Category: Gators in NBA

Billy Donovan hired to be the next coach of the Chicago Bulls

Donovan left UF after 19 years for the Thunder job in 2015 and in 5 seasons in OKC he led them to 5-straight NBA playoff appearances.

Former Gators and Oklahoma City Thunder coach Billy Donovan, who won back-to-back national titles while at Florida, has accepted the head coaching position with the Chicago Bulls, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday night.

Donovan left Florida after 19 years for the Thunder job in 2015, and in five seasons in Oklahoma City, he led them to five-straight NBA playoff appearances.

But the franchise was looking for a change after a disappointing first-round exit in the 2020 playoffs, and it chose not to renew Donovan’s contract.

Donovan was reportedly the Bulls top target, and they “aggressively pursued” his coaching services.

On Aug. 14, the Bulls dismissed coach Jim Boylen after he achieved just a 39-84 record in two seasons. Chicago hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2016-17 season, and it has won less than 30 games in each of the three seasons since.

The Bulls have a young roster, and they believe Donovan, who has a strong track record at the college level and a 243-157 record in the professional ranks, is the one to lead one of the NBA’s most prolific franchises back to its glory days.

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Former Gators coach Billy Donovan parts ways with Oklahoma City Thunder

Billy Donovan who won back-to-back national championships as the head coach at UF will no longer be the coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Billy Donovan, who won back-to-back national championships as the head basketball coach at the University of Florida, will no longer be the coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder moving forward.

Donovan’s contract expired after the Thunder were eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs by the Houston Rockets in Game 7, and both parties mutually agreed not to pursue an extension, making Donovan a coaching free agent. The news was first reported by ESPN Senior Basketball Insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

“This place will always be special to us. I will always hold this organization in the highest regard and wish the Thunder and their fans the success they deserve,” Donovan said in a statement.

Donovan left Gainesville for the NBA in 2015 after 19 years at the helm of the Florida program. Donovan had originally decided to leave the Gators in 2007 for the Orlando Magic’s head coaching position after winning his second national title, but he decided to return before coaching a game and accepted a five-year show-cause in the NBA, which prevented him from taking another professional job until 2012.

He got off to a fast start in Oklahoma City, leading the Thunder to the Western Conference Finals in Year 1. They were one game away from the NBA finals, but couldn’t hang on to a 3-1 lead against the Golden State Warriors, eventually losing the series in seven games.

In the four seasons that followed, Donovan’s team couldn’t get past the first round of the playoffs. Though he finishes his OKC tenure with a solid 243-157 record, his record in the playoffs is just 18-23.

Thunder general manager and executive vice president Sam Presti gave this statement on the decision to make a change.

“We had planned to sit down at the end of the season and discuss the best way to move forward for both of us,” Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti said in a statement. “After those discussions, it became apparent that we couldn’t provide him the information on the future direction of the team over the next several seasons to give him the level of clarity that he understandably desires at this stage of his career.

“Therefore, we close this chapter and reflect fondly on all that he has given to the team, organization and community. Billy will always have a place in the Thunder family.”

If Donovan decided to end the professional experiment and return to the collegiate level, he would likely have his choice of high-profile availabilities. However, there are still a number of open NBA coaching positions that Donovan, who never missed the playoffs with Oklahoma City despite losing superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, will likely be considered for, such as openings in Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Indiana.

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Injured Beal won’t participate in NBA restart, Wizards announce

After consulting with team doctors, Beal, who suffered a torn rotator cuff injury, agreed with the team to miss the remainder of the season.

Former Florida and current Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal won’t be joining his team in Orlando when the 2019-20 NBA season restarts later this month. After consulting with team doctors, Beal, who suffered a torn rotator cuff injury, agreed with the team to miss the remainder of the season.

Beal said the decision was made with his longterm health in mind.

“This was a difficult decision and one that I did not take lightly as the leader of this team,” said Beal. “I wanted to help my teammates compete for a playoff spot in Orlando, but also understand that this will be best for all of us in the long term. I appreciate the support of my teammates, the fans and the entire organization and look forward to returning next season to continue the progress we have made.”

He originally injured his shoulder earlier in the season, and his symptoms worsened during the hiatus. He was rehabilitating with the intention of returning, but he will instead continue rehabilitation throughout the summer.

General Manager Tommy Sheppard said the decision was mutual between Beal and the team.

“Bradley did everything possible to be ready to play, but after closely monitoring his individual workouts we came to the conclusion that it was best for him to sit out the upcoming games in Orlando and avoid the risk of further injury,” said Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “Although he was able to play through the majority of the season with the injury, the layoff from March until now did not leave any of us feeling comfortable that he would have enough time to be ready to perform at the extremely high level we are all accustomed to seeing and agreed that not participating in the games in Orlando was the right decision.”

When the season hiatus began on March 12, Beal was averaging 30.5 points and 6.1 assists. One of the 22 teams selected for the restart, the Wizards are currently 24-40 and hold the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference. Starting on the outside looking in, Washington will vie for a playoff spot during the seeding rounds, though it will have to do it without the NBA’s second-leading scorer in Beal.