The Chicago Bulls will begin a new chapter with the recent acquisition of former Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan. He previously saw success as he led his former team to a surprising playoff appearance, falling in seven-games to the Houston Rockets.
Now in Chicago, he will be tasked to turn the fate of a franchise that struggled mightily in recent years. Bulls general manager Marc Eversley looks forward to having Donovan at the helm and lead the uprising in Windy City.
“You will see a quick turnaround in terms of the output that these players give,” he said to the Chicago Tribune, “by going out and getting a Billy Donovan, who brings a different voice to the gym. He brings winning. He brings leadership. He brings player development.
“And if you put that voice at the top of this thing, I think our players will grow. I don’t know if it’s going to be immediate, but they’re going to grow. This team is better than a 22-win team, the talent is. If we tweak it and do some little things, we’ll see some results that are positive.”
The latest Bulls hire has been an NBA head coach for five seasons where he garnered an impressive .608 winning percentage during that span. He encountered different phases in a franchise's timeline with the Thunder, where he saw great players play for the city in the likes of Kevin Durant, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, and Russell Westbrook. However, the 2020 season was different as he handled a group primarily composed of a heralded veteran leader in Chris Paul surrounded by a group of promising young players.
In Chicago, he'll be facing a brand new challenge with a Bulls team that's been rebuilding for virtually a half decade.
He will inherit another young squad in Chicago with talents like Zach LaVine, Coby White, Lauri Markkanen, and Wendell Carter Jr. who have all shown flashes of talent in the early stages of their careers. He will also have a few tenured veterans in Otto Porter Jr. and Thaddeus Young available at his disposal,
Hopefully, Donovan can live up to the growing optimism and expectations set around him and be able to lead the great Bulls franchise back to relevance in the coming seasons.
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