What the Billy Donovan Hire Says About the Bulls Financial Flexibility, 2021 Free Agency, Organizational Planning, More

Who are you, and what have you done with the Chicago Bulls? 

The last couple of months have been confusing as hell – but oddly, in the most reassuring way possible. Every decision the Bulls have made – from ending the GarPax era to hiring Arturas Karnisovas to firing Jim Boylen – has felt more out of character than Michael Jordan visiting the horse track for nothing more than the fresh air. This unexpected, yet long-awaited feeling reached new heights on Tuesday night when the Chicago Bulls announced that Billy Donovan would be the franchise’s next head coach (yes, that actually happened).

Considering he was (1) the most proven head coach on the market and (2) reportedly left Oklahoma City to get away from a rebuilding team, the news caught Bulls fans and members of the media completely off guard. As far as we were all concerned, the Bulls were going to hire Nuggets assistant Wes Unseld Jr., or at least someone like him, who fell into the high-ranking assistant coach category. After all, isn’t that what young, rebuilding teams like the Bulls are supposed to do?

Ask Karnisovas, and I guess the answer is a simple “no.”

Perhaps this means Karnisovas sees the franchise for what it is – a top-3 market in the NBA. Recently, Bulls fans have been programmed to think otherwise, as the team has failed to land big free agents and to spend like one of the league’s most wealthy clubs. But not only is there no chance Karnisovas came cheap, but Donovan will probably walk out of this offseason with the fattest paycheck among new head coaches hired this offseason. Apparently, when the Bulls handed this new front office the keys to the organization, they also handed over the keys to the vault. In other words, any questions regarding Karnisovas’ autonomy and financial flexibility should probably be thrown out the window.

Still, money couldn’t have been the only way the Bulls landed Donovan. Somehow this new Bulls staff must’ve also convinced the new head coach that Chicago had a fruitful future – this accomplishment, alone, tells us a lot about the new regime.

For example, it seems likely they can make one hell of a pitch. The Bulls were reportedly competing with win-ready teams like the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers for Donovan’s services. Whatever they said behind closed doors assured him that Chicago holds the brightest future, and that’s utterly fascinating. Additionally, and this connects directly to the aforementioned point, the Bulls must be working toward an even quicker turnaround than initially expected.

Donovan didn’t leave one rebuild only to join another. While I highly doubt there will be immediate roster turnover this season, the decision to bring Donovan on board could hint that the front office expects to make up their mind relatively quickly on which members of this roster stay and which members go. Not to mention, bringing in a mind like Donovan makes some of that decision-making easier. As an experienced head coach who has been around some of the league’s most elite talent, he can help the organization determine the best path forward.

Speaking of which, a huge selling point for Donovan had to be the Bulls flexibility in the 2021 offseason, right? Viewed as one of the best free-agent classes in quite some time, there must be a general sense within the Bulls front office that this franchise can catch a big fish in one year. However, at the same time, they understand that to make this happen, a big organizational turnaround in 2020-21 is vital. Donovan can come in and begin to lay the foundation for a winning culture off the court, while also helping this current roster take a step in the right direction on the court. The Bulls aren’t going to be anything special next season, but they don’t have to be to draw legitimate interest in 2021 free agency. All Chicago needs to do is show a healthy environment (Donovan) with pieces to work with (all their first-round picks and young assets).

My gut tells me part of the Donovan pitch centered around the willingness to trade pieces and acquire talent through free agency. Even so, I don’t think this means he isn’t supposed to try to make what the Bulls have work. Karnisovas has gone on record saying he likes the talent on this roster, and he wanted to hire a player development coach for that reason. Donovan may have coached his fair share of superstars, but his success originated from his ability to mold young talent. Whether it be winning championships at the University of Florida with Joakim Noah and Al Horford or turning the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Steven Adams into high-level NBA talent, Donovan is all about player development.

In hindsight, the choice to hire an experienced head coach, particularly Donovan, makes all the sense in the world. The Bulls made this organization switch to evoke change, and that means no more rolling the dice. Donovan is the first Bulls coach hired with previous head coach experience since Scott Skiles in 2003 – talk about a change of pace. He’s a true professional who draws proven respect from players and fellow coaches alike. The Bulls don’t want to worry about their head coach, and Donovan is pretty much the epitome of a trustworthy leader (the guy has literally never been fired; he has always been the one to walk away). Simply put, Donovan represents everything the new Bulls want to be about, and he knows how to do the one thing Bulls fans crave the most – win.

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Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.

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