Chicago called bull on the New York Knicks' latest attempt at a coaching coup.
Per insider K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network, the Knicks submitted a request to interview Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan for their own vacancy — a request that was once again firmly denied.
Donovan is the fifth opposing coach that the Knicks reached out about, joining Chris Finch (Minnesota), Jason Kidd (Dallas), Quin Snyder (Atlanta), and Ime Udoka (Houston). Like Udoka, he was a brief Knicks on the hardwood, playing 44 games for Manhattan during his lone NBA tour in 1987-88.
Donovan doesn't have the accomplished NBA resume some of those other names have, but Johnson noted that the Bulls "value Donovan highly for his coaching acumen, communication skills and ability to connect with players and all members of organization. The former Oklahoma City Thunder boss is best known for his collegiate work, as he earned two national championships at the helm of the Florida Gators (1996-2015).
Like Thibodeau before him, Donovan stepped into his current role in 2020. Save for a sixth-place Eastern Conference finish in 2022 (which saw them drop a first-round set to Milwaukee in five games). In five years, Donovan has amassed a 195-205 mark, including a 39-43 tally last season. The Bulls missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year, falling to the Miami Heat in the opening stanzas of the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament.
Early rumors about the Knicks' head coaching search, triggered by last week's unexpected ousting of Thibodeau, have centered around their apparent due diligence in seeing who's available among the currently employed. With Denver, Memphis, Phoenix, and Sacramento having found new men in charge (or at least promoting their interim head coaches after in-season firings), the Knicks have the only vacancy left among the Association's 30.
