The Chicago Bulls finally pulled the plug on Billy Donovan, and the search for his replacement is already heating up. According to multiple reports, Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Johnnie Bryant is one of the early names Chicago is targeting to lead the franchise out of mediocrity.
If you have not followed Bryant closely, here is the short version. He spent years as a player development guru with the Utah Jazz, then jumped to the Knicks as Tom Thibodeau’s lead associate head coach, where he helped turn New York into a defensive nightmare. He left for Cleveland last offseason to work under Kenny Atkinson, and the Cavs front office has reportedly raved about his fingerprints on the team’s offensive structure.
So why Bryant for Chicago? Look at the roster. The Bulls have a collection of young guards, a project frontcourt, and a need for someone who can actually develop talent instead of just managing minutes. Bryant built his reputation in Utah by turning Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles into better versions of themselves. That is exactly the resume Chicago needs.
The bigger question is whether the Cavaliers will let him interview. Cleveland just got embarrassed by the Knicks in the second round, and the assistant coaching staff is going to be picked over by every team with an opening. Bryant has been on the head coaching short list for two straight cycles. This time around, the timing might finally line up.
The Bulls Have Bigger Problems Than the Bench
Let us be honest about the situation in Chicago. The roster is the issue, not the coach. Donovan was working with very little. Zach LaVine is gone, DeMar DeRozan is gone, and the front office has spent two years pretending Coby White is a foundational piece. Whoever takes the job is walking into a rebuild that the team will not admit is a rebuild.
Bryant, if he gets the gig, has a chance to do what Atkinson did in Cleveland. Take a team nobody respects, install a clear identity, and let the players grow up together. The Bulls have not had a coherent vision in years. Hiring an offensive mind with a real player development pedigree would at least give the franchise a direction.
Other names that have surfaced include former Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse, who has been making the rounds in NBA front office circles. But Stackhouse feels like a swing for upside without much downside protection. Bryant is the safer bet for a franchise that cannot afford another four-year coaching cycle that ends in the play-in tournament.
What This Says About the NBA Coaching Carousel
This year’s coaching market is brutal. Phoenix, New Orleans, Chicago, and a handful of other teams are all chasing similar profiles. Assistants with offensive backgrounds and player development chops are the hottest commodity, and Bryant fits every single box.
The smart money is on Chicago moving quickly. They tried to move slow under Donovan and ended up missing the playoffs again. If the Bulls actually want to turn this thing around, they need to land an interview with Bryant before the Cavaliers’ first practice ends.
Watch this space. The next two weeks will tell us a lot about how serious Chicago actually is about getting better.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
