WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 11: Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Zach LaVine endorsed Billy Donovan as his next head coach.
The Chicago Bulls didn’t wait long to announce their new head coach after firing Jim Boylen, as they plucked Billy Donovan off the market after he and the Oklahoma City Thunder mutually parted ways. Zach LaVine, thrilled to finally be freed from the constraints of Boylen, seems to be all on board with Arturas Karnisovas’ first big move.
LaVine wasn’t jumping for joy when Donovan was announced as his new head coach, but he did give the move his stamp of approval on his stream last night, adding that Donovan was an excellent coach during his time with the Thunder.
Zach LaVine should thrive under a proven, successful coach in Billy Donovan
Donovan, a two-time national champion at Florida, won at least 44 games in each of his five seasons as coach of the Thunder. Despite coaching a team in that many considered dead in the water after trading Russell Westbrook and Paul George, Donovan brought them into the postseason as the No. 5 seed before losing to the Houston Rockets.
Talent isn’t the question with the Bulls, as the combination of LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, and Coby White has them set up nicely for the future. They just needed that tactical edge to set them apart, and Donovan can provide that in bunches while also giving them a strong, vocal leader that can rally the team rather than just shouting at them and offering various coachspeak platitudes like Boylen.
The Bulls have all the pieces needed for a playoff push in a wide-open East, they just need the right leader to galvanize everyone and make sure that this doesn’t fall apart. Donovan has made the postseason with both superstars and a motley crew of underdogs, and that bodes well for Chicago.
