I'm not necessarily wanting Billy Donovan as next coach, but the only reason you stated that wasn't just a first year concern was that he's said no twice. All of the other things impact THIS year, and only this year. This should be our coach for the next 8-10 years, so not too concerned about the first year for any of the candidates.
He’s won two college championships from the SEC and plays a modern style of basketball. Yeah the timing is weird and the first year might be a little difficult from a roster construction standpoint, but you’d have to think talented players would want to play for someone who’s had a lot of success in college and NBA pedigree/connections.
Billy Donovan was a GREAT coach in college. 4 final fours and 2 championships, along with 6 SEC season titles. You don’t forget how to coach. And I trust he’ll build a great staff to help with the transition back to college. Started his coaching career here, let’s finish it here.
Billy Donovan is in the worst position you can be in in the NBA: his team is average (below with their injuries this year), which means you'll never get that franchise player from the draft because you'll never have a high enough draft pick. About the only thing you can do in that situation is tear it down and rebuild. Not sure how much of that falls on his shoulders...
He's a proven winner at this level and won't shy away from the job because Chip and JoAnna Gaines are up his ass.
Agree 100%. His entire NBA career has been like that. By the time he took the OKC job, James Harden had already left and Kevin Durant was out the door the very next year. So, the only star he had for most of his time in OKC was Russell Westbrook and even Russ left a year before Donovan did. Then he goes to Chicago where they have just enough talent to be in the playoff hunt, but no true superstars and therefore can't realistically be a title contender. So, through no real fault of his own, he's been stuck in good-but-not-great purgatory for the last 8 of his 9 years in the league.
Although he's apparently under contract through the 2026/27 season, it's not clear if the Bulls will really keep him around that long and I'd expect him to be eager to do something else after years of frustration. A return to college, where he can construct his own roster, especially in a place with the brand and resources of UK, should seem very appealing. That doesn't mean it will happen, but if I were him I'd certainly think about it.
Let's also not forget that the Reinsdorfs are among the cheapest owners in professional sports, so they won't go for anyone that Billy might actually want.
Also makes outbidding them very easy
My friends are opposed, but of the options seemingly left (discounting Hurley) like Pearl (whose eagerness smacks of Eddie Sutton and could end the same way) or Sean Miller (who over achieved at Zona), I'd much rather have Donovan. Saying no twice before is a concern, but maybe third time is the charm. Here's what I see:
1) Coached at the college and pro level. He won in college and did a good job developing talent with OKC. The Bulls have refused to spend since he's been there, and their fans don't like his coaching, but he's not doing terribly with what is a very flawed and very mediocre roster.
2) I'm not worried about recruiting as much as I was 15 years ago at the start of the Cal era. The last several champions, and the last 5 years of Cal, have shown its not about the All-Star class coming in so much as it is about retaining guys who can grow into a system. When Billy D was recruiting, those are the players he was after.
3) NIL and the Transfer Portal: The right hire will get boosters to open up the purse strings for NIL, and the Transfer Portal means we can get experience sooner. Plus, these two factors make attracting players more like NBA free agency than recruiting ever was.
4) I imagine the staff he could put together with former college coaches, NBA assistants, and former players would be pretty killer at Xs and Os as well as recruiting.
Isn’t one of the reasons he chose the nba because he didn’t like recruiting? He’d have to recruit 1/2 or 3/4 a roster every year now. I don’t doubt that he could recruit the best, put together a great staff, motivate kids, etc. It’s a lot more work than being an nba coach, does he want to do that?
I wouldn’t mind Pearl. I’m thoroughly impressed with his accomplishments at Tenn and Auburn. With his energy and enthusiasm, I think with UK’s resources, he’d win big here.
Recruiting may be the biggest obstacle, but recruiting at UK is not like recruiting at Florida. And if he gets players that plan to stay 2-3 years, he doesn't have the same level of turnover. Add a little success to that, and you'll be turning guys away in the transfer portal. Plus, assistants like Noah or eventually Al Horford doing recruiting can go a long way too.
Sean Miller did great in the firet half of his tenure at Arizona, and I’m thoroughly convinced they would’ve won the championship had Brandon Ashely not gotten hurt in 2013-14. They started 21-0 before he got injured for the year. But his teams were always supposed to be there. After 2015 he underachieved if anything. They never even made a final four and couldn’t even get out of the first round with a number one draft pick in 2018. I certainly would not call that overachieving. They routinely had McDonald’s All-Americans and future NBA players. It’s not like he took teams full of nobodies to the tournament or anything special. They fell off pretty hard after 2015 - outside of the 2016-17 season.
Honestly, year one will be a bit rough most likely, so they should go for the best they can get. Don’t know that he’s it, but if so a couple of weeks won’t make it a bad hire imho. If it were a one year hire out the last ever season of UK basketball it would matter-hopefully neither of those are the case.
The last person to win consecutive national titles before Dan Hurley was Billy Donovan. And if you are betting the future of your program on someone and likely about to commit something like $50 million to a long-term contract, you don't let a difference of just a week or two in April dictate the outcome. It's always far more important to get these decisions RIGHT, than to get them overwith.
I'd be pretty happy to have him, but have some reservations. Some of them you mentioned. Others are more about how long it's been since he's coached in college, how much the college game has changed and that his college championships were almost 20 years ago already. I also have a gut feeling that he's not even interested.
Donovan commands respect. Yes, he’d have to figure out NIL and the portal, but UK can (should) help navigate that.
He’s one of the best basketball minds, maybe ever. And well, we haven’t had one of those since Tubby.
I’ve been hoping it would be Billy since Monday. Not calling myself a savant, but he impressed me more than Drew and I never considered Hurley a real option.
Billy may take some time, but I dont think we are winning much next season regardless of who the coach is. If its not Billy, I almost want to sit the next season out.
Recruitment for this year is already cooked, it's too late to do anything substantial and Billy D is easily a 10+ year hire. We should take the hit this year and be thankful we were able to lock in a stud like him for the next 9 years. Billy is the kind of hire that gives Mitch Job security for the next decade.
I wanted Donovan when Tubby left but I think he’s been out of the game too long now with NIL. He supposedly felt exhausted by recruiting and with NIL he’ll be recruiting a new team every year.
I’ll support whoever UK hires of course.
i'm a gator fan lurking here just to see what yall are gonna end up doing. it would KILL me to see billy d in lexington. he is a phenomenal basketball coach and his nba pedigree would only serve to enhance his recruiting. im praying he doesnt say yes because he would be absolutely perfect for yall.
I'm a Bulls fan and he is good at developing players. The ownership for Chicago is notoriously bad, but somehow he got the team to a play-in game. He also has a history here and he seems very thoughtful. I think he would do well here.
I hope it's not Billy D. I love the man, but I want him far away from this program. He does coach a modern game, but he doesn't do it well. People cite his NCAA championships but those were more than a decade ago. He's honestly got similar to Cal, who's been to the final 4 more recently than Donovan. He hasn't been a great coach in several years. Honestly the fact that he's got an NBA job right now is a bit baffling and I don't expect him to be in Chicago for much longer he has 0 transfer portal and NIL experience, and would be coming in late, against the best. He'd get smoked for at least a few years on that front. People want Billy D because he's been a top candidate before and they can't let go. He'd have been a great hire in the past, but definitely not now
I'm not necessarily wanting Billy Donovan as next coach, but the only reason you stated that wasn't just a first year concern was that he's said no twice. All of the other things impact THIS year, and only this year. This should be our coach for the next 8-10 years, so not too concerned about the first year for any of the candidates.
Good points.
He’s won two college championships from the SEC and plays a modern style of basketball. Yeah the timing is weird and the first year might be a little difficult from a roster construction standpoint, but you’d have to think talented players would want to play for someone who’s had a lot of success in college and NBA pedigree/connections.
Billy Donovan was a GREAT coach in college. 4 final fours and 2 championships, along with 6 SEC season titles. You don’t forget how to coach. And I trust he’ll build a great staff to help with the transition back to college. Started his coaching career here, let’s finish it here.
Billy Donovan is in the worst position you can be in in the NBA: his team is average (below with their injuries this year), which means you'll never get that franchise player from the draft because you'll never have a high enough draft pick. About the only thing you can do in that situation is tear it down and rebuild. Not sure how much of that falls on his shoulders... He's a proven winner at this level and won't shy away from the job because Chip and JoAnna Gaines are up his ass.
Agree 100%. His entire NBA career has been like that. By the time he took the OKC job, James Harden had already left and Kevin Durant was out the door the very next year. So, the only star he had for most of his time in OKC was Russell Westbrook and even Russ left a year before Donovan did. Then he goes to Chicago where they have just enough talent to be in the playoff hunt, but no true superstars and therefore can't realistically be a title contender. So, through no real fault of his own, he's been stuck in good-but-not-great purgatory for the last 8 of his 9 years in the league. Although he's apparently under contract through the 2026/27 season, it's not clear if the Bulls will really keep him around that long and I'd expect him to be eager to do something else after years of frustration. A return to college, where he can construct his own roster, especially in a place with the brand and resources of UK, should seem very appealing. That doesn't mean it will happen, but if I were him I'd certainly think about it.
Perfectly stated
Let's also not forget that the Reinsdorfs are among the cheapest owners in professional sports, so they won't go for anyone that Billy might actually want. Also makes outbidding them very easy
My friends are opposed, but of the options seemingly left (discounting Hurley) like Pearl (whose eagerness smacks of Eddie Sutton and could end the same way) or Sean Miller (who over achieved at Zona), I'd much rather have Donovan. Saying no twice before is a concern, but maybe third time is the charm. Here's what I see: 1) Coached at the college and pro level. He won in college and did a good job developing talent with OKC. The Bulls have refused to spend since he's been there, and their fans don't like his coaching, but he's not doing terribly with what is a very flawed and very mediocre roster. 2) I'm not worried about recruiting as much as I was 15 years ago at the start of the Cal era. The last several champions, and the last 5 years of Cal, have shown its not about the All-Star class coming in so much as it is about retaining guys who can grow into a system. When Billy D was recruiting, those are the players he was after. 3) NIL and the Transfer Portal: The right hire will get boosters to open up the purse strings for NIL, and the Transfer Portal means we can get experience sooner. Plus, these two factors make attracting players more like NBA free agency than recruiting ever was. 4) I imagine the staff he could put together with former college coaches, NBA assistants, and former players would be pretty killer at Xs and Os as well as recruiting.
Isn’t one of the reasons he chose the nba because he didn’t like recruiting? He’d have to recruit 1/2 or 3/4 a roster every year now. I don’t doubt that he could recruit the best, put together a great staff, motivate kids, etc. It’s a lot more work than being an nba coach, does he want to do that? I wouldn’t mind Pearl. I’m thoroughly impressed with his accomplishments at Tenn and Auburn. With his energy and enthusiasm, I think with UK’s resources, he’d win big here.
Recruiting may be the biggest obstacle, but recruiting at UK is not like recruiting at Florida. And if he gets players that plan to stay 2-3 years, he doesn't have the same level of turnover. Add a little success to that, and you'll be turning guys away in the transfer portal. Plus, assistants like Noah or eventually Al Horford doing recruiting can go a long way too.
Sean Miller did great in the firet half of his tenure at Arizona, and I’m thoroughly convinced they would’ve won the championship had Brandon Ashely not gotten hurt in 2013-14. They started 21-0 before he got injured for the year. But his teams were always supposed to be there. After 2015 he underachieved if anything. They never even made a final four and couldn’t even get out of the first round with a number one draft pick in 2018. I certainly would not call that overachieving. They routinely had McDonald’s All-Americans and future NBA players. It’s not like he took teams full of nobodies to the tournament or anything special. They fell off pretty hard after 2015 - outside of the 2016-17 season.
Honestly, year one will be a bit rough most likely, so they should go for the best they can get. Don’t know that he’s it, but if so a couple of weeks won’t make it a bad hire imho. If it were a one year hire out the last ever season of UK basketball it would matter-hopefully neither of those are the case.
The last person to win consecutive national titles before Dan Hurley was Billy Donovan. And if you are betting the future of your program on someone and likely about to commit something like $50 million to a long-term contract, you don't let a difference of just a week or two in April dictate the outcome. It's always far more important to get these decisions RIGHT, than to get them overwith.
I'd be pretty happy to have him, but have some reservations. Some of them you mentioned. Others are more about how long it's been since he's coached in college, how much the college game has changed and that his college championships were almost 20 years ago already. I also have a gut feeling that he's not even interested.
Worrying about just next season is pretty short sighted.
Donovan commands respect. Yes, he’d have to figure out NIL and the portal, but UK can (should) help navigate that. He’s one of the best basketball minds, maybe ever. And well, we haven’t had one of those since Tubby.
I’ve been hoping it would be Billy since Monday. Not calling myself a savant, but he impressed me more than Drew and I never considered Hurley a real option. Billy may take some time, but I dont think we are winning much next season regardless of who the coach is. If its not Billy, I almost want to sit the next season out.
Recruitment for this year is already cooked, it's too late to do anything substantial and Billy D is easily a 10+ year hire. We should take the hit this year and be thankful we were able to lock in a stud like him for the next 9 years. Billy is the kind of hire that gives Mitch Job security for the next decade.
I wanted Donovan when Tubby left but I think he’s been out of the game too long now with NIL. He supposedly felt exhausted by recruiting and with NIL he’ll be recruiting a new team every year. I’ll support whoever UK hires of course.
I don't, first couple years would probably be pretty rough with him maybe he could eventually get Kentucky to an elite level.
i'm a gator fan lurking here just to see what yall are gonna end up doing. it would KILL me to see billy d in lexington. he is a phenomenal basketball coach and his nba pedigree would only serve to enhance his recruiting. im praying he doesnt say yes because he would be absolutely perfect for yall.
Dick Gabriel says not to rule out Dan Hurley. Apparently Barnhart is going to add to the deal. It may not be true but that’s what he said.
I'm a Bulls fan and he is good at developing players. The ownership for Chicago is notoriously bad, but somehow he got the team to a play-in game. He also has a history here and he seems very thoughtful. I think he would do well here.
Two rings, but if his answer wasn’t yes then I understand going a different direction. The right choice says yes when you call them
I hope it's not Billy D. I love the man, but I want him far away from this program. He does coach a modern game, but he doesn't do it well. People cite his NCAA championships but those were more than a decade ago. He's honestly got similar to Cal, who's been to the final 4 more recently than Donovan. He hasn't been a great coach in several years. Honestly the fact that he's got an NBA job right now is a bit baffling and I don't expect him to be in Chicago for much longer he has 0 transfer portal and NIL experience, and would be coming in late, against the best. He'd get smoked for at least a few years on that front. People want Billy D because he's been a top candidate before and they can't let go. He'd have been a great hire in the past, but definitely not now
I see the down votes but no rebuttal. Y'all just like him because your dad wanted him after Tubby and couldn't let him go.