Calipari 5-Year Deal with Arkansas. Billy Donovan a top candidate for Kentucky

[Stratmaster]

BD makes a lot of sense and maybe he will take the job. As others have said, he's not the problem here- the roster is.

Good coach horrible fit for this roster.

There is no such thing as a good fit for this roster. Considering how BD was able to keep it afloat with duct tape and staples, he might even be the best fit alive.

Billy didn't keep a damned thing afloat.
-Alienated his best player
-Relied on Demar ball to bail him out instead of actually running an NBA offense
-Refused to play 2 bigs when matchups dictated, then when he finally did and they worked a couple times, started playing them when the match-ups DON'T dictate it.
-Has no clue with rotations
-Poor in-game decision making (although his time-out use has finally gotten better. What NBA head coach takes 3 seasons to figure out how and when to ujse his time outs?)
-The magic was taking a 43 win roster and getting 39 wins out of it.

[Stratmaster]

If Billy leaves, AK is gonna have a lot of work to do trying to fix this roster.

Imagine an offseason where:
- Billy leaves
- DeMar and Drummond walk
- Zach is traded

One would think that's enough to force management to kick off a rebuild, but I guess you never know with these guys.

If Billy leaves, there is a reasonable chance Lavine doesn't go anywhere.

The money the Bulls would have to spend from Demar walking would likely improve the team, especially with Coby and Ayo looking like they can be the hot hand on any given night next to a consistent and efficient scorer like Lavine.

[Stratmaster]

Go BD go!!! We organize your ride to the airport

I believe that may be the first post of yours I have ever added an "And 1" to.

[Stratmaster]

I thought Zach and Billy had a poor working relationship. The implications may have a domino effect.

We can only hope that it would. Like maybe the Bulls would keep the one good modern NBA all-star and say goodbye to 1995 and 2005?

[Stratmaster]

Well, Billy ain't gone yet. Just on a short list of rumored candidates.

I know; but, let me dream.

[Stratmaster]

Good coach horrible fit for this roster.

There is no such thing as a good fit for this roster. Considering how BD was able to keep it afloat with duct tape and staples, he might even be the best fit alive.

Exactly. Billy is the least of our problems.

I think Billy is gone. He wants to win. Think he’s a better college coach and recruiting is easy at Kentucky and NIL money.

Even if you believe that, getting rid of the least of your problems is still getting rid of a problem.

My unsolicited, unnecessary and unwanted life advice: When you get a chance to get rid of a problem, do it.

[Stratmaster]

I thought Zach and Billy had a poor working relationship. The implications may have a domino effect.

Zach has a poor working relationship with anyone who coaches him.

Completely untrue. There was Boylen. And then the guy who benched him down the stretch of a game because he was shooting poorly. The same coach who doesn't ever bench Demar or Vuc when they are shooting badly; or even Coby White.

Lavine and Thibs were never rumored to have a poor relationship. In fact, Thhibs was giving Lavine the most minutes and biggest role of his young career before Lavine went down. there was never any rumors of a problem with Lavine's college coaches.

[Stratmaster]

Why would Billy want to leave the NBA to go coach college ? NBA is the much better job no matter what what team it is especially the bulls. Let’s not forget he’s still under contract.

Wouldn’t make much sense for him to do this unless he knows the Bulls will fire him in the offseason.

Aside from anything else, it pays substantially more.

No one leaves the NBA for college for an extra 2 million. They only leave if they get fired. Billy is only leaving if its clear the Bulls might move on from him soon.

My head knows this to be true. My heart however; believes otherwise.

Please Billy, do something to piss off AK...like lose out and then get blown out in the play-in game! OMFG. I may be rooting for the bulls to lose for the first time in my life. BILLY DONOAVAN...YOU DID THIS TO ME!!!!

[Stratmaster]

Read on Twitter

That's a typical Billy Donovan "I am going to say some words, but they aren't going to mean anything. This may or may not be obvious to the listener, depending on how well I am bull-shitting today"

[kulaz3000]

The reason why he would leave the Bulls is that as a head coach of a college team, he has complete control of the team and players he recruits. He also goes back to coaching young players, who are more willing to listen and are impressionable. If the money is close, I could very well see him going back to the college level, and ultimately staying there for the remainder of his career. Quite frankly, he probably knows by now that he is better suited at that level anyhow.

[SalmonsSuperfan]

Good coach horrible fit for this roster.

There is no such thing as a good fit for this roster. Considering how BD was able to keep it afloat with duct tape and staples, he might even be the best fit alive.

Billy didn't keep a damned thing afloat.
-Alienated his best player
-Relied on Demar ball to bail him out instead of actually running an NBA offense
-Refused to play 2 bigs when matchups dictated, then when he finally did and they worked a couple times, started playing them when the match-ups DON'T dictate it.
-Has no clue with rotations
-Poor in-game decision making (although his time-out use has finally gotten better. What NBA head coach takes 3 seasons to figure out how and when to ujse his time outs?)
-The magic was taking a 43 win roster and getting 39 wins out of it.

How about how Lauri became an all star starter the second he started playing his game instead of whatever role Donovan pigeonholed him into. Maybe Billy’s system works in college but he’s refused to adjust to the nba over the last decade.

[Stratmaster]

There is no such thing as a good fit for this roster. Considering how BD was able to keep it afloat with duct tape and staples, he might even be the best fit alive.

Billy didn't keep a damned thing afloat.
-Alienated his best player
-Relied on Demar ball to bail him out instead of actually running an NBA offense
-Refused to play 2 bigs when matchups dictated, then when he finally did and they worked a couple times, started playing them when the match-ups DON'T dictate it.
-Has no clue with rotations
-Poor in-game decision making (although his time-out use has finally gotten better. What NBA head coach takes 3 seasons to figure out how and when to ujse his time outs?)
-The magic was taking a 43 win roster and getting 39 wins out of it.

How about how Lauri became an all star starter the second he started playing his game instead of whatever role Donovan pigeonholed him into. Maybe Billy’s system works in college but he’s refused to adjust to the nba over the last decade.

Yep

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[kulaz3000]

I was and still am a huge fan of Lauri, but I really get sick of this notion that he couldn't have succeeded on the Bulls. By his OWN account, he needed to grow, develop his game and mature before he was ready to make the leap. Sometimes an organisation can do everything under the sun to enable a player to achieve success, but ultimately it's up to the player to take those additional steps.

And let's not kid ourselves, it's not like he was an inconsistent player with the Bulls like Patrick, he was a starter level player right from the jump, and had success on the Bulls, he just happened to make a leap once he went on a team where he was clearly the best player on the roster, and they effectively built a system around him.

Just getting sick and tired of the same boring excuse that Lauri needed to leave Bulls to become the player he became, as though it was the only factor in his development and growth.

[AshyLarrysDiaper]

I figure Hurley needs a week or two to use Kentucky for leverage. Then we’ll see if the Donovan interest is real.

[Chi town]

If Billy leaves, AK is gonna have a lot of work to do trying to fix this roster.

Imagine an offseason where:
- Billy leaves
- DeMar and Drummond walk
- Zach is traded

One would think that's enough to force management to kick off a rebuild, but I guess you never know with these guys.

If Billy leaves, there is a reasonable chance Lavine doesn't go anywhere.

The money the Bulls would have to spend from Demar walking would likely improve the team, especially with Coby and Ayo looking like they can be the hot hand on any given night next to a consistent and efficient scorer like Lavine.

Now we are talking… except AK will just double down and resign DDR.

[Stratmaster]

I was and still am a huge fan of Lauri, but I really get sick of this notion that he couldn't have succeeded on the Bulls. By his OWN account, he needed to grow, develop his game and mature before he was ready to make the leap. Sometimes an organisation can do everything under the sun to enable a player to achieve success, but ultimately it's up to the player to take those additional steps.

And let's not kid ourselves, it's not like he was an inconsistent player with the Bulls like Patrick, he was a starter level player right from the jump, and had success on the Bulls, he just happened to make a leap once he went on a team where he was clearly the best player on the roster, and they effectively built a system around him.

Just getting sick and tired of the same boring excuse that Lauri needed to leave Bulls to become the player he became, as though it was the only factor in his development and growth.

Lauri is one of many examples of Billy not being able to figure out how to get the best out of a very talented player.

There really isn't much of a way to debate that. Lauri didn't just "get better" and no one built a system around him. They used him in a different way.

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[jnrjr79]

I figure Hurley needs a week or two to use Kentucky for leverage. Then we’ll see if the Donovan interest is real.

Hurley has already taken himself out of the running for the job.

TBH, Connecticut these days is a better job than UK.

[AshyLarrysDiaper]

I figure Hurley needs a week or two to use Kentucky for leverage. Then we’ll see if the Donovan interest is real.

Hurley has already taken himself out of the running for the job.

TBH, Connecticut these days is a better job than UK.

I missed that. Any news on who’s next on their list?

[Jcool0]

I figure Hurley needs a week or two to use Kentucky for leverage. Then we’ll see if the Donovan interest is real.

Hurley has already taken himself out of the running for the job.

TBH, Connecticut these days is a better job than UK.

I missed that. Any news on who’s next on their list?

Nate Oats but pretty sure he also said no. Billy is the only one on the reported listed to not come out and say no. some rumors say
Scott Drew might be interested.

[Ice Man]

I was and still am a huge fan of Lauri, but I really get sick of this notion that he couldn't have succeeded on the Bulls.

Yep. Treating Lauri as a typical NBA situation, with a player who got better with experience, is the obvious answer for his improvement. Thus -

Year 1 - TS% 55.2% (Bulls, Fred)
Year 4 - TS% 61.9% (Bulls, Billy)
Year 6 - TS% 64.0% (Jazz)

That's a standard pattern in the NBA. For example, LeBron -

Year 1 - TS% 48.8%
Year 4 - TS% 55.2%
Year 6 - TS% 59.1%

Billy had nuttin to do with nuttin about Lauri, good or bad.