Bullish on Billy

Billy Donovan agrees to become the next head coach of the Chicago Bulls, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

It Didn't take Billy Donovan long to find a new job. Donovan is on his way to Chicago to be the Bulls' new head coach. 

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news just before 5 o'clock central time. Donovan spent five years in Oklahoma City, where he went 243-157 and coming within one game of going to the NBA finals in 2016.  

Per reports, the Thunder offered him a two-year contract before the play resumed in Orlando. Before that offer was on the table, Oklahoma City General Manager Sam Presti said any talks of Donovan's future with the Thunder would be tabled till the end of the season. 

Billy Donovan has agreed to a deal to become the next coach of the Chicago Bulls, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 22, 2020

On September 8th, the Thunder announced they and Donovan had agreed to mutually part ways. In a press release Presti said:

"I have great respect for Billy and will always appreciate our work together."..." He is a terrific basketball coach, and we are proud of what he has accomplished with the Thunder."

"We had planned to sit down at the end of the season and discuss the best way to move forward for both of us."... "After those discussions, it became apparent that we couldn't provide him the information on the future direction of the team over the next several seasons to give him the level of clarity that he understandably desires at this stage of his career."

"Therefore, we close this chapter and reflect fondly on all that he has given to the team, organization, and community. Billy will always have a place in the Thunder family."

A sticking point for Donovan staying in Oklahoma City was the uncertainty surrounding the Thunder's roster.  

"It's hard for us to forecast the next two or three years just given where we are as a team."..."This next season, we don't know the answer to that."

"We don't know where the cap and tax are going to be."..."We don't have a good feel for really any information you would need to make informed decisions."

There has been radio silence on where the Thunder are leaning to replace Donovan, but Presti has said they won't be in a rush to make that decision. Dovan is now in charge of a Bulls team that went 22-43 this past season. 

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With more than 20 years of experience hosting local and national radio shows, Erik Gee is a fixture of Oklahoma sports media. He has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder for the past seven seasons. He is also the co-host of the Pat Jones show on 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa.