Despite the amount of talent the Chicago Bulls have on their roster, they just can’t seem to find the winning formula that would help them make a convincing playoff run.
While there are numerous questions surrounding the Chicago roster, there’s one spot that won’t likely find any problems.
After long-time coach John Calipari stepped down to take over the Arkansas Razorbacks, Billy Donovan was linked to the Kentucky Wildcats job. It would have made sense for Donovan to take over the job if he wanted to boost his reputation as a coach while leading one of the most storied programs in college basketball.
However, the head coach has other ideas regarding where he will spend the 2024 season. He made his thoughts clear on where he will be coaching when the 2024-25 season starts.
Billy Donovan rejects notions of leaving the Chicago Bulls for the Kentucky Wildcats in 2024-25
Donovan made his position on the Kentucky job clear after he was connected to the job. According to Fox Sports’ Chris Kwiencinski, he is committed to rebuilding the Chicago Bulls roster after they faltered this season:
“My total commitment and focus is here to this team and to this group,” Donovan told reporters before Tuesday’s game against the Knicks, according to the Chicago Tribune. “I think with what we’ve been through and the way we started, I give our guys a lot of credit for hanging in there and battling through some of the things that we had to battle through and I’m with them on that. A lot of this stuff turns out to be speculation.”
It made sense for the Wildcats to approach him with the job. They allowed him to cut his teeth into coaching as an assistant to RIck Pitino from 1989 to 1994, making him familiar with the standards Lexington has over his team.
Maybe the lofty expectations that come with the Kentucky job pushed Donovan away from even considering it. He saw what happened with Calipari, and the backlash the former Wildcats coach got from every unsuccessful season pushed him and other big coaches away from the job.
However, it’s not like his position with the Chicago Bulls is secure. The team needs to see results soon, and he’ll be entering his fifth year as Bulls head coach with only one playoff round played under his belt.
He needs to sort out the Bulls roster in the summer or he’ll find himself regretting not taking the Kentucky job at all.
