Billy Donovan was officially announced as the Bulls Coach today. Karnisovas and Donovan took some time today to discuss the recruiting process as well as Donovan’s vision for this team. To start, it’s clear how badly Karnisovas wanted Donovan.
Billy (continued): "I told him I just drove 17 hours, can we talk Monday. He and Marc came in and we spent about 5 1/2 hours in person. Their values were really important to me. Arturas did an enormous amount of homework on me, and he wanted me to do the same for him…"
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) September 24, 2020
Karnisovas and Eversley met Donovan in Florida to speak with him about the potential of becoming the Bull’s next head coach. They wanted to make sure that Donovan knew how serious they were about considering him for the vacancy. Clearly, the conversations between Karnisovas and Donovan went well. Karnisovas had some great things to say about Donovan.
AK: "In all of my conversations and our personal meetings with Billy, two things stood out. First, he is a great communicator and clearly values his relationships with others. And second, he has the ability to inspire the enthusiasm of others to strive for a common goal."
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) September 24, 2020
The second piece that stood out to Karnisovas is one of the most important traits that a coach can have. Being able to inspire a team to strive for one common goal. The Bulls have been in desperate need of that along with a great communicator. It sounds like Karnisovas found that in Donovan. Later on in Donovan’s introductory press conference, he opened up about his communication so far with the players, his working relationship with Karnisovas, and his coaching model going forward.
Billy Donovan: “I’ve had a chance to text a little bit with some of the players… but really looking forward to getting to know those guys… I’m excited for what the future is going to hold and really excited to work hand in hand with Arturas on a daily basis.”
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) September 24, 2020
This is exactly how the Bulls are going to build a dynasty. Arturas Karnisovas and Billy Donovan working hand in hand is a big factor to success. In most scenarios where a team is getting out of control, there’s a divide between upper management and the coach. The Bulls now have a fresh start and are moving forward the right way.
Donovan doesn’t plan to be present at the Bulls bubble due to safety/quarantine concerns but he’s been in daily communication with the team.
Where Will Donovan Start?
Billy Donovan: “First thing I'll do is watch a lot of film… hear from them (players) on how they want to be used. How do they feel they’re most effective? How can you take advantage of their skillset in the offense? Then you build out how you want to play.”
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) September 24, 2020
This is quite the contrast from the Boylen led Bulls. Boylen set a system in place and then wanted the players to fit that system. Donovan plans to work with the players to see what part of their game they feel is the most effective. Then he will find ways to take advantage of that skill set and build an offense around it. This is critical to the success of this young team.
Another key component to the success of this team is putting the players first.
Billy Donovan: "It’s going to be a player-first program in which we’re going to do right by the players and put them in a position to continue to grow and be successful. Strategizing style of play, how we play, how we can utilize everybody."
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) September 24, 2020
Donovan is going to focus on utilizing his players to the best of their skills. This is crucial for our young group. This past season was a nightmare when it came to player rotation and player utilization. Donovan plans to put an end to that by playing to the team’s strengths. Donovan is committed to figuring out how to get better today. He isn’t looking for this team to start competing years from now.
Billy: “I’ve never been a guy that’s come in with a ‘this is a 2 year plan, 3 year plan, etc’. I’ve always taken the approach of how do we get better today?… You have to have everybody rowing the boat the same direction. You have to have everybody making each other better.”
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) September 24, 2020
Donovan’s plan sounds great on paper. He is going to need to prove it when we get into next season. There’s still a lot of time left in this offseason since the start date of the 2020-2021 season hasn’t been set. There was a lot to unpack in Donovan’s statements today but in the end, he sounds like the perfect fit for this team right now. He’s a player first coach who wants to do what he can to play to his player’s strengths.
Bull’s fans it’s time to hop on the Billy Donovan hype train!
