Discussion concerning Billy Donovan
I will be the first to say that it is both a legitimate discussion surrounding how first-year head coach Billy Donovan fits with the Bulls this offseason is appropriate, but it is definitely not to put him on the hot seat this soon. It would be one thing if Donovan and the Bulls had just completely flatlined down the stretch and went into the offseason with no momentum.
But when this Bulls team is healthy, Donovan does look to have them headed in the right direction. They currently sport a record of 29-40, which isn’t great but is much improved compared to where this team was at last season under former head coach Jim Boylen. That has to be a real consideration when thinking about how the front office will build this roster moving forward.
Knowing that Donovan can do a lot to maximize the offensive potential of LaVine and Vooch should help his case in the Windy City moving forward.
Unless there is a situation where Nick Nurse for some reason comes available on the open market, the Bulls should be confident in where they are headed with Donovan. He did have a good bit of success with the Oklahoma City Thunder during his five years as their head coach.
However, it is not great that the Bulls missed out on the postseason given the way that Donovan rounded out his tenure with the Thunder last year. There will be adjustments to the viewpoint that both the Bulls fans, and potential free agent targets, view Donovan as the head coach of this team moving forward if they do in fact miss out on the postseason. That is inevitable.