Tag: Billy Donovan

How sure are we that Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan’s job is actually safe next season?

How much job security does Donovan have?

How sure are we that Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan‘s job is actually safe next season? The team’s front office has made it clear that they plan on making changes to the ball club after three seasons in a row with few moves being made by the executives.

And while the subtext seemed to be that the front office would be upgrading personnel, are we certain that they did not also mean the coaching staff from top to bottom? The hosts of the “Locked On Bulls” podcast, Haize and Pat the Designer, took a deep dive into the possibility on a recent episode.

Specifically, they talk about the security Donovan has with Chicago as more NBA head coaches get fired.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say about the future of Donovan with the Bulls in light of the most recent turns of the league’s coaching carousel.

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Billy Donovan points to Bulls shooting woes in Play-In loss to Heat

After the Chicago Bulls’ Play-In loss to the Miami Heat, Billy Donovan spoke about their first-half scoring woes.

For the second year in a row, the Chicago Bulls’ season fizzled out in the Play-In Tournament. And for the second year in a row, their final game of the season was a loss to the Miami Heat. After taking down the Atlanta Hawks in the first Play-In, the Bulls got absolutely steamrolled by the Heat on Friday night.

Chicago only managed to score 37 points in the first half, and DeMar DeRozan had 15 of those points. They shot just 12-of-44 (27.3%) from the field and 5-of-24 (20.8%) from behind the three-point line. Meanwhile, Miami got the job done with some nice spread-out scoring across the board.

After the game, head coach BillyDonovan spoke about the Bulls’ scoring woes in the first half. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)

“DeMar was the only one that was scoring in that first half,” Donovan said. “It was hard for us when we were not scoring and they were scoring. I think our guys were trying to compete. There were plays where our guys were trying to mix it up a little bit and trying to get to the glass and trying to create second-chance opportunities. Our guys tried to battle through a very, very difficult shooting game.”

Another season, another brutal ending for the Bulls.

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Billy Donovan expresses frustration after Craig-Drummond collision

After the Torrey Craig-Andre Drummond collision, Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan shared his thoughts.

The Chicago Bulls took on the New York Knicks on Tuesday night. After a brief period when the game was close at the start, the Knicks earned a fairly comfortable victory. New York took down Chicago by a score of 128-117, and at its largest, their lead was 17 points in the third quarter.

But as if that weren’t bad enough, the Bulls also had a viral moment at the beginning of the second quarter. Torrey Craig was on a fastbreak when he decided to throw the ball off the backboard for a self-alley-oop. However, Andre Drummond thought he was throwing it to him, so the two players collided mid-air.

Head coach Billy Donovan expressed his frustration with the play after the game. (H/t ESPN)

“To me, it was just really disappointing,” Donovan said.

The Bulls need to win as many games as possible down the stretch of the season, but plays like this won’t help.

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Kentucky’s reported men’s basketball coaching candidate list unsurprisingly features big names like Dan Hurley

Kentucky’s reported list of men’s basketball coaching candidates is not a surprise.

Kentucky’s reported list of possible men’s basketball coaching candidates to replace John Calipari is about what you’d expect it to be.

Kentucky Sports Radio’s Matt Jones shared on Tuesday night a ranked list of candidates for the school, which understandably had UConn’s Dan Hurley at the top.

Hurley downplayed the idea of him joining the Wildcats after winning his second national title with the Huskies on Monday night, but he didn’t say no outright. It’s very possible that Kentucky could make a Godfather-style offer that Hurley couldn’t refuse, but so could UConn, hypothetically.

Baylor’s Scott Drew was second on the list as a primary backup to Hurley, and Jones added he’d be “very surprised” if that list got past the second option.

Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan was third, as he’d make a leap back to the college ranks after nearly a decade in the NBA if he decided to take the Kentucky job.

Hurley leaving UConn feels like a shaky proposition after the massive success he’s found at the school, making Drew the most likely option for the job at this juncture to Jones.

Drew won a championship with Baylor in 2021 and has spent more than two decades with the school. However, he’s only 53 and has plenty of coaching ahead of him. Hurley is the slam dunk in this situation, but Drew offers a ton of experience and would be very smart for its own reasons.

We’ll see how this all shakes out, but it’s not surprising to see these three major names linked to one of the biggest college jobs in the country.

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Billy Donovan discusses Bulls’ turnover problems in loss to Magic

After the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the Orlando Magic, Billy Donovan spoke about their turnover problems.

The Chicago Bulls took on the Orlando Magic on Sunday in a game that was crucial to both of their places in the Eastern Conference standings. The Magic are in a battle with the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, and Philadelphia 76ers for seeding in the East. Meanwhile, the Bulls are fighting to remain in the ninth seed above the Atlanta Hawks.

The Bulls and Hawks are all but locked into a matchup in the 9-10 game of the Play-In Tournament. However, it’s still unknown who will be the ninth seed and earn home-court advantage. And if the Bulls want to stay in that spot, they need to play better.

Chicago lost to the Magic by a score of 113-98, and after the game, head coach Billy Donovan spoke about their turnover issues. (H/t ESPN)

“We’re not going to win turning the ball over 21 times,” Donovan said. “Some of it was carelessness with the ball, but it was like everyone contributed to it. There was a wide range of turnovers.”

Chicago turned the ball over 21 times against Orlando, and the Magic scored 14 fastbreak points.

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Could the Chicago Bulls really lose Billy Donovan to Kentucky?

If you believe the whispers coming from fans of the University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball program, they might.

Could the Chicago Bulls end up needing to do a head coaching search this coming offseason? If you believe the whispers coming from fans of the University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball program, they might.

The folks over at CBS Sports are suggesting that Chicago head coach Billy Donovan might defect back to the college ranks to helm UK after the departure of longtime Kentucky head coach John Calipari. That is the sort of plum gig that could conceivably pry the former two-time, back-to-back NCAA titlist from what has been a losing situation in Chicago for some time now.

Could the Bulls really lose Donovan to the Wildcats?

The folks behind the “Bulls Central” YouTube channel took a closer look at the context of this situation on a recent clip they put together after news broke that Kentucky might have eyes for Donovan’s services after parting with Calipari.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear their take.

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Billy Donovan says Knicks games will help Bulls against Hawks

Billy DOnovan says playing the New York Knicks multiple times will help the Chicago Bulls against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Chicago Bulls have a very odd schedule to wrap up the season this year. They picked up a win over the New York Knicks on Friday night, but that’s not the last time they take on the blue and orange. In fact, the Bulls will play the Knicks two more times before their regular season wraps up, including in their season finale.

The Tom Thibodeau-led Knicks are a very physical team that relies on their defense to lead the way. As Chicago prepares for their inevitable Play-In game against the Atlanta Hawks, Billy Donovan is looking to gain as much experience as possible, and he believes playing the Knicks a few times will help with that.

Donovan said that the Hawks have improved their physicality, so the Bulls need to prepare for it. (H/t Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times)

‘‘It will be a great physical challenge for us,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘Atlanta has made some significant progress defensively the last few weeks. This is what it’s like at the end of the year, playing against these types of teams, and I think it can only be helpful for us going against it. There are certain things you have to do physically, and at times we’ve struggled with that, quite honestly, whether it’s on the backboard or trying to win the point of the screen.’’

If the Bulls want to make a run, they need to be in tip-top shape.

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Billy Donovan shares thoughts on Nikola Vucevic’s poor shooting season

Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan recently spoke about Nikola Vucevic’s rough shooting season.

The Chicago Bulls have had a tough season this year, starting 5-14 and then pushing their way up the standings but capping out at the Play-In Tournament. They are now all but locked into a 9-10 matchup against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the Play-In. Part of the weirdness has come from injuries, but some has come from on-court struggles.

The Bulls haven’t been able to churn out consistent offense this year, and one of the guys who has struggled the most has been big man Nikola Vucevic. The center’s three-point stroke has taken a huge hit this season.

Head coach Billy Donovan recently shared his thoughts on Vucevic’s shooting slump this season. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)

“He’s a much, much better shooter than what he showed this year,” coach Donovan said. “I really believe that. I think he’s had some good looks and for whatever reason, he hasn’t shot like he’s capable.”

After shooting 34.9% from distance last year, Vucevic’s three-point efficiency is down to 28.6% – the lowest number of his career since he started taking threes consistently.

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Billy Donovan on tough Bulls offseason discussions after bad season

The Chicago Bulls may have some tough conversations this summer, but Billy Donovan said they haven’t been broached yet.

The Chicago Bulls have had a weird season. Internally, they feel as though their mid-season turnaround after a 5-14 start saved their year. Externally, the fans desperately want the team to hit the reset button and abandon the roster that they have clung to for the past three seasons. It’s an odd battle.

On the one hand, the emergence of Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu as stars has been amazing. On the other, Zach LaVine is likely to be traded this summer and Nikola Vucevic has taken a clear step back. If the Bulls fizzle out in the Play-In Tournament, which seems fairly likely, then the team’s goal of making the playoffs will not have been met.

That could lead to some difficult offseason discussions about the direction of the team, but Billy Donovan said that those haven’t been broached yet. (H/t Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times)

“I have not had any discussions [about that], but I think our guys have done a really good job with what’s been thrown at them and what we’ve had to overcome,” Donovan said. “And I believe in my heart that there’s enough in the locker room to find ways to get wins and results. The part of expectations of competing, you’re supposed to do that, it’s all of our jobs, right? But I think we can get results. But the reality is there’s $70 million that’s not playing. That’s just a reality.”

The Bulls are going nowhere fast, and the front office seems content.

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Billy Donovan on Bulls-Hawks and the importance of competitiveness

Before their loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan spoke about th eimportance of competitiveness.

The Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks are in a tight race to earn home-court advantage in the first game of the Play-In Tournament. Whoever finishes the season as the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference will get to welcome the other to their arena for the 9-10 game, where one team will move on and the other will see their season end.

Because of how tight the race is, the Bulls need to be fully focused every single night down the stretch of the season. They don’t have the luxury of some other teams who aren’t fighting for anything anymore. If they want to make the Hawks come to the United Center, they need to play hard every game.

Ahead of the Bulls’ game against the Hawks on Monday night, Billy Donovan spoke about this very topic. (H/t Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times)

“Probability-wise, there’s a likelihood we see each other again,” Donovan said. “All these games are important in terms of the competitiveness. I was pleased coming out of the Minnesota game just because of what happened. You knew they were going to make a run. I thought, when they got up, the guys did a great job of making the plays necessary to regain control of the game.”

Unfortunately, the Bulls lost to the Hawks on Monday, meaning their lead on Atlanta in the standings is now at just half a game.

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