Billy Donovan Hire Represents Where Bulls Want to Go
If you’re a Bulls fan and weren’t clamoring for Billy Donovan the moment he became available, I don’t know what you were thinking. Sure, a up-and-coming NBA assistant would have been nice, but Arturas Karnisovas has proven he’s not going to settle for anything less than the best. That’s not up for debate. Not after the Bulls named him head coach Tuesday.
You know about Donovan. He spent 19 years as the coach at Florida, winning back-to-back national titles with Joakim Noah among others. The past five years, he’s headed the Oklahoma City Thunder, overseeing a team that found success, even as Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook headed out the door. Though a championship eluded the Thunder during his tenure, they made the playoffs every season. The high mark came when the Thunder won the Northwest and made the 2016 Western Conference Finals in his first season.
By bringing that resume aboard, the Bulls have let everyone know that they’re serious about turning their franchise around. No representatives in an All-Star Game they hosted and being left out of the Orlando bubble merely were the tip of the iceberg. They have been a laughingstock. Now, there are personnel in place that can help them shed that label.
With most of the roster set to return, we’ll probably have to wait a little longer before any significant improvement is shown on the court. While there’s definitely some young talent, Donovan might determine that not all of it meshes well together. That’s when you start trading players for assets that will be beneficial long-term. You never can have too many first-round picks or cost-controlled talent when you’re going all in on a certain direction and setting yourself up for success, and everything suggests the new regime will do just that.
Above everything else, this probably is the first time since before Derrick Rose’s ACL tear that everything about the Bulls is pointing upward. If that’s only because no games have been played since Karnisovas was hired, so be it. The Bulls need to take any victory they can right now. This particular victory is many good vibes with hardly a bad one in sight.
Whatever kind of NBA season we get when the Bulls compete again, it’s going to be refreshing because it’s not going to be the old guard calling the shots. The guys constructing and coaching the players now have earned respect around the league. These aren’t outsiders the Bulls settled on a year before their hiring or former Bulls or longtime employees in good standing with the Reinsdorfs. What a wonderful change of pace.
In a few years, the Bulls are going to be a team everyone wants to play for. With the heralded 2021 free agency class on the horizon, the timing couldn’t be better. Next season will be the Bulls’ pitch to LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and others that they’re on the upswing. What’s more, they have the people in place to persuade such players to give the Windy City a look.
Sleep soundly for now, Bulls Nation. Our team’s finally getting back to a good place. It might take a little more time, but happy days will be here again soon. If you’re not excited by everything that’s happening now, you need to shift your expectations to the degree that will allow you to feel excited because there’s really no other option right now.
