The Chicago Bulls have experienced more organizational change this summer than in the last five offseasons. Losing two players from the starting five, including their top defenseman Alex Caruso and leading scorer DeMar DeRozan, the Bulls are doing some soul-searching as the 2024-25 season approaches. They brought in several young pieces to supplement the departing veteran talent and have dangled Zach LaVine in trade talks for months. Aside from a few minor assistant coach changes, the head coach and front office personnel remain the same, but the product will look completely different on the hardwood. Despite inking a multi-year contract extension last summer, experts say one seat is hotter than the rest now that the roster has been reconstructed.
According to Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, Chicago may be in the market for a head coach sooner rather than later, claiming Donovan is not “specialized in player development.” While there are younger and more innovative coaches to be found, saying that the former two-time NCAA Champion head coach doesn’t excel at developing talent is a reach. He was one of the most dominant college coaches of all time, turning high school prospects into professional basketball players annually while also dominating the college basketball scene. During his Oklahoma City Thunder stint, Donovan failed to win with an already established group of All-Star players like Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. When he took over, the franchise had been to the Conference Finals or further in three of their previous five seasons. In his five years, they only reached that mark in one campaign, failing to make it beyond the first-round in the other four. Not sure how that equates to the ability to be a more win-now head coach.
Aided by DeMar DeRozan’s veteran leadership, Donovan has heavily developed some of the Bulls’ young emerging stars, such as Coby White. Patrick Williams was a curious case. Despite inking him to an extension this offseason, plenty remains to be desired from the former Florida State forward, who has yet to improve his points per game by a single point after four seasons in the NBA.
It has been well documented that Donovan and Zach LaVine do not see eye to eye on several things. The first example came when LaVine’s horrendous three-and-a-half quarters of play in a game early in the season a few years back resulted in his benching down the stretch, a game LaVine has since referred back to as causing a rift between the All-Star and his head coach. DeRozan’s taking of the reins upon arrival also noticeably affected LaVine’s aura, ultimately leading to the request for a trade in February of this year. The next significant move for Chicago will be shipping out LaVine or moving on from their head coach.
With a new lineup that, at least on paper, perfectly suits LaVine’s skillset, Chicago seems to be in scramble mode to regain a positive relationship with their two-time All-Star. Can LaVine and Donovan find common ground again, or will the duo forever be soured due to LaVine’s ego?
