Chicago Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas expressed his confidence in Head Coach Billy Donovan in his opening statement of his season-ending media availability.
However, in a recent anonymous survey of players around the NBA conducted by The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Josh Robbins on April 22, Donovan lands in a rather precarious spot.
Donovan received votes as a coach for whom other teams’ players least want to play.
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The names on the list of coaches players voted they wanted to play for outnumbered those on this list 24-17. Still, Donovan did not show up on the positive list which offered some redemption for some of his peers.
Donovan has a 156-162 record with one win in his lone playoff berth in four seasons as Bulls head coach. A roster retool led to a jump from 31 wins in 2020-21 to 46 in 2021-22.
But the Bulls have won fewer games in each of the last two seasons, missing the playoffs.
Arturas Karnisovas Backs Billy Donovan as Bulls HC
Presented with that reality, Karnisovas leaned into his personal dealings with Donovan, who was linked to the Kentucky head coaching vacancy that was filled before he could become available.
“You spend three times a day with Billy,” Karnisovas told reporters on April 20, “he’s, obviously, a great leader, great coach, and I got to do a better job to help him to find a group. We put emphasis on cohesion this year, and I think this group kind of bonded. Again, in totality, it didn’t work, and I have to find these answers.”
Donovan avoided making excuses for the Bulls’ struggles this season.
‘‘If I’m going to sit there and say there’s enough in the locker room … then I’ve got to figure out, ‘OK, what could I have done better or [what] can I do more going forward to help these guys?’” Donovan said, per the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley on April 7.
DeMar on staying in Chicago: “My stance on wanting to be here is still the same but I just want to win.”
Time is clearing weighing on him: “Next time I play a game will be my 16th season. You realize the window closes for you personally. I ain’t trying to play 25 years.”
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But he was also realistic about the disappointment the last two-plus seasons have gone in the wake of Lonzo Ball’s debilitating injury.
“‘I certainly didn’t come here … to say, ‘Hey, listen, let’s be a play-in team,’” Donovan said. “When I sat down first with [executive vice president of basketball operations] Arturas [Karnisovas] and [general manager] Marc [Eversley] about this, it was to try and build something. I still feel like we’re building something.
“I don’t think anyone is happy with where we’re at.’’
Donovan received a contract extension ahead of the 2022-23 season. Karnisovas’ comments only underscore the belief that the head coach is safe.
Former Bulls HC Tops ‘Least’ List
One of the arguments in support of Donovan is that he returned the franchise to legitimacy after a series of questionable decisions. That includes firing Head Coach Tom Thibodeau.
Thibodeau landed on his feet, first with the Minnesota Timberwolves and now with the New York Knicks. He’s gotten the Knicks into the postseason for the second straight year and the third time in the last four campaigns. They are the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference this season.
And yet Thibodeau tops the negative coaches list for the second year in a row.
It could be because of his reputation for playing his top guys heavy minutes. That often comes at the expense of otherwise useful rotation players.
Evan Fournier on his relationship with Tom Thibodeau
“I have nothing to say because I have none,” Fournier said about rapport with the specialist.”When he took me out of the five, he just told me he was going to try something else. Then at the first match of a road trip, he…
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A small sample size of anonymous players doesn’t outweigh the results. The results show a stronger situation for the old Bulls head coach (175-143 regular season record with the Knicks) than the current one.
Notably, Donovan was on the pro list in 2023, potentially indicating a shift in player sentiment.
