Billy Donovan steps down as Bulls coach after 6 seasons

(John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/TNS)

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls will move forward without Billy Donovan.

The coach decided on Tuesday to step away from the team after six seasons following a meeting with Bulls ownership. Donovan did not tip his hand about a potential decision to leave or stay in the final days of the Bulls regular season. He followed through on a promise to meet with ownership before coming to a final conclusion, ultimately announcing his decision just one week after the Bulls finished the season with a 31-51 record.

“After a series of thoughtful and extensive discussions with ownership regarding the future of the organization, I have decided to step away as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, to allow the search process to unfold,” Donovan said in a statement. “I believe it is in the best interest of the Bulls, to allow the new leader to build out the staff as they see fit. My gratitude for this community and this organization is permanent.”

This is not the end of coaching for Donovan, who will immediately become a top candidate for openings around the league as the NBA kicks off the whirlwind coaching carousel. Although the coach has passed on several premier opportunities to return to NCAA coaching over the past three years, league sources expect him to hear out offers for open seats around the NBA in the upcoming weeks.

The decision places the Bulls at a critical turning point — one that ownership always hoped to navigate with Donovan as a guide.

President/CEO Michael Reinsdorf emphasized the team’s desire to retain Donovan after the April 6 dismissal of executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas and general manager Marc Eversley. Bulls ownership saw Donovan as a crucial building block to its vision for the team. Reinsdorf stated in an April 7 news conference that anyone who didn’t see Donovan as the proper fit as coach was “not the right candidate for us.”

Without Donovan, Reinsdorf will now work with senior adviser John Paxson and assistant general managers JJ Polk and Pat Connelly to seek a new top executive and head coach — a massive undertaking for a team in flux after missing the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season.

“Billy Donovan is one of the finest people and coaches I have had the privilege of knowing and working with. He brought class and genuine care to this organization that made a real impact on people,” Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “We wanted Billy to continue as our head coach — that was never in question. But through honest conversations, we all agreed that giving our new Head of Basketball Operations the right to build out his staff was the most important thing for the future of this franchise. That is the kind of person Billy is — he put the Bulls first.”