Bulls coach Billy Donovan spent some time as an assistant coach at Kentucky, but that’s about where the rumored link to him taking the current head coach opening ends.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
The link between Bulls coach Billy Donovan and the Kentucky job opening makes sense.
After all, before he became a legend in Gainesville, Donovan was an assistant coach to Rick Pitino at Kentucky from 1989-94.
However, that’s about where the rumor dies.
First, a source told the Sun-Times on Tuesday that there has been no communication from the school with Donovan in the wake of John Calipari’s reported departure.
Secondly, Donovan has publicly discussed the difference between the NBA game and what college basketball has become since he left Florida in 2015, and has stated several times that the college game has turned completely different from what’s going on in the pros.
Add in the transfer portal and NIL to the equation, as well as how much Donovan is valued by the current Bulls front office, and the likelihood of Donovan walking away from the Bulls is miniscule.
And it’s not like he’s about to be pushed out either.
Donovan has two years left on his current deal, and even if the front office and Bulls ownership didn’t value Donovan, Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf does not like paying dead money for fired coaches.
A source recently said that Reinsdorf – who is also the Chairman of the White Sox – knew that manager Pedro Grifol had put in a fireable season by mid-summer of 2023, but he wanted to wait at least a year so the dead money wasn’t as big a hit.