The Chicago Bulls are teetering on the edge, and the question on everyone’s mind: is this the week that could decide Billy Donovan’s fate as head coach? After a dazzling 6-1 start, the team has stumbled dramatically, going 4-14 since and dropping eight of their last nine games. The early optimism that the Bulls could reclaim relevance has all but evaporated.
Friday’s narrow 129-126 victory over the lowly Charlotte Hornets offered a glimmer of hope. A last-second coaching challenge from Donovan overturned a foul call on Zach Collins, preventing Duke rookie Kon Knueppel from potentially tying the game. It was a single-possession win against another struggling Eastern Conference team—a temporary band-aid at best, not the statement Chicago fans desperately needed.
The reprieve was fleeting. On Sunday, the Bulls fell to the New Orleans Pelicans, 114-104, giving up 38 points in the fourth quarter at home. Donovan’s strategy shift that helped secure the Hornets win—benching Nikola Vucevic for most of the final period—was abandoned. Vucevic logged nearly seven minutes while defensive-minded Zach Collins and mobile Jalen Smith were relegated to spot minutes, a decision that left analysts scratching their heads. The coaching inconsistency highlighted a larger question: does Donovan still have full control, or is he already feeling the pressure from an underperforming front office?
Chicago now faces a brutal stretch of games against the Eastern Conference’s stronger teams: the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice) and the Atlanta Hawks. Injuries provide some openings—Ayo Dosunmu is out for Chicago, while Evan Mobley, Trae Young, and others are sidelined—but even so, the Bulls’ recent form offers little reason for optimism. Losses to sub-.500 teams like New Orleans, Indiana, and Brooklyn have already pushed the franchise out of play-in contention, leaving Donovan’s job security in serious jeopardy.
Adding to the tension is the organizational backdrop. Executive VP Arturas Karnisovas has repeatedly failed to construct a roster capable of sustained success. Missteps in roster building, coupled with a lack of savvy trade moves ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline, leave Donovan as the most visible target. While the coach cannot tank, the team’s ineptitude paints a bleak picture, and fans are asking: when will accountability arrive?
On the court, the Bulls’ projected lineup—Josh Giddey, Coby White, Isaac Okoro, Matas Buzelis, and Nikola Vucevic—has struggled to find cohesion. Giddey remains the team’s best guard, but pairing him with White has exposed defensive weaknesses. Injuries to key players like Dosunmu exacerbate the challenges. Against Cleveland, Chicago will face All-Stars Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen; against Atlanta, the Hawks’ offense, even without Trae Young, remains formidable. Every game this week could deepen Donovan’s scrutiny.
This week may very well be the defining moment for Billy Donovan in Chicago. The team is underperforming against easily beatable opponents, roster decisions have been questionable, and fans are restless. If the Bulls stumble against Cleveland and Atlanta, the heat on Donovan could become unbearable, forcing the front office to make a high-stakes decision about their recently extended head coach.
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For Donovan, the challenge is clear: adapt, inspire, and eke out wins where possible, or risk seeing his tenure end amid one of the most frustrating stretches in Bulls history. For Chicago, the question looms larger than a single game: can the team salvage its season, or is it time to finally confront the mistakes that have pushed a Hall of Fame coach to the edge?
The answers may come sooner than fans think, and all eyes will be glued to the United Center this week, watching as Billy Donovan fights for his future—and perhaps for the credibility of a franchise in crisis.
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