Something that became evident on the final night of the group stage of the NBA’s in-season tournament. the Chicago Bulls stink.
They were beaten by 27 by the Celtics, who needed every point to advance to the quarterfinals. The Bulls’ Billy Donovan may be a better X’s and O’s tactician than Joe Mazzulla – he’s certainly more accomplished – but it must have been disheartening to realize that this is where we are. Despite the NBA’s attempt to create an NCAA tournament-level atmosphere in November, Donovan can’t drag this team into contention.
Not every college coach who turns to the pros is as fortunate as Celtics president Brad Stevens. Rick Pitino used to be the patron saint of comeback coaches. It’s not about the secondary coach responsible for keeping the head coach off the field, but the coaching pipeline from college to the pros and back to college. This is probably the only time saint as a descriptor for Pitino has been used. Donovan’s impact on the professional game pales in comparison to his collegiate success. In nearly two decades as Florida’s head coach, Donovan reached three Final Fours, winning them both, and was one of the sport’s premier coaches in an obscure place.
The last eight years, however, have been a roller coaster and the Association’s digestive tract is spitting out his brilliant career like a carcass. NBA coaches come and go, but Donovan has an outlet option. We’re only 16 games into the Bulls season, but Donovan needs to start putting his probes in at the college level. Even if Jerry Reinsdorf chooses to give him another contract extension out of pure apathy, he should turn it down. The Bulls have been mired in mediocrity for most of the millennium.
Throughout Donovan’s tenure, they have been a middling team at best, with an inadequate team led by DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso. At 5-14, they are quickly losing altitude, leading to what is starting to look like a lackluster draft. This reconstruction will take time. Given their slow start, Lavine’s impending free agency, the bleak state of Lonzo Ball’s right knee and DeRozan’s advancing age, it’s becoming clear that this iteration of the Bulls is heading toward a natural expiration date.
As we learned late in his tenure in Oklahoma City, Donovan wants nothing to do with a rebuilding job, which is ironic given his developmental coaching experience. Unsurprisingly, abandoning Sam Presti and Co. for Chicago turned out to be a losing decision in the long run. If Donovan had played the long game, he would be coaching a super senior team that is rising to the top of the West at a prolific rate. Donovan has already made major mistakes in his job search. In 2007, he walked away from a deal to become the Head coach of the Orlando Magic and put off the NBA for another eight years.
A return to college would allow him to regenerate his brand. The college game has changed dramatically since 2015 due to the transfer portal, as well as the influence of the NIL and collectives. But as a basketball teacher, Donovan would still be among the best. But when it comes to ordering professionals, he is not up to the task. The NBA ranks have created a graveyard of college coaches such as John Beilein, Pitino, Tim Floyd, Fred Hoiberg and a host of others who came, saw and returned to greener pastures. Donovan has stumbled at almost every turn in the NBA, where he doesn’t control his own destiny. Who knows how different his NBA career would have been if Kevin Durant hadn’t gone cold at the end of Games 5-7 and left for Golden State in the offseason, but in Chicago, Donovan gets lost in the crowd.
Conversely, the number of top programs that would call upon Donovan’s services if he dove back into college hoops is longer than Zach Edney. He could start another basketball program hidden in obscurity for an Ohio State football school. Chris Holtmann could be in the hot seat after missing the tournament last season and failing to escape the second round in six seasons.
Using Pitino as a starting point, Louisville loves coaches with Big Apple ties and is still stuck in the mud under Kenny Payne after enduring one of the worst first seasons in recent history. This kind of move would be a win-win for Donovan. Donovan can only take so much punishment before he understands and realizes that he deserves better.
Follow DJ Dunson on X: @brain sport
