Is Billy Donovan in the hot seat?

How much is Billy Donovan to blame for the Bulls' troubles?

© David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports

Much of the conversation surrounding the Chicago Bulls this offseason has been about the team’s decision to bring back many of the same faces from the team that failed to make it to the NBA Playoffs last season. And so far, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has been insulated from criticism, despite the team’s lack of success. However, if the Bulls do not start the season well, will he find himself on the hot seat?

Confidence in Donovan

The Bulls obviously have a lot of confidence in Donovan. After all, they inked him to a contract extension before the start of last season. The team’s belief in him somewhat paid off, as he molded a team that primarily leaned into their offensive skills and turned them into a defensive squad that landed in the top five of the league’s defensive rankings. Elias Schuster lauded Donovan for his efforts in doing so.

“Let me make one thing clear: I don’t think Billy Donovan is the Chicago Bulls’ primary problem. If anything, he deserves a fair amount of praise for taking a team initially built around offense and turning them into a top 5 defense last season. It’s also not his fault that the core this front office built didn’t make a ton of sense from the beginning. All were high-usage score-first guys, and the moment Lonzo Ball went down was the moment Donovan’s hands were tied,” Schuster wrote.

Not immune from criticism

The results are undeniable: despite having a talented roster and relatively good health, the Bulls fell short of making it to the postseason. Donovan bears his fair share of responsibility, just as the core of the squad.

“At the same time, he isn’t void of criticism. The fact of the matter is that everyone deserves blame for the significant step backward that the organization took last season. As the leader of this team, it is up to him to find a way to make the most out of what he has. And, well, I think we can all agree that the talent on this roster is better than a 40-42 record,” Schuster added.