The Chicago Bulls saw coach Billy Donovan step down from his role as head coach on Monday after six seasons.
Donovan is an accomplished coach who struggled in his Chicago tenure to get the Bulls permanently out of the NBA’s basement. As he departs, the Bulls will have to try and find a suitable replacement.
Who could Chicago target? The Bulls’ maligned ownership situation might be a tough sell for some coaching candidates, but it’s a legacy franchise with a statue of Michael Jordan outside its arena. Someone would take the job and convince themselves they can revive the Bulls to its primetime glories. Who could it be?
Let’s run through a quick list of candidates that make sense to us. This isn’t exhaustive; just a fun thought exercise.
Steve Kerr
Okay, think about it. Kerr played with the Michael Jordan Bulls before turning into one of the best NBA coaches of his generation. With his Golden State Warriors tenure in flux, could Kerr return to Chicago and help resurrect the Bills from the doldrums of mediocrity? Kerr would have to want to do that, obviously, but we feel like the Bulls should move heaven and earth to get Kerr back in the fold if the Warriors decide to move on. It just makes too much sense… for the Bulls. For Kerr? We’re guessing he could do better… but you never know!
Chip Engelland
Engelland is one of the most accomplished assistant coaches of his generation. He coached under Greg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs from 2005-2022 before joining Mark Daigneault with the soaring Oklahoma City Thunder. Where Engelland goes, his teams win at least one NBA title. If Chicago wants a proven veteran coach who hasn’t yet gotten a chance at the main job, Engelland would be a strong hire on paper the Bulls could lean on.
Jared Dudley
Could David Adelman’s top Denver Nuggets assistant coach become the latest NBA vet to join the coaching ranks? If the Bulls want a former player who has potential to grow with a team, we could easily see Dudley joining Chicago as its new coach. The Nuggets are really good, and being around that kind of talent can make you a better coach. Dudley feels like a future NBA coach, so why not with the Bulls? We’re intrigued by this fit in particular.
Mike Budenholzer
The former Milwaukee Bucks coach couldn’t quite make it work with the Phoenix Suns, but he’s an NBA title winner who arguably got the short end of the stick with Milwaukee. If the Bulls want to return to prominence, Budenholzer might be a good person to mount the resurrection. It’s never bad to have someone leading you who won a title.
Micah Nori
Nori may be an NBA coach before long through his run as a Minnesota Timberwolves assistant. Could the Bulls be his ideal landing spot? We have no idea, but if you’re looking at the assistant pool, Nori’s name stands out. Perhaps he could lure Anthony Edwards to Chicago on a blockbuster deal? Wilder things have happened in the NBA.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Bulls coaching candidates (Steve Kerr?) after Billy Donovan’s exit