Over the past week, the Bulls have inked their two newest assistant coaches following the departures of Chris Heming and Josh Longstaff. Billy Donovan’s job remains intact, although his seat is getting increasingly warm as each passing season results in failure. As reported by K.C. Johnson of NBC Chicago, Donovan’s goal in filling his coaching vacancies was hiring previous head coaches in the NBA. Who has Chicago added to their fleet of coaches, and can this help push the Bulls to the playoffs for the first time in three years?
Wes Unseld Jr.
The first of Chicago’s two new hires, Wes Unseld Jr., was most recently the head coach of the Washington Wizards since the 2021-22 season. His record as a head coach was 77-130, and while that figure is far from flattering, the Wizards also opted to gut nearly the entire roster over the past several years and take multiple shots in the dark at unproven talent that never panned out. Adding Jordan Poole effectively in exchange for Bradley Beal was the latest of the front-office disasters that occurred while he was coaching the team. Last season, Unseld started with a 7-36 standing before being relieved of his duties.
Many don’t know that Unseld Jr. was in line to be the Bulls’ next head coach after Jim Boylen’s departure before hiring Billy Donovan. As K.C. Johnson mentions above, he and Arturas Karnisovas were on the same staff in Denver for several years. Unseld Jr. was the heavy favorite to take the position before the Oklahoma City Thunder let go of Donovan, triggering a redirect from Chicago.
Overall, any assistant coach with previous head coaching experience is a good addition, especially one who has connections inside the organization and has coached in this league at the highest rank for the last three seasons. This is a slam-dunk assistant hire, graded an A.
Dan Craig
While Chicago aimed for previous NBA head coaches and candidates such as David Fizdale and Dwane Casey were interviewed, long-time assistant coach Dan Craig was the final hire to Donovan’s staff. Craig has won two NBA championships as a coach, a D-League championship, was named D-League Coach of the Year in 2016, and has been coaching on NBA sidelines for over a decade. While he doesn’t boast any head coaching experience at the highest level, he’s been under Erik Spoelstra for seven years, widely regarded as one of the best head coaches in the history of the NBA. The last four seasons were spent under Tyronn Lue, another NBA Champion head coach.
With two capable and experienced assistants, Donovan’s seat will grow increasingly warm as the Bulls seek their first postseason appearance in three seasons and just their second during his tenure with the club. Adding Craig, one of the most experienced assistant coaches leaguewide, is another strong hire for Chicago’s newly re-tooled coaching staff. The final grade for his hire is a B+.
As Billy Donovan continues reconfiguring this roster and coaching staff to tailor his preferences and schemes, the excuses for not competing for championships in Chicago are running thin. Next summer could be a complete overhaul if the Bulls are not in the playoffs for a third consecutive year.
Assistant coaches?? Waste of time.. good players make coaches look good.. bulls roster is not good so new coaches won’t matter.