Bulls coach Donovan says return to OKC is 'a little bit odd'
The last time Billy Donovan was inside Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, ready to coach a game, it was the night the NBA stood still.
That was Mach 11, when the game between the Thunder and Utah Jazz was canceled just before tipoff, with both teams on the floor and a packed house, because of a positive COVID test by Jazz center Rudy Gobert. The NBA season was suspended and didn't resume until late July in Orlando.
"Well I think it's just a little bit odd just because the arena doesn't look the same because of the no fans," Donovan said before Wednesday's preseason game. "It was good to see some different people, which was great. The arena I think, not only our place but every place, is going to be a little bit different.
"As I've said, I enjoyed my five years here, the people were terrific. I felt a lot of good and close relationships with a lot of people. I don't know if it was surreal, but it was definitely different. It makes you think back and reflect on your time there, there's no question about that."
Donovan spent five years with the Thunder after a long run at the University of Florida. He stepped down after OKC lost a seven-game first-round playoff series to Houston in the bubble, then was hired by the Bulls a few weeks later.
Since Donovan left, the Thunder has seen four key players from last year's squad - Chris Paul (Phoenix), Danilo Gallinari (Atlanta), Steven Adams (New Orleans) and Dennis Schroder (Lakers) - move on, either in trades or free-agency. Before the game, Donovan was asked if he knew the housecleaning was imminent with the Thunder looking to reduce payroll.
"No. I think the feeling was that maybe down the road at some point it was going to happen," Donovan said. "There wasn't necessarily a timetable given to me of when that would happen."