Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
An important conversation looms between Michael Reinsdorf, Billy Donovan
08 Apr 2026
Chapter 1: What are the implications of Billy Donovan's future with the Bulls?
Rahimi Harrison-Grody. Midday's Tindall 2. On Chicago Sports Radio, 104.3 The Score. Only the Bulls, man.
This is Rahimi Harrison-Grody on 104.3 The Score, and we are asking the question, are the Bulls preventing themselves from embarking on as successful of a search as it could possibly be when Billy Donovan is part of this equation, even though there might be a different GM, well, there will be a different GM, and also perhaps vice president of basketball operations.
So we wanted to know what Billy had to say after Michael Reinsdorf had this declaration yesterday.
Chapter 2: How does Michael Reinsdorf's declaration affect team dynamics?
No, I don't think so. I mean, you know, the first thing is, you know, Arturis and Mark were the ones that brought me to Jerry and Michael. Right. So I'm really, really grateful for the opportunity that those guys provided me to be able to talk to Jerry and Michael.
Chapter 3: What does Billy Donovan's relationship with ownership entail?
Right. You never like seeing something like that happen. Organizationally, like I've mentioned to you guys, there's going to be a time we're all going to have to sit down and talk. With Arturis and Mark and their situation, it's going to be myself and ownership and probably John Paxson. We'll sit down and talk and just figure out what's the path from here moving forward.
So nothing's really changed from that end. It's just obviously the situation with Mark and Arturis. And I always feel bad when anybody in this profession loses their job, whether it be a coach or a front office person or someone that you actually work closely with.
For Billy to basically just tell us in all of that that he said, check in with me next week because I still got to have this conversation. That's what I heard there. I've got to have the conversation with ownership. And you heard him mention John Paxson specifically, the guys who will be in charge of this search and working with this search firm.
Billy, I don't know that he knows what he's going to do. I don't get the feeling, right?
That was my initial question to begin with. For example, Billy supposedly said he didn't want to be part of a rebuild. But then he had to qualify those statements recently, right? Then there was the... Are you going to go to North Carolina thing? And I've maintained, if you're in the NBA, why would you go back to college with how it is now?
Unless you're a guy like Brad Underwood, who at least has the process established and knows what he needs to do day in and day out to create a Final Four team. But your team may be completely different year in and year out because of the transfer portal. at least when you're in the NBA, you don't have to deal with it to the turnover of that level.
And you're not dealing with commitments from teenagers without contracts and stuff like that. So I just, I didn't know if that's something he wanted to go back to. And they wanted a big name, UNC, and they got one in Michael Malone. And there's a reason his name, Billy's, keeps popping up.
The better piece of this is how much do we need to consider his extension after he was interviewed for the Knicks job last year?
You sure he was extended? Because I was told that we don't talk about extensions yesterday.
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Chapter 4: Why is Billy Donovan's coaching record under scrutiny?
Somebody comparing this to the union. The fact of the matter, like a union business, this is not just like you're interchanging a supervisor. Like we don't, we don't all, we would all largely stay if the supervisor was different. And maybe when our contracts come up, then the decision would be made that, you know, oh, they don't want this person necessarily.
But it would still be their call, right? Like, this is a basketball team. You have 30 other examples of how this goes. So I'm not real sure. Like, that's not a good comp. Like, look at the best practices in the NBA, and they would tell you that this isn't the way these things are done for a reason.
Like, you've got all these other examples, including Oklahoma City, where Sam Presti was brought up. Sam Presti and Billy are not working together. That was a mutual agreement as far as we understand. But it's the same idea. Who's hiring who? And Pressy came up through the organization as well. So that's why we bring this up. We'll take your calls, 312-644-6767. Al on the south side.
Al, you're on Rahimi Harrison-Grody.
Hey, how are you all doing this morning? Good, good. How are you? Man, pretty good, except for this. So I just wanted to just get this out, man. High-level coach. I'm sorry. All right. Billy, he may be a very nice guy. Seems great.
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Chapter 5: What are the factors influencing Billy Donovan's coaching decisions?
I'll definitely have a beer with him. But he also has a sub-500 record as a coach. One playoff appearance with a wonderful record, might I add. And three play-ins, of course, with no good results. I mean, we can't praise him for being a good coach from seven years ago at OKC and even longer ago in college. Yes, Hall of Fame, but not with the Bulls.
Michael even stated, when hiring Billy, it was important that he had input on the rosters. So I'm not buying that Billy didn't have input on these rosters, and it's not his fault that these teams did not succeed beyond what they did. There have been coaches that have been fired after winning championships because their organizations have a high standard.
So in any business, if you want to grow it, you don't thrive off of mediocre results. Wolves have been mediocre with better than average talent at times, and that's in the coaching. I'm sorry, Billy. Thank you, but peace out, man. Okay, Al. I hear you. I do want to say, you talked about him having involvement in personnel. I think you're referring to what Michael Reinstor said.
He wanted Billy to have more input on personnel going forward, which also, what executive is signing up for that? Hey, I want to give the coach more power to determine who's on the team.
Well, that's it. This isn't the best practice of the league. This creates a possible power struggle. And if we're thinking about this, and you're a GM who has his choice of where he wants to go or stay at ESPN, Bob Myers, or if it's somebody who's come up with the organization or just the next possible candidate, they're not going to be okay with this necessarily.
I think it's different if Billy Donovan was this NBA championship level coach. He has not won championships at the NBA level. He has been to the playoffs one time. I remember when the Bulls were tied 1-1 with the Bucs in a series, and I was like, oh, the Bulls have a chance. They did not have a chance without Lonzo Ball to win that series.
If Billy Donovan was out here winning championships, then yeah, you could look at it as a Greg Popovich type situation where he picks the guy who's going to run things. But that's not what we're talking about here. They need structurally a fresh voice, a fresh vision at the top.
And whatever that guy, if you hire the right guy, you and your search firm, and John Paxson, whoever else is in the room for these interviews, if you hire the right guy... He has to be given carte blanche to do whatever it takes to remake the Bulls into a winner.
Not a mediocre team, as Al just talked about, but an actual consistent season after season winner that does, yes, continues to grow in the right direction.
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