Chicago Bulls struck if not the biggest bargain landing one of the top candidates on the market in Billy Donovan, who has to lead a rebuilding team with an overhauled front office.
Donovan, 55 years old, mutually left his post as coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder after five seasons and would be replacing Jim Boylen, who was fired after the Bulls finished 22-43 and were one of the eight teams that didn’t qualify for the NBA’s restart at Walt Disney World.
[Tweet “In a statement, Donovan thanked the ownership and said he’s looking forward to working with the new executive vice president of basketball operations, Arturas Karnisovas, who was also recently hired.”]
Arturas Karnisovas was a former Denver Nuggets executive, so the Donovan hire completes their organisational overhaul and gives the Bulls a coach with high-level playoff experience and a developmental track record at the University of Florida.
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“We are very pleased to welcome Billy and his family to the Chicago Bulls. The success that he has sustained over the course of his coaching career puts him on a different level,” Karnisovas says in a statement.
“We feel his ability to help his players reach their potential, both individually and collectively, will mesh well with our roster. Whether as a player or as a coach, he has won everywhere his career has taken him, and we hope that will continue here in Chicago.”
Donovan, as coach of the Oklahoma City Thunders, went 243-157 and reached the playoffs each year.
He was also a finalist for Coach of the Year this season after his team outperformed expectations and pushed the Houston Rockets to seven games in the first round of the playoffs.
Before his time with the Thunder, Donovan coached for 19 seasons at the University of Florida, winning two NCAA titles.
Still, the hire is surprising through the lens of Donovan’s exit in Oklahoma City.
It was reported that OKC offered Donovan a two-year extension before the season, but he declined.
Donovan decided to test out the market and see what else he could find. Now he’s landed a gig with a team in a somewhat similar position.
He would have plenty of young talents to work with in Coby White, Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, and Wendell Carter at Chicago Bulls. The Bulls are also picking No. 4 overall in the upcoming NBA Draft.
“I want to thank Jerry, Michael, Arturas, and Marc for the opportunity to coach the Chicago Bulls. I also want to thank them for the time and effort they put into this hiring process. I’m excited to partner with Arturas as we work together on behalf of this historic franchise,” Donovan says in a statement.
Chicago aggressively pursued Donovan as soon as he left the Thunder, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Oklahoma City, meanwhile, is still searching for a replacement.
Philadelphia, New Orleans, Houston, and Indiana are also still looking for new head coaches.
With Donovan off of the market, the competition for the few remaining veteran head coaches with winning track records will now get that much stiffer.
