Billy Donovan Fired
CHICAGO -- New Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan shook up his staff, letting assistants Karen Stack Umlauf, Dean Cooper, Nate Loenser and Roy Rogers go on Monday.
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- Billy Donovan To Be Fired
- Billy Donovan Chicago Bulls
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The Chicago Bulls weren't on Billy Donovan's radar when he and the Oklahoma City Thunder parted ways after five successful seasons. Things sure changed in a hurry. “I wasn’t looking at anything,'. The Chicago Bulls hired Billy Donovan as their coach Tuesday, landing one of the top candidates on the market to lead a rebuilding team with an overhauled front office.
A standout player for Northwestern in the early 1980s, Umlauf joined the Bulls as an entry-level ticket representative in 1985. Hall of Fame general manager Jerry Krause shifted her to the basketball operations department soon afterward and she became Chicago's first female assistant when she served as associate coach at the 2018 summer league.
Loenser was in his third season with the Bulls. Cooper was in his second and Rogers was in his first.
The moves came on the same day chairman Jerry Reinsdorf's other team, the Chicago White Sox, split with manager Rick Renteria and longtime pitching coach Don Cooper.
Billy Donovan Bulls
One of the top coaching candidates on the market, Donovan was hired last month by new executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas. Donovan replaced the fired Jim Boylen.
Donovan led Oklahoma City to a 243-157 record the past five seasons and reached the playoffs every year. Before his time with the Thunder, he coached for 19 seasons at the University of Florida, winning two NCAA titles.
Billy Donovan may very well be on the hot seat.
After a 1-4 start to the season, and several defensive mishaps along the way, Donovan is the favorite to be the next head coach fired in the NBA, according to Bet DSI.
Next NBA head coach fired
Billy Donovan +150
Tom Thibodeau +250
Scott Brooks +500
Fred Hoiberg +500
Dave Joerger +1500
Billy Donovan To Be Fired
Of course, the Cavaliers fired head coach Tyronn Lue on Sunday after a 0-6 start to the season. Prior to the Thunder winning on Sunday, they joined the Cavaliers as the only winless clubs in the NBA.
Billy Donovan Chicago Bulls
The Thunder defeated the Suns on Sunday, though, to pick up their first win of the season and improved to 1-4 in the process but the team has not started off the way many had hoped.
Unfortunately for Donovan, he has dealt with multiple injuries to several key players on the roster, including Russell Westbrook, Andre Roberson and Steven Adams, so he has not had a fully healthy roster available.
Where Is Billy Donovan Coaching
While the team has certainly had their fair share of obstacles this season, it ultimately remains to be seen how much leeway the front office will give Donovan as the season progresses.