The Chicago Bulls have had that kind of run this season. There have been flashes of brilliance, but their inconsistencies have been laid bare as the NBA 2022-23 hits the midway mark, and according to an NBA analyst, head coach Billy Donovan is to blame to a certain degree.
From locker room stress to results not materializing on the floor, the Bulls have had their hands full. Donovan has been in the spotlight himself after news of his reportedly soured relationship with Zach LaVine did the rounds.
The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry minced no words when he outlined how Donovan had to take responsibility for some of Chicago’s shortcomings this season.
The Bulls are beyond the midway point of the season, yet the same issues persist — slow starts, shoddy defensive rebounding, sloppy turnovers and a startling failure at basics such as boxing out. When the script becomes redundant, it’s time to look at coaching.
To be fair, the Bulls field a roster of players who can’t defend, rebound or shoot consistently. But it’s fair to conclude Donovan hasn’t proven capable of fixing all that ails the Bulls. He masterfully diagnoses the team’s problems, but we’re still waiting for him to land on sustainable solutions.
Mayberry acknowledged that the roster construction meant there was only a limited range of options, but he also added that the head coach was far from arriving at answers to the Bulls’ problems.
Billy Donovan And Zach LaVine’s Relationship Has Taken A Hit
The tumultuous season had some spark in the last couple of weeks, but one of the key talking points has been the rocky relationship between Donovan and LaVine.
It all started when the coach benched the All-Star during Clutch Time against the Orlando Magic. The Bulls lost and LaVine was vocal about his feelings. Recently, it was reported that the relationship had suffered a dent after the risky and controversial move. Per Chicago Sun-Times
“According to a source, while the LaVine-Billy Donovan player-coach relationship is still very workable it remains somewhat strained in the wake of a Nov. 18, late-game benching in which Donovan chose to ride out the final minutes against Orlando with LaVine out of the game.”
The two spoke right after that benching and at were at least able to apply enough duct tape to make the bridge functional, but LaVine was obviously unhappy with the way he was called out by teammates at halftime in the embarrassing Dec. 18 loss in Minnesota, as well as Donovan’s late-game sets in which DeMar DeRozan has been option 1A and 1B.
All things considered, Mayberry hits the nail on the head when he ended his feature asking the question of what the Bulls’ front office will do if the team fails to make it past the regular season. There’s work to be done in Chicago, and it remains to be seen if Donovan can get his players to rise above the storm.
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