The Chicago Bulls season-opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder looked a lot like what we had become accustomed to seeing from them over the past season-and-a-half. The Bulls were blown out 124-104 in this one, and to make matters even worse, head coach Billy Donovan and star center Nikola Vucevic were seen having a heated conversation on the bench midway through the game.
After Vucevic was subbed out of the game, he appeared to be unhappy with something that Donovan said to him as he walked over to take a seat on the sideline. Donovan then followed him to his seat and the pair were seen having an animated conversation for a few seconds. After the game, Donovan acknowledged the incident, but said he believes that it is a positive for Chicago rather than a negative.
Via Cody Westerlund:
“Billy Donovan at the end of his answer about his exchange of words with Nikola Vucevic — but also a principle he has for the whole team: ‘The confrontation piece is really, really good. And I think it’s really healthy, and I think it needs to happen as much as possible.'”
Problems already popping up for Billy Donovan and the Bulls
Confrontations like this are bound to happen in basketball, but for it to happen in the first game of the season is concerning to say the least. Yes, it shows that the Bulls are passionate about winning, but it's not as if this is a wildly positive development for the team. Given the timing, it's tough to argue that it's a good thing like Donovan tries to do here.
The good news for the Bulls is that there are still 81 games left in the season, which gives them time to turn things around. The problem is that things have been trending in the wrong direction for them for quite awhile now, and for this to happen in the first game of the season isn't a good sign. Donovan isn't too concerned right now, but if this keeps up, that is going to change very quickly.
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