CHICAGO (670 The Score) – After a disappointing season in which the Bulls went 39-43 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas praised coach Billy Donovan’s leadership while stressing he needs to give Donovan a better roster to work with.
“He’s obviously a great leader, great coach and I got to do a better job to help him, to find a group,” Karnisovas said Saturday in a season-ending press conference at the Advocate Center. “We put emphasis on cohesion this year, and I think this group kind of bonded. Again, in totality, it didn’t work, and I have to find these answers.”
The Bulls had an abysmal 5-14 start before playing more consistently from that point forward. They finished ninth in the East. While Donovan often praised his players for their tenacity and resiliency, the Bulls weren’t strong on either end of the floor. They ranked 19th in offensive efficiency and 22nd in defensive efficiency.
In his four seasons in Chicago, Donovan has compiled a 156-162 record (.491) and led the Bulls to one playoff appearance. They’ve lost in the play-in round in each of the past two seasons.
It’s believed that Donovan has two years remaining on his contract, though the Bulls have never publicly confirmed those specifics. Moving forward, Karnisovas’ goal is to enact meaningful change to a stale roster and give Donovan a group that fits together better.
“I like what Billy has done here the last four years,” Karnisovas said. “Billy is someone you build a program with. He’s a very good coach and even a better human being. We established a winning expectation, we defined a profile for the Bulls player and we put an emphasis on player development. It is also on me to facilitate Billy with the resources he needs to build a team that can be successful consistently.”
Cody Westerlund is an editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund .
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