Getty Head coach Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls head coach is not leaving his fate or that of his team up to internal improvement after his team (or its front office) sat out of another player-acquisition period, according to the latest league whispers.
“Let’s talk about Russell Westbrook real quick. I was told Billy Donovan with the Bulls, his message has been relayed to Russ, that Chicago should be the place for him,” relayed Chris Haynes on the ‘#thisleague UNCUT’ podcast on February 13. “So I don’t know. I don’t know if they’ve talked extensively. I don’t know if it was a text. But I was told his message has been relayed to Russ, that Chicago should be the place.”
Haynes’ co-host Marc Stein noted that the highly anticipated buyout has not yet happened but notes he does not see things playing out any other way.
Donovan and Westbrook have an extensive history spending four seasons together with the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2016 until 2019. Westbrook was already established as a star in the NBA with four All-Star appearances to his credit by the time Donovan arrived. But he did win his MVP in 2017 with Donovan as his head coach.
The head coach has maintained a high level of respect for what Westbrook, who has become quite a polarizing figure in NBA circles, can bring to a team.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan on why he gave Russell Westbrook to give him the freedom to be who he is in OKC
“Donovan…certainly coached Westbrook in Oklahoma City,” noted ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski during an appearance on “NBA Today” on February 10 adding that he considers the Bulls ‘frontrunners’ in the race for the nine-time All-Star should he indeed reach a buyout with the Utah Jazz. “And go down his bench – [Assistant coaches Maurice] Cheeks, Josh Longstaff – there’s a staff of former OKC assistants who all had good relationships and worked well with Westbrook with the Bulls.”
Westbrook averaged 17.6 points, 7.4 assists, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.0 steals to just 3.5 turnovers over his final 24 appearances with L.A. He knocked down 32.1% of his triples in that span which is an improvement over his previous 28 games (27.1%).
The Other Potential Warning Signs
Westbrook’s relationship with Lakers head coach Darvin Ham and his staff played a significant part in his departure from Los Angeles despite them seemingly finding a common ground on the 34-year-old’s role in a way that allowed him to be both prominent and productive.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham reflects on Russell Westbrook’s ups and downs with the team
Still, the situation had devolved into a “toxic” environment, with Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic writing, “The coaching staff struggled with Westbrook’s unwillingness to be held accountable for his play.”
Things did not end well with Westbrook’s tenure in OKC, either.
“Billy was so beaten down at the end of [the 2019] season, there were people in the league who wondered, not that he would get fired, but whether he might resign,” explained Brian Windhorst on the “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” podcast in February 2020. “He was just not in a good place mentally, and if Westbrook had stayed there, I don’t know if he’s the coach right now, to be honest with you.”
Westbrook was traded to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul and a package of first-round picks following the 2019 campaign.
Donovan would exit at the end of his contract the following season and join the Bulls.
Beggars Cannot be Choosers
Despite the reports, Westbrook has denied ever having an issue with Donovan who has had run-ins with Bulls star Zach LaVine which LaVine says they are past now.
“I’ve never had a problem with Coach Donovan,” said Westbrook in 2019 per Royce Young of ESPN. “We’ve always been straightforward with each other and always had a good communication of respect for each other’s jobs and respect for how hard we both work at what we want best for this team.”
There are other potential red flags including his questionable on-court fit next to DeMar DeRozan with both low-volume and, more importantly, unreliable three-point shooters.
But the Bulls’ need for a spark at this critical late juncture of the season and a top-down mandate to reach the second round of the playoffs could have them on a collision course with the mercurial point guard.