Grading Chicago Bulls coaching hires
To cap it all off, we’re going to take a look at how the coaching search ultimately shook out for the Bulls and how Donovan will fit with this rebuild moving forward.
Billy Donovan, Head Coach
We’ve long dissected the hire of the former Thunder and Florida men’s hoops head coach Donovan since he was first hired to be the Bulls next head coach back on Sep. 22. But we now have new information amid his trickling additions to the coaching staff to find more of a complete grade for his hiring.
Donovan registered a record of 243-157 (.608 winning percentage) in the regular season in his five seasons with the Thunder. And his playoff record with the Thunder sat at 18-23 (.439 winning percentage). The lack of postseason success during his five years in OKC was one of the big reasons why Donovan is no longer the Thunder head coach.
But the pure fact that Donovan often led the Thunder to the playoffs in the first place would be a big step forward if the Bulls can reach the same level of prominence in the Eastern Conference. Donovan looks to be a big improvement over Boylen, and should help move this rebuild much further than his predecessor.
Really the only reason to doubt the Donovan hire was to think that there were better candidates out there. Whether it be the likes of former Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni, Sixers lead assistant Ime Udoka, former Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, etc., there were other good candidates out there. But Donovan is clearly a qualified proven winner that got hired for this job.