only one’s not anxious over this.
But not all of the coaches linked to the Bulls should be, at least not from Chicago’s perspective. The notion of Ime Udoka or Wes Unseld Jr taking the reigns makes sense on many levels. They’re both young and have ties to Karnisovas and Eversley.
This space was used to stump for Kenny Atkinson after he was canned; presumably at the behest of superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. That has led some to argue that Atkinson can’t coach stars. There are two simple counters to that though. First, Durant and Irving are the poster children for mercurial athletes. We shouldn’t write off Atkinson based on them. Still, here’s what The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Alex Schiffer said about a “spirited” team meeting back in March:
"“…the players did not shy away from critiquing Atkinson, expressing to the coach that they wanted him to identify roles better, communicate the team’s hierarchy better, change what needs fixing and not settle for the status quo.”"
The other, and perhaps more pertinent, counterpoint is the Bulls don’t have anyone on Durant or Irving’s level.
A new name emerged this past Tuesday night when it was announced that Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan would not return after his contract expires this summer. He’ll leave with a career .608 winning percentage and five-straight playoff appearances.
Despite that, he is not the right choice for this Bulls team.
That’s not what you expect to read (or write) about a coach that’s had the amount of success that Donovan has had, but it’s important to remember a few things about his tenure.
First, Donovan didn’t take over some floundering operation. Following 21 years in the college ranks, 19 of which he spent at the University of Florida, he took over for Scott Brooks in OKC. Brooks too had gone to five consecutive playoffs but missed in his final season due to injuries. Whatever the reason, no team with Durant and Russell Westbrook is “rebuilding”.
Donovan’s success looks slightly tainted when viewed through that lens. It gets even more damning when you throw in Durant’s harsh criticisms of him from his burner account. Durant said, “he didn’t like the organization or playing for Billy Donovan. His roster wasn’t that good, it was just him and Russ.” It wasn’t enough to speak ill of the organization, he mentioned Donovan by name.
What’s the difference between this and the criticisms of Atkinson? Aside from singling out Donovan publicly, Atkinson’s appeal was from what he’d done before Durant and Irving’s arrival in Brooklyn.
He took a ragtag band of misfits and improved their record, ultimately leading the franchise to its first playoff appearance since 2014-15 in 2018. Donovan only got one year of Durant (ironic since he was brought in, in part, to keep the forward in OKC), but he still had Westbrook to pair with Victor Oladipo and Paul George at different points.
After being traded (for George), Oladipo praised Westbrook for his role in the current Pacers guard’s breakout in the 2017-18 season. Donovan wasn’t spoken of in the same way. That’s for those that would point to Westbrook as the cause of the Thunder’s misfortune.
Donovan was hired the same year as Alvin Gentry (fired this offseason) and Mike Malone (in the playoffs). He had a better win percentage than both, speaking to the talent level he stepped into, but also highlighting the disappointment of his tenure.
Even this year’s squad that defied the odds to make the playoffs as the fifth-seed and had Donovan in Coach of the Year contention might not belong on the ‘pros’ side of the ledger. Many would point to Chris Paul bringing together the group that wasn’t so much devoid of talent as it was a hodgepodge.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander started and contributed to a playoff team as a rookie the year before and Danilo Gallinari was having a career-year scoring on that same team. Steven Adams is also still on this team. Again, not what one would call a contender but not trash either.
Take Atkinson out of this since there is a clear bias here. Donovan’s resume looks solid on its surface. But the cracks in the veneer reveal concerning issues. If Donovan couldn’t get more talented teams over the hump (OKC’s lone Finals appearance came under Brooks) what would expectations be for the Bulls?
That’s assuming he’s not more interested in a championship contender (theoretically) like the Philadelphia 76ers.
Bulls fans are anxious to get this settled. The hiring of Tom Thibodeau by the New York Knicks began the clock in the minds of some. There are only so many quality candidates; at least when it comes to one’s with name recognition.
That’s what makes Udoka and Undeld Jr. all the more intriguing. They are different, something this regime has tried to be in contrast to the previous brain trust.
Just another reason not to go down the “known” route with Donovan.