HOUSTON – Billy Donovan is not a capologist and he’s not about to pretend to be one.
He admittedly doesn’t even know the exact financial value of players around the league once they hit the open market.
Not his pay grade.
What the Bulls coach does know, however, is it’s his job and the responsibility of the front office to try and make this product better, especially with the trade deadline just over three weeks away.
While it’s on executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas to continue fielding phone calls and talking possible deals, Donovan said it’s on him to continue evaluating players currently on the roster and help “define a Bulls player.”
Guard Tre Jones? A “Bulls player” evident by his career-high 34 points to go along with seven assists in Tuesday’s 119-113 loss to the Rockets.
Injured big man Zach Collins? A “Bulls player” just with his physicality and mindset.
All well and good for a few examples, but Donovan also knows that if the roster is going to get out of the quicksand of mediocrity that it’s slowly been sinking in for four-plus seasons now, raising the talent level is a must.
“This is how I look at it: (Getting that star player) is a totally valid point. I think what you have to do organizationally with the number of guys that we have as free agents is how do you define a Bulls player? What do you want a Bulls player to look like?” Donovan said. “With that being said, some of these guys can be guys that are in your second unit that you can sit there and say, ‘We don’t want to lose this guy,’ but he could be really terrific in the second unit.
“Then the other part comes into what do those financials look like, what is the financial investment? Does the player sit there and say, ‘OK, I want to go into free agency and see what’s out there.’ What we need to do is identify who are those guys that we feel represent how we want to play … Clearly, trying to raise the talent level and add more to the team, no question that needs to happen, but the players you have within your organization, we’ve got to do a really good job evaluating those guys. That’s not to say that if something came down the road for Arturas and (general manager) Marc (Eversley) they wouldn’t say, ‘Listen, this is an unbelievable situation.’ First and foremost, they’re going to do what’s best for the organization.”
Which will once again be tested as Feb. 5 bears down on the Association.
Until then, however, priority No. 1 for Donovan is winning games. A position they were set up to do against the Rockets with 3:29 left in the game and up one. Then they blinked, and after a Kevin Durant nasty one-handed slam, and then Jabari Smith Jr. heating up, just like that it was gone even with Jones’ heroics.
“My shot felt good,” Jones said of his night. “Obviously shot more than I usually do. Just trying to take what the defense gave me.”
Sure, there were some rotation breakdowns in that final stretch and the shooting did cool down, but as has been the case far too often this season – and the talent level Donovan was asked about – Houston has a future Hall of Famer in Durant, who finished with 28.
The Bulls (18-21) have a nice offensive system, a handful of key players still sidelined, and a roster that has been screaming for an overhaul.
“Just continue to come together as a group,” Jones said of how they can turn this around. “We’re not going to be whole for a little bit. We kind of realize that. It’s a next-man-up mentality.”