Donovan grew up a hard-core Knicks fan
Bulls coach Billy Donovan is from Long Island, so it makes sense that he grew up a Knicks fan. But he also said he didn't have much choice.
"I probably would have been thrown out of my house if I wasn't a Knick fan," he said. "In our house it was the Giants, the Knicks and the Yankees. And also the Rangers, too. But yeah, I can remember with my buddies catching the Long Island railroad and going and buying a $5 ticket all the way in the rafters, then trying to work our way down close to the court to watch games."
Born in 1965, Donovan remembers the '73 Knicks championship team with Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe and Phil "Action" Jackson.
When he was old enough to ride the train to games, he was cheering for Bernard King, Michael Ray Richardson and Bill Cartwright in the early 80s. The Bulls coaching connections are endless.
"I always loved Walt Frazier," Donovan said. "I don't know how young I was, (but) I said to my mother, 'When I play for the Knicks, do you think Walt Frazier will still be playing?' So, you know, that's how much of a Knick fan I was."
Donovan did play 44 games for the Knicks during the 1987-1988, mostly because his college coach at Providence, Rick Pitino, had jumped to New York.
"It was a dream come true," Donovan said. "I think when you're that age and you're playing basketball all the time, the last thing you think about is life and what's after playing. And I had some great professional experiences.
"The reality was for me, at best I was going to be the 13th guy at the end of the bench waving the towel trying to root the guys on. But it was an incredible experience. And the one thing I feel very blessed about is not only getting a chance to play in New York, get to that level and get drafted. I don't have any regrets about my playing career."
Donovan spent a year playing in the CBA for the Rapid City Thrillers, then started coaching in 1989 when he joined Pitino's staff at Kentucky.
"I mean the reality was I think I got everything I could out of myself. I just flat out wasn't good enough," he said. "I mean that's really the bottom line. The rules now, with not allowing hand-checking and things like that, that probably would have helped me out a great deal.
"But I've got Joe Dumars sticking his hand in my waist and guys like that, and I can't even move. It was a little bit of a challenge."
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