Billy Donovan Signs on as the Next Head Coach of the Chicago Bulls
Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls have come to an agreement for Donovan to become the next head coach of the franchise.
After spending five years in Oklahoma City as the head coach of the Thunder, he and the team agreed to part ways on September 8th, 2020. In those five years, he went 243-157 with the team and made the playoffs in every season. However, ever since the departure of former MVP Kevin Durant following the 2015-16 season, the Thunder have failed to make it out of the first round every year.
Donovan saw the team through many trades, and inevitably two very different team structures. The first being centered around former MVP Russell Westbrook, and a couple of years of Paul George there with him. The second followed what many believed to be the gutting of the franchise, bringing in Chris Paul and a bunch of younger assets, as well as a multitude of draft picks.
The 55-year-old head coach now finds himself with a new opportunity to rebuild a struggling Bulls team that has gone through many changes of their own. After the Jimmy Butler era, they hit the rebuild button and have struggled ever since.
Their most recent head coach, Jim Boylen, was widely regarded as one of the worst coaches in the league. He made lots of questionable decisions regarding his players, rotations, and injuries. With him out and Donovan in, the Bulls hope to move forward with their rebuild, and start competing to make the playoffs in a relatively weak Eastern Conference.
With a core of Zach LaVine, Wendell Carter Jr., Lauri Markkanen, and Coby White, the Bulls are one of the more up-and-coming teams in the league. They also have the number four pick in the 2020 Draft to work with, so the future is definitely bright in Chicago. Hopefully Donovan can turn that brightness into success.
