Look at the standings right now and you'll see a team hovering right where they've been for years. It's frustrating. The Chicago Bulls are sitting at 19-22 as of mid-January 2026, occupying that weird, purgatory-like 10th spot in the Eastern Conference. At the center of this storm is Billy Donovan, the Chicago Bulls head coach who just won't go away, regardless of how loud the "Fire Billy" chants get on social media.
Honestly, it’s kind of wild. Last July, just when everyone thought the front office might finally pivot, Artūras Karnišovas doubled down. They gave Donovan a multi-year extension. It was a move that sent shockwaves through the fan base because, let’s be real, the results haven't exactly been "Dynasty 2.0." Since he took over in 2020, he’s managed only one winning season. One.
But there’s a reason he’s still standing in front of that bench at the United Center.
Why the Front Office Won't Let Go of Billy Donovan
If you want to understand why the Bulls keep Donovan around, you have to look past the win-loss column. Executives like Karnišovas and Marc Eversley value stability over almost everything else. They see Donovan as a "culture setter." To them, he’s the adult in the room who keeps a locker room from imploding when the shots aren't falling.
He’s now the third-longest tenured coach in the league, trailing only legends like Erik Spoelstra and Steve Kerr. That’s a staggering stat when you think about it. Most coaches with a sub-.500 record over five years are looking for TV analyst gigs, not signing extensions. Yet, the Bulls organization views his leadership as "integral" to their identity.
Is it working? Well, that depends on who you ask.
The defensive numbers this year are... not great. The Bulls are giving up 120.7 points per game, which ranks them near the bottom of the league. It’s a track meet every night, and usually, the other team has faster shoes. Donovan has been trying to lean into a faster pace—currently 4th in the NBA—but playing fast without a lockdown defense is a recipe for a 19-22 record. It’s basically basketball on a tightrope.
The Youth Movement and the Matas Buzelis Factor
One thing you've gotta give Donovan credit for is how he’s handled the kids. In the past, he was criticized for leaning too heavily on veterans like DeMar DeRozan. But this season feels different. Matas Buzelis, the rookie sensation, has started all 41 games. He’s averaging nearly 15 points and looking like a future All-Star.
Then there’s Josh Giddey.
The Giddey experiment has been fascinating to watch. He’s leading the team in scoring at 19.2 points per game while being the primary engine of the offense. Donovan has given him the keys to the car, and for the first time in years, the Bulls' offense actually has a "flow" to it. It’s not just a series of isolation plays. It’s motion. It’s passing. It’s... actually kinda fun to watch?
💡 You might also like: Is the Hyperion Elite Wetsuit Mens M1 Actually Worth the Hype?
- Josh Giddey: 19.2 PPG, 32.8 MPG
- Coby White: 17.9 PPG
- Nikola Vucevic: 17.0 PPG, 50.6% FG
- Matas Buzelis: 14.8 PPG, 34.3% from 3
This shift toward youth is likely why the extension happened. The front office believes Donovan is the right guy to mentor a roster that is finally, slowly, getting younger. They don’t want a new coach coming in and changing the system every 18 months. They want continuity.
The Chicago Bulls Head Coach and the "Mid" Trap
The biggest knock on the Chicago Bulls head coach is that he’s too good to let a team truly tank, but not quite good enough to propel a mediocre roster into the elite tier. Fans call it the "treadmill of mediocrity."
Donovan is a basketball lifer. He’s a Hall of Famer. You don't win back-to-back national championships at Florida by accident. But the NBA is a different beast. In OKC, he had Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and couldn't get over the hump. In Chicago, he’s had a rotating door of injuries (the Lonzo Ball tragedy still haunts this franchise) and a roster that never quite fit together.
People forget he was the NBCA Coach of the Year back in 2020 with the Thunder. He knows how to coach. The question is whether his style—which relies heavily on player empowerment and "playing the right way"—works when you don't have a Top 5 player on the court.
Right now, the Bulls are 10th. If the season ended today, they’d be in the Play-In tournament for the fourth year in a row. For many fans, that's simply not good enough. They see a coach who has gone roughly 214-227 in Chicago and wonder what it would take to actually see a change.
📖 Related: Klay Thompson look alike: What Really Happened with the Legend of Fake Klay
What the Critics Get Wrong
There is a segment of the fan base that thinks any coach could do better. I'm not so sure. Look at the assistant coaching staff Donovan has assembled: Dan Craig, Wes Unseld Jr., and Henry Domercant. These are high-level basketball minds. If the Bulls were failing purely because of "bad coaching," you’d see it in the effort.
But the players play hard for Billy.
You don't see the public bickering or the "quiet quitting" that happens in places like Milwaukee or Philly when things go south. Ayo Dosunmu is having a career year shooting 44% from three. Coby White has developed into a legitimate secondary star. These things happen because of development. Donovan might not be a tactical genius like Spoelstra, but he’s a teacher.
The Road Ahead for the Bulls
The next few weeks are critical. The trade deadline is looming, and with eight players on expiring deals, the roster could look very different by February. If the Bulls decide to sell high on veterans like Vucevic or Zach Collins (who has been in and out with injuries), it will put even more pressure on Donovan to win with essentially a G-League-plus roster.
Honestly, the "hot seat" talk is mostly noise at this point. With that multi-year extension in his pocket, Donovan isn't going anywhere unless things get truly catastrophic. Ownership is comfortable. The front office is comfortable. The players are comfortable.
Is comfort the enemy of greatness? Maybe. But in a league where coaches are fired after one bad month, the Bulls have decided to double down on the guy they trust.
Next Steps for Bulls Fans:
- Watch the defensive rotations: If the Bulls don't get their defensive rating out of the bottom five, no amount of Matas Buzelis highlights will save their season.
- Monitor the Giddey-White chemistry: This backcourt is the future. If Donovan can get them to click defensively, the Bulls have a path to a top-six seed in 2027.
- Ignore the rumors: Billy Donovan has the full backing of the Reinsdorfs. Focus on the player development rather than waiting for a coaching change that isn't coming.