Bulls CEO Michael Reinsdorf says he wants coach Billy Donovan to remain in his job

CHICAGO (AP) — A day after the Chicago Bulls fired their top two basketball executives, president and CEO Michael Reinsdorf made it clear: He wants coach Billy Donovan to remain in his job.

Reinsdorf said Tuesday that candidates can pretty much forget about bringing in their own coach, assuming Donovan chooses to return after this season.

“If I interview someone and they're not sold on Billy and they're not sold on a Hall of Fame coach, they're not sold on a person who has won championships in college, who has gone deep in the playoffs with Oklahoma City, who I believe every year with the Chicago Bulls given the team he was given I think he achieved really good results," Reinsdorf said. “Not the results that we wanted, but that’s not because of Billy. If someone’s not interested in Billy as our coach ... then they’re probably not the right candidate for us.”

The Bulls made sweeping changes to their front office on Monday, firing executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley after a six-year run produced just one playoff appearance.

The 60-year-old Donovan has consistently said he still has a passion for coaching. He will meet with ownership after the season to discuss his future.

Donovan could seek another NBA coaching job or return to the college game, though the most prominent opening is off the table with North Carolina hiring Michael Malone. The Bulls could also give him a bigger say in basketball operations while continuing as coach.

“I don’t think it’s going to take Billy a long time to come to a conclusion on what he wants to do,” Reinsdorf said. “I don’t think the draft or any of that’s going to come into play. The season ends next week. We’ll sit down with Billy as soon as possible, and we’ll find out where his head’s at.”

Donovan told reporters prior to the Bulls' game at Washington on Tuesday that he needs to see what the organization's plan is before he makes a decision.

“The organization wants to compete at the highest level, and so do I. I’ve always believed this: The room is smarter than any one individual, and there’s a lot of smart people in that room," Donovan said.

Donovan had a 467-411 record in 11 seasons as an NBA head coach with Oklahoma City and Chicago when the day began. He led Florida to back-to-back NCAA championships during a 19-year run, and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in September.

Donovan was arguably the top candidate on the market when the Bulls hired him in September 2020, a few months after Karnisovas and Eversley got their jobs. Chicago was 224-254 during their tenure. The Bulls entered Tuesday at 29-49 and missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

“We want to build this for the long term, so I don’t want to be just good for one or two years,” Reinsdorf said. “I want it to be year in and year out, we have a chance to be competitive and win. Maybe some of those years we can go all the way. But it's about long-term success, not just one- or two-year windows.”

Reinsdorf said he is looking for someone who is “process-oriented” and “not afraid to pull the trigger” to lead the basketball operation. He also wants a better communicator.

“I want someone who's really strong in communication not just internally within the organization, but also externally when he’s talking to people like you, talking to our fans," Reinsdorf said. "I think that’s really important. What are we trying to accomplish? What is the plan? Our fans have a right to understand what we’re trying to accomplish so I think that's incredibly, incredibly important.”

Reinsdorf said the Bulls will hire a search firm, something they didn't do last time, and that longtime head of basketball operations and current advisor John Paxson will assist in the process. He will also get to meet candidates in person, which he couldn't do last time because of the pandemic.

Reinsdorf is not sure if the chain of command will remain the same, with a basketball operations chief and a general manager reporting to that person.

“I’m not making that decision now,” he said. “When we start talking to candidates and we start talking to people, I want to hear what their thoughts are. How are they going to build out their organizations? I think that’s really important.”

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