Brunson scores 45, Donovan dodges Kentucky talk as Bulls lose
Billy Donovan has it pretty good in Chicago. Even with the Bulls headed to their second-straight play-in appearance, there's no reason to think his seat on the bench is getting hot, or even warm.
So leaving for Kentucky, where he'd have to deal with recruiting, NIL, and the transfer portal, while keeping the big-money booster happy, seems like a hard no. But speaking before the Bulls' 128-117 loss to the New York Knicks in Chicago, Donovan stayed diplomatic.
“Like at all my stops, you have very fond memories,” Donovan said. “I have not been contacted by anybody, I haven't spoken to anybody. My total commitment and focus is here to this team and to this group.”
Donovan began his coaching career as a Kentucky assistant under Rick Pitino from 1989-94. Donovan later spent 19 years as head coach at Florida before jumping to the NBA in 2015, first with Oklahoma City before joining the Bulls in 2021.
Donovan's name has been mentioned as a top target for Kentucky with coach John Calipari reportedly leaving for Arkansas.
It's possible Donovan began to envision greener pastures on the bluegrass during some comically bad plays in Tuesday's game. But such a move makes no sense, unless the Bulls are ready to push Donovan out, and that does not appear to be the case.
Donovan said he also got the Kentucky question from Arturas Karnisovas, although anyone from Kentucky would need to ask the Bulls' basketball operations boss for permission first, since Donovan is under contract.
If Donovan is contacted in the next few days what would he say?
“I would say the same thing,” he said. “'I'm committed to being here with this group and trying to help these guys the best we can to close out this year and try to get home court in the play-in and try to advance. I know I enjoy coaching and I know I enjoy coaching in the NBA.”
Donovan didn't rule out a return to college someday. He said he actually enjoyed recruiting, feels players being paid through NIL is long overdue, but he doesn't like the transfer-heavy environment where players don't give themselves a chance to battle through difficult circumstances.
Meanwhile, Stevenson High School grad Jalen Brunson poured in 45 points for New York on Tuesday, hitting 13 of 24 shots overall, and always seemed to drop in a 3-pointer whenever the Bulls would get close.
DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 34 points and Nikola Vucevic added 26. Coby White scored 24 and set a new Bulls' single-season mark for 3-point baskets in a season with 205. Zach LaVine held the previous record. Ayo Dosunmu did not play due to a right quad contusion.
This was the last Bulls home game of the regular season. They finish with three on the road — at Detroit, at Washington then Sunday against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden.
The Bulls are already locked into playing Atlanta in the No. 9 vs. 10 play-in game, the only question is which team will host. The Hawks lost in double overtime to Miami on Tuesday, so the Bulls kept a one-game lead over Atlanta and also hold the tiebreaker.
The Bulls' virally-bad sequence happened early in the second quarter. After a steal, the Bulls had a three-on-zero fast break, Torrey Craig decided to throw the ball off the backboard to himself and then dunk it. One problem, Andre Drummond was trailing the play and thought the alley-oop was for him. So he crashed into Craig and the shot was missed.
Seconds later on the other end of the court, Drummond stepped on the foot of Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein and turned his right ankle. The Bulls' backup center fell to the ground in pain and was eventually taken to the locker room on a wheelchair. He did not return to the game.
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports