Who will captain the ship for the Chicago Bulls?
This is where Billy Donovan has to be better. The lack of practice time might be affecting the head coach more than any player. Surely the adjustment to the offense would have been made by now had they been able to practice more. And having a veteran point guard would have made Donovan’s job much easier.
They don’t have either of those things though. So Donovan has to almost micro-manage this group where even its best players are still learning how to win.
That might mean a quicker hook for struggling players or less rest for those who are cooking; both things he has been criticized for. The player must execute but Donovan’s job as a coach, especially without a point guard, is to right the ship and there have been times where he’s been a bystander in or even a contributor to a loss.
It was a concern when the Bulls and Donovan were still in the courting stage. He’s shown that some of the worries were unwarranted. His assistants have helped in that regard with Coby White recently citing Mo Cheeks as a reason he’s been able to cut down on his turnovers.
But is Donovan a coach that can help players reach their peak and get more out of them or just one who can utilize the talent he’s given?
That answer is yet to be seen but the Bulls are still early in their reconfiguring of this team. The rebuild on the fly hasn’t been the all-out success they had hoped but it also isn’t finished. We said this front office was testing our trust when they selected Patrick Williams as a prospect that was a late riser; something that hadn’t always worked out for the Bulls. That seems to be working out.
This season and this coming offseason are the same. Most liked the trades the Bulls made when they happened and we know they tried to do more. Let’s just see what they do before we cast final judgment.