Before the season ever started the Chicago Bulls went ahead and gave coach Billy Donovan a contract extension. Did they tell anyone about it? Nah.
It was a double secret contract extension.
I’m not sure Billy Donovan even knew about it.
We’re only finding out about it now because ace reporter and news breaker Shams Charania of The Athletic tweeted about it yesterday, in fact he wrote a whole story about it.
Here’s the thing, I don’t think anyone is surprised by the extension. It’s been pretty obvious from day 1 that this was coming. The way Arturas Karnisovas raves about Donovan, and the constant insistence that they are trying to build a lasting culture of winning, made it nearly impossible for there to only be one contract.
But why keep it a secret?
That’s the question. I don’t know if anyone has the answer to it. It’s probably just the price of doing business with the Reinsdorf Family. You get involved in their sports teams and the likelihood that you’re entangled in some kind of public relations faux pas triples.
I had hoped that this sort of thing was behind the team now that Karnisovas and Marc Eversley were running the day-to-day operations, but evidently professional basketball is such a cloak-and-dagger industry that even the most basic transaction, such as a contract extension, needs to be kept behind closed doors.
I’m not even one of the fans that hates Billy Donovan. From what I’ve seen, he’s one of the most competent coaches the Bulls have had in my lifetime. There’s The Zen Master, Thibs, and Billy, that’s the list. Sure, Doug Collins was fine, maybe he’s above Billy on the list, and you can make a case for Scott Skiles when he wasn’t fed up with the team, but that’s it.
Such unnecessary drama! And over a contract extension we all expected. I guess the Reinsdorfs are just sick of dealing with the media.
Speaking of unnecessary drama, what is with this Bulls team?
They seem to get up for every above .500 record team, and if they don’t beat them outright, they at least compete and make it close.
Not so much with the below .500 teams. They just outright lose to Orlando, OKC, etc.
What a weird team.
The Bulls are currently on their Circus Trip. Considering their record against good teams this season, I’m expecting them to win the majority of these games.
All the talent in the world, but the Bulls play to the level of their competition.
Also, everyone keeps asking me what is up with Zach LaVine? The consensus is that he is nowhere near as explosive around the rim as he has been in the past. The stats corroborate the eye test. His numbers finishing at the rim are down significantly this season. I’m hopeful that this is just because he wasn’t able to properly strengthen his legs after offseason surgery, and that by this time next season (or hopefully even sooner) he’ll be back to his usual bouncy, efficient self.
With about a quarter of the season behind us, the Bulls have been playing some uneven basketball. They have a top 10-ish defense, and a bottom of the barrel offense. Their starters don’t play well together, but the bench has been solid. Like I said, a weird team. But there is still a lot of time left for things to turn around. As a great leader once pointed out, it wasn’t over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor, and it’s not over for the Chicago Bulls.
Until it is, thanks for reading and GO BULLS!
RokDeez Bulls Blog 