Confirmed! The contract renewal was successful

According to the latest report by NBA famous reporter Shams Charania, the Chicago Bulls have reached a multi-year contract extension with head coach Billy Donovan. Although Donovan has only achieved a record of 196 wins and 209 losses in five seasons, with a winning rate of less than 50%, and has only reached the playoffs once in 2021-22 (losing 1-4 to the Bucks in the first round), the Bulls management still chooses to continue to trust the 59-year-old coach and let him lead the team to the next stage of reconstruction.

For the Bulls, renewal of Donovan is based on stability considerations. In the NBA, frequent changes in coaches often lead to turmoil in the team's tactical system, and players need to constantly adapt to new play styles, which is extremely unfavorable to the team's long-term development. During the 5 seasons of Donovan coaching, the Bulls gradually formed a relatively fixed tactical style, and the players are already familiar with his coaching philosophy. Staying him can help the team avoid the pain of running-in caused by changing coaches.

Donovan took over the Bulls in 2020. In his first full season (2021-22), he led the team to a record of 46 wins and 36 losses, ranking 6th in the Eastern Conference, and entered the playoffs under the leadership of DeRozan, Raven and Vucevic. However, this is also his only playoff experience during his coaching the Bulls.

In the following three seasons, the Bulls' record continued to decline, and last season it completely entered the reconstruction mode, sending away core players such as DeRozan, Raven, and Caruso.

The Bulls' management renewed Donovan this time, obviously not based on performance considerations, but rather pays more attention to his stability during the reconstruction period. Arturas Karnishovas, vice president of basketball operations, said: "Billy (Donovan) has done a good job in cultivating young players and building a team culture, and we believe he is the best candidate to lead the team to rebuild. "

However, this decision has caused strong doubts from fans. Some fans complained on social media: "I can renew my contract by entering the playoffs only once in five years. Did the Bulls completely give up the competition? "

It is worth mentioning that the Knicks had previously expressed interest in Donovan, but ultimately failed to reach an agreement. Now that the contract renewal is completed, Donovan will continue to stay in Chicago, and the Bulls' road to reconstruction may be longer than fans expected.

Of course, renewal is not the end but a new starting point. Donovan needs to lead the Bulls to make a breakthrough in the new season, after all, since the 2021-22 season, the team has missed the playoffs for several seasons. Next, he needs to solve the problems of unstable offensive efficiency and key ball handling of the team, and at the same time better integrate the lineup so that the players can play their best in synergy.

In the NBA, it is rare for coaches who can still renew their contracts if they have poor records. Is Donovan’s contract renewal this time a long-term layout of the Bulls’ management, or is it another “showing a bad” signal? Time will give the answer.