According to The Athletic, Chicago Bulls’ Head Coach Billy Donovan has been extended “several more years” from his original four-year deal in 2020. The agreement is not as shocking as the timing of the news and leaves Bulls fans to wonder why they are just now hearing about it when it was cited to have been done during this past off-season. Donovan holds an 86-88 record with Chicago and has started the 2022-23′ season with an underwhelming 9-11 through 20 games.
1. Donovan Has Been Mediocre
Donovan has been better than his predecessors, but with the struggles this year, the path to mediocrity is not far away. Improving upon the previous season each of the last two years has helped his case for an extension, but much of that can be credited elsewhere, such as roster improvements. When hired, Donovan clarified that his objective was for his team to “turn a good shot into a better one” and be a solid offensive force overall. He also preached player communication and accountability from the top down. The Bulls rank 20th in Offensive Rating and 16th in Assist Percentage this season, which begs the question of where the responsibility is falling if not with Donovan and where his intended scheme has gone. Not to mention, his decorated star Zach Lavine is having his worst year as a Bull with little to no adjustments being made.
2. Playoff Expectations Are High
While the former Oklahoma City and Florida head coach may have been considered a splash landing for the Bulls back in 2020, now he must face the fire of expectation. In his now third season as the head coach, being sub-.500 both overall and this season are far beneath expectation for a city as basketball passionate as Chicago. Donovan has not won a playoff round since Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were in Oklahoma City during the 2015-16′ season. The Milwaukee Bucks thumped the Bulls in his first postseason appearance with the Bulls, including an 0-2 homestand with an average losing margin of over 25 points per game in the United Center. Even with a healthy and re-tooled roster, the burden of reality proves that Billy Donovan does not have a winning track record in the postseason.
3. Lack Of Player Development
Another highlight of the 57-year-old head coach’s initial statement in joining the Bulls staff was player development. Although he did not have a say in drafting these prime examples, the lack of growth is still alarming. Coby White and Patrick Williams have been severely underwhelming, especially considering names like Tyler Herro, Jordan Poole, Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey, and Desmond Bane were all selected later in their respective drafts. Aiming to turn Coby White into a spot-up shooter, Donovan has only gotten a career three-point shooting percentage of 36.4% out of White, including a career-low 34.5% this season. Williams has yet to average over ten points in a season. He has only flashed potential on the defensive and spot-up shooter avenues despite being a fourth overall selection in the NBA draft.
4. Personnel Locked In Place
The Chicago Bulls inked shooting guard Zach Lavine to a five-year, 215.2 million dollar contract and effectively locked in their roster for this season. With under $2 million in available cap space, there’s not much outside of the veteran market that the Bulls can work with. Barring a dramatic change from the bench improvement, a result similar to last season is imminent, with an identical starting lineup and roster overall. Nikola Vucevic and Zach Lavine are playing worse than ever in a Bulls jersey, and Lonzo Ball’s return date has been pushed to “sometime in 2023”. This reads first-round exit for a coach accustomed to early departures, only making it out of the first round once in his professional coaching career. Outside of a blockbuster trade, Chicago looks eerily similar to last season and should expect a similar result.
5. Other Candidates Are Stronger
Chicago fans have seen the buzz around the NBA for potential head coach hires, some of which include former champions or proven entities that would carry more upside than Donovan. Frank Vogel brings a championship resume and a defensive-minded prowess that the Bulls could use, currently below the league average in paint points allowed per game. Kenny Atkinson’s track record with player development and his championship ring would shine bright in the Windy City with a roster filled with young and undeveloped talent. Jay Wright is also unemployed, this one by choice via retirement from the Villanova Wildcats. His college coaching career ranks amongst the greats and included two NCAA championships and four Final Four appearances during his tenure. While he has not proven effective at the pro level, the upside is evident with the amount of collegiate success and countless NBA players drafted under the Wright program. He was also on the staff for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games, where the United States men’s team earned a gold medal with Bulls star Zach Lavine on the roster.
Amid a 9-11 start to the season, it is announcing the extension of head coach Billy Donovan only further frustrated Bulls fans, who are now staring down the barrel of the 2021-22′ season all over again. The off-season additions of the bench depth and a healthy Lonzo Ball in the spring will quickly override any more excuses Donovan has, and nothing short of a deep playoff run will be the expectation from the Bulls faithful. If not this year, it will be a long and dreadful next few years for a Bulls fanbase that is starving to get out of the first round for the first time since 2015.
