OKC Thunder: Firing Billy Donovan won’t solve team’s biggest issues

What Needs to happen next?

I totally understand why some are so upset with Billy Donovan. Aside from a nice playoff run in 2016, albeit that ended poorly with the issues previously mentioned, Donovan has underachieved in each of the past two seasons into 2019.

He was heavily out-coached in each of the Thunder’s last two playoff appearances. It’s honestly embarrassing how the team has struggled to adapt to losing Andre Roberson of all players. The team most likely knew heading into the season that even without a setback, they would be without Roberson for a while. But again, it’s Andre Roberson, not a good enough excuse.

All that being said, and I hate excuses, but you can’t help but wonder if things would have been different had Westbrook been available not just in the first two games, but also the preseason. That’s the time when teams can experiment with new kinks and lineups. It would have been the perfect opportunity for Westbrook and Dennis Schroder to have gotten some playing experience with each other. Now, the Thunder will have to do some learning on the fly, in games with meaningful outcomes.

I don’t think Donovan should be fired mid-season. Most coaches who are fired mid-season are replaced by, as Bill Simmons refers to them, “substitute teachers” who have no business being head coaches to begin with.

(Note: The tweet above refers to former Milwaukee Bucks interim coach Joe Prunty, who coached the team after firing Jason Kidd in the middle of the 2018 season.)

What are the Different Internal/External Options?

The only realistic option, in my opinion for an internal in-season coaching change would be Mo Cheeks, who not only has coaching experience, but has also been deemed, the “Russell Westbrook whisperer”.

Westbrook certainly respects the former all-star point guard, NBA champion, and recently enshrined Hall-of-Famer. But with a shaky head-coaching record, having been fired by three different teams, it’s understandable he might be better suited as an assistant.

With the exception of Ty Lue, who was fired hours before this piece was written, most interim head coaches don’t amount to much success. And we all know who the real man in charge of the Cleveland teams Lue coached was. Even then, Lue was considered an up-and-coming coach, and should still get another head coaching opportunity after being fired by trigger happy Dan Gilbert.

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So if replacing Donovan internally wouldn’t work, would finding an outside option mid-season be viable? My strong guess is no for two main reasons. First off, there is no training camp or preseason to implement his strategy. It would be more mid-season adjustments which would surely require some sort of a learning curve. Second, who right now is out there? The same names like the Van Gundy’s and Mark Jackson are being thrown around.

I almost feel like there is a reason Jeff Van Gundy and Jackson haven’t gotten coaching opportunities since they were each respectively fired from their last jobs. In addition, no assistant coach is going to leave mid-season, and neither will any college coach. So you have a really limited pool to work with. Those coaches will also surely demand more years, which could get ugly if the Thunder bring a coach on a five year deal who turns out to be a disaster real quick.

Prediction on Donovan’s Fate

Unless things get ugly real fast where it becomes painfully obvious the Thunder have quit on Donovan, I think you have to give him the whole season. Then, if you want to move on, especially as he enters the final year of his deal, you can move on from him.

But if Presti hires the same type of coach like Brooks (who you can also say was a successful mid-season replacement coach after the Thunder fired P.J. Carlesimo) or Billy Donovan who both have defense-first offense-second mindsets, it won’t matter. If Russell Westbrook continues to play his way, it won’t matter. For the Thunder to get back to title contention, it might require making some significant changes, on the roster, and in the overall mindset of how the team should play.

Donovan survives the season but both sides “mutually agree to part ways” at the end of the year.