We will have resolution here at some point. With the North Carolina Tar Heels having moved on from their former head coach Hubert Davis after five seasons, all signs point to UNC going with a big-time hire for his successor. One of the biggest names attached to the vacancy would be former Florida head coach Billy Donovan. The Chicago Bulls head coach may potentially return to the college game.
Here is what Donovan had to say to Tony Jones of The Athletic about the coaching situation at hand.
"My main focus is on these guys and this new team. I understand that there’s stuff out there, and I understand that there is going to be certain speculation. But, I have to concentrate on this group, and really, my focus is on what we’re doing here in Chicago, having a game tonight, and traveling to go and play in a back-to-back.”
Donovan finished up by saying how much the game has changed since he last coached at Florida.
“Over the years, I’ve had a lot of college guys reach out to talk to me. It’s different in dealing with players who are being paid now. I also think the cycle of the NBA today is totally different than the cycle of college. I’m focused on what I have to do right now. Like anything else, things are always changing in the game of basketball.”
In the last decade, Donovan has worked in the NBA leading Chicago and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Billy Donovan did not exactly say no regarding the North Carolina rumors
Let's be perfectly honest with ourselves. If Donovan were to leave the NBA behind for North Carolina, that would do wonders in keeping Todd Golden in Gainesville for the foreseeable future. Golden is widely seen as the other high-end candidate for this UNC vacancy. With the Kansas job potentially opening up, depending on Bill Self actually making up his mind, Florida needs to extend Golden now!
What this all means from an outsider's perspective is the Bulls job is never going to be what it was when Michael Jordan was at the peak of his powers. While other coaches in Phil Jackson's wake have had varying degrees of success, nothing compares to the dynastic run Chicago had in the 1990s with Jordan. The fact that Fred Hoiberg is thriving at Nebraska says the college game may be better.
Right now, Donovan has an NBA season to finish. Entering play on Thursday, Chicago finds itself at 29-43 overall, tied for 11th place in the Eastern Conference with the division rival Milwaukee Bucks. With how awful Brooklyn, Indiana, and Washington are, the Bulls are kind of locked into their seeding. Given that Charlotte, Miami, and Orlando are 10 games better than the Bulls, there will be no playoffs.
With the NBA regular season ending on April 12, we may see Donovan returning to college here soon.