The Chicago Bulls have a head coach who is respected by some of the best basketball minds in the world.
As the Los Angeles Lakers looked to replace Darvin Ham this summer, exciting names like former NBA player JJ Redick and the UConn Huskies’ Dan Hurley emerged for Los Angeles.
The Lakers eventually hired Redick, but not before a long and highly publicized courtship with Hurley ensued, which saw Los Angeles offer the UConn star coach $70 million over six years.
Hurley had a tough decision to make. Should he leave a potential dynasty at UConn and become the head coach of one of the most storied sports franchises of all time? Hurley of course ended up turning down the Lakers’ offer, but not before consulting with some of his key friends.
One of those friends was Bulls head coach Billy Donovan.
Donovan won back-to-back titles as the Florida Gators’ coach in 2006 and 2007, so he understands what Hurley is going through right now. Like Hurley, Donovan was also tempted by the NBA after his explosive success at the college level.
Donovan actually signed with the Orlando Magic in 2007 before retiring a few days later via a buyout. He coached eight more years at Florida before becoming the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015, before joining the Bulls in 2020.
According to a new report from CT Insider’s David Borges, Hurley sought Donovan’s advice before his difficult decision, and during the conversationThe two legends discussed the differences between the college game and the NBA game, and what that means for life as a coach at either level.
“We didn’t discuss the Lakers situation or the personnel situation,” Donovan said, according to Borges. “I think Danny needed to go through everything he went through. He was going to get to see the inner workings of the Lakers. I don’t know anything about that. … Danny had to go through that on his own.”
“My mindset, the type of coaching that works best for me right now, is definitely college,” Hurley said, according to Borges. “I want to be able to control my destiny as best I can. I schedule my games, I pick my players, I hire my staff. I decide how long we’re going to practice, when we’re going to practice.”
Donovan now has his own decisions to make as the 2024-25 season approaches. The Bulls have put together an interesting roster for Donovan to work with, and time allocation will be something he’ll have to think about many nights between now and the start of the season.
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