5 reasons the Thunder should avoid Billy Donovan

With the firing of Scott Brooks, the Oklahoma City Thunder have a coaching position open. Here is why they shouldn’t hire Billy Donovan.

Since the firing of Scott Brooks earlier this month, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been searching for a new head coach. One that can get the Thunder out of the Championship-less rut they have been in the last couple of seasons, something that is seen as unacceptable in the eyes of the owners. Once a vacancy opens up in the coaching market, rumors start flying, and no rumor has been flying faster than Billy Donovan leaving the Florida Gators to coach the Thunder.

Next: The Greatest Player in Every Franchise's History

About a week ago, I wrote an article explaining how this might be the best career move Billy Donovan could make. He would inherit good players. His coaching style doesn’t necessarily clash with the likes of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Most importantly, he is a proven winner which could lead to some success.

But is this really the best option for the Oklahoma City Thunder? Probably not. Donovan has yet to coach a game in the NBA. He is a proven recruiter at the collegiate level, but that doesn’t mean anything anymore in the NBA. The Thunder should weigh all their options before jumping the gun on Donovan. After all, they do have some leeway to get what they want. The open coaching position in Oklahoma City is perhaps the most coveted coaching job in basketball right now. So they should sit back and play their cards right and not hire Billy Donovan unless something drastic happens.

Here are five reasons why they should do so.

1. College coaching doesn’t always translate

The most important reason the Thunder shouldn’t hire Billy Donovan is the simple fact that college coaching doesn’t always translate to the NBA. Of course, there have been some success stories. The most recent of which has come in the form of Brad Stevens and what he has done with limited talent in Boston.

Then there are coaches like John Calipari. After some early success in the NCAA as a head coach, Calipari got offered a job with the New Jersey Nets. After going 72-112, Calipari was fired during the 1998-99 season.

For every Stevens, there are three more Calipari’s that just don’t work out in the NBA. I have a feeling that since Billy Donovan is a coach who relies on his recruiting ability to be competitive every year, he will stray more towards the side of John Calipari and the success he had in the NBA.

2. He isn’t used to the egos that are in a NBA locker room

One of the big challenges that comes with being a head coach in the NBA is dealing with the big egos in the locker room. In college, Donovan was respected at Florida because he was the best coach in the history of the program.

In the NBA, he still has to prove himself. With the large egos of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, Donovan will have a short time span to win the locker room. If he does, he could maybe find some success. However, if he fails to win games early the trigger on his contract will be quick. The Billy Donovan era in the NBA could be quite short lived in OKC.

3. Much better options out there

I don’t mean to take away anything from what Billy Donovan has done at the collegiate level. He is truly one of the best coaches in the history of the NCAA. As far as the NBA goes, there are just better coaches out there who could be looking for work.

The most notable of which is Coach Tom Thibodeau, the head coach of the Chicago Bulls. Thibs has been on the hot seat with the Bulls since Derrick Rose failed to keep his knees healthy for the third straight season. If the Bulls fail to do anything in the playoffs this year, the Bulls more than likely will fire the head coach. Which means Thibs, who has emerged as one of the best coaches in the NBA, will get to pick and choose between just about any job he wants in the NBA. The best of which is the Thunder’s open coaching job.

The Thunder should highly consider waiting on Donovan. They would really kick themselves if they hired him instead of Thibodeau.

4. History in the NBA

Another thing that might deter the Thunder from hiring the famous college coach is his history with coaching in the NBA. Many people don’t remember, but Billy Donovan had signed a NBA coaching contract in 2007. But it ended before it could even start.

After signing a deal with the Orlando Magic to coach Dwight Howard and company to the NBA Finals, Donovan backed out of his contract. Not only did this waste a great deal of the Magic’s time, but they eventually had to settle for Steve Van Gundy instead. Not the most attractive of scenarios.

I’m not saying that Billy Donovan will for sure back up of any contract made with the Thunder. All I’m suggesting is that the Thunder should be cautious. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, well… I wouldn’t give him an opportunity to fool me again.

5. He is a risk the Thunder don’t need right now

Call Billy Donovan what you want: a great coach, stellar motivator, precise x’s and o’s guy. One thing is for certain, he is a risk. A risk that the Thunder simply don’t need to make.

They have the pieces to win a championship now. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are arguably the two best scorers in the NBA right now, and when healthy the two will terrorize the NBA like someone wronged them in some way. So why would they take a risk on Billy Donovan?

They don’t need to and they shouldn’t.

Next: The Greatest Player in Every Franchise's History

More from NBA

Home/NBA