Billy Donovan stepping away as Bulls coach after 6 years

There was clearly a path for Billy Donovan to continue coaching the Bulls while the team sought new leadership.

Ownership could have essentially put Donovan in charge of basketball operations and asked him to hire a general manager he could work with. It would have been similar to what the Miami Heat did when Pat Riley coached and Wheaton native Randy Pfund was the GM.

For whatever reason, one or both sides weren't comfortable with such an arrangement. The Bulls announced Tuesday morning Donovan will step away from the coaching role after six seasons on the job.

As this season wound down, Donovan gave every indication he was happy with the organization and not ready to stop coaching. And Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf made it crystal clear he wanted to Donovan to continue as head coach.

Donovan's record with the Bulls is 226-256, with one playoff appearance and three play-in tournament losses. The announcement was made via news release.

“After a series of thoughtful and extensive discussions with ownership regarding the future of the organization, I have decided to step away as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, to allow the search process to unfold,” Donovan said in the statement. “I believe it is in the best interest of the Bulls, to allow the new leader to build out the staff as they see fit.”

Is this the best move for the Bulls future? Hard to say. Donovan's departure gives the next head of basketball operations a clean slate to hire their own coach. It also means the Reinsdorfs will be making the hire, presumably with input from John Paxson.

The Bulls most recent executive search in 2020 landed Arturas Karnisovas from Denver, and then general manager Marc Eversley. Both were fired on April 6.

Turning the decision over to Donovan might have been the smarter move, in theory. Despite the lack of team success in Chicago, Donovan is a respected name in coaching and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame last fall. Maybe Michael Reinsdorf made the offer and Donovan declined.

“While we clearly wanted Billy to return as our head coach, we had open dialogue about the importance of respecting the process of bringing in new basketball operations leadership,” Reinsdorf said in the statement. “Together, we mutually agreed that giving that person the freedom to shape the organization was the best approach for everyone involved.”

If the Bulls' plan was strictly to hire the best possible candidate to lead the basketball office, they were facing a tough sell if the job came with the stipulation Donovan must stay as coach. If the team doesn't reach the playoffs, then who gets the blame?

Donovan was the third-longest tenured coach in the NBA, despite making as many playoff trips with the Bulls as Fred Hoiberg. Donovan's run with the Bulls was certainly a mixed bag when it came to player development and making the most of flawed rosters.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported six names of interest, with the Bulls expected to begin interviews this week. The most familiar name on that list is Matt Lloyd, currently the Minnesota Timberwolves general manager.

Lloyd is a Fenton High School graduate who joined the Bulls as a public relations assistant in 1999. He moved to the scouting side when John Paxson took over as general manager a few years later and had a hand in some of the Bulls' successful drafts through 2012, when he joined the Orlando Magic. He moved to the Timberwolves in '22.

Another local candidate mentioned by ESPN is Evanston native Austin Brown, an agent with CAA, who represents Cooper Flagg, ex-Bull Jaden Ivey, among many other NBA players.

Others on the list are Detroit Pistons senior vice president Dennis Lindsey, Atlanta Hawks senior vice president Bryson Graham, Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Mike Gansey and San Antonio Spurs assistant GM Dave Telep.

Lindsey was GM of the Utah Jazz from 2012-21, helping assemble the playoff teams with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Graham spent most of his career in New Orleans, working his way up from intern. Gansey is a former West Virginia guard who got his start as an executive by leading the Cavs' G-League team. Telep was an ESPN recruiting analyst before joining the Spurs in 2013.

Regardless of who runs the team, an important day for the Bulls is May 10. That's when the NBA draft lottery will be held, with the Bulls having a 4.5% chance of landing the top overall pick.