Over a month ago, prior to the NBA Draft and free agency, word began to spread that the Chicago Bulls were in the process of extending Head Coach Billy Donovan. Immediate reaction was less than stellar.
From NBA Insider Marc Stein’s post breaking the news, not one of the 121 comments was positive (and yes, every one was accounted for). X users were so baffled by the decision that comedic undertones were often used. And of course, the perpetual, half-hearted rebuild was brought up time and time again.
Billy Donovan’s extension was fairly met with criticism
Nearly six weeks later, Stein’s report came to fruition. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Donovan had signed a multi-year extension with the Bulls. Due to Shams’s much larger following, not all 994 comments were analyzed. Nevertheless, public sentiment wasn’t much different. Diehard fans uttered defeat, while fans of rival teams mocked Chicago’s incompetence.
Ultimately, the Bulls’ lack of success isn’t Donovan’s fault. The front office and ownership should shoulder most of the blame. The Bulls’ Ownership has been averse to exceeding the salary cap despite playing in one of the association’s largest markets. Moreover, the decision-making duo that is Artūras Karnišovas and Marc Eversley has severely underwhelmed since taking over in 2020.
Nonetheless, regardless of the personnel they’re handed, coaches don’t normally stick around with losing records. Donovan is 195-205 in five seasons with the team. Hell, successful coaches aren’t even given much of a chance nowadays. Michael Malone, Taylor Jenkins, and Tom Thibodeau were all fired despite coaching teams that advanced into the postseason.
With such dysfunction, or should I say inactivity, riddling the Bulls’ organization, it’s fair to wonder if Donovan is content manning the ship. Surely signing an extension signifies Donovan’s preference to remain in the Windy City, but a recent statement from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst leads us to believe the contrary.
Donovan is stuck, not by his own choosing, in Chicago
While discussing each Eastern Conference team’s win-loss projection, Windhorst stated, “[The Bulls] won’t even let Billy Donovan out of purgatory. Like, he could have gone to the Knicks, and they won’t even let him go because they won’t even admit their situation.”
To be frank, there hasn’t been any discourse at all about Donovan wanting to leave the Bulls. However, the Bulls indeed blocked the Knicks’ inquiry to interview Donovan, instead extending him amid New York’s exploratory inquiry.
Chicago Sport Network’s K.C. Johnson provided insight into Chicago’s reasoning for denying New York the opportunity to speak with Donovan. Johnson remarked, “The Bulls value Billy Donovan highly for his professionalism, coaching acumen, ability to connect with players, [and] his ability to represent the franchise.”
Does Donovan feel the same? That we’re unsure of. He signed the extension, yes, but foregoing long-term financial stability would have been foolish. Thus, there’s a real reason to believe he is stuck in purgatory.
