It looked fitting for the Bulls to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday night and the East’s sixth-seeded finish behind Zach LaVine’s 35 points on the day after LaVine earned his first All-Star pick.
But not for the reason you think.
Yes, the Bulls acquired LaVine from the Timberwolves when the previous management regime decided to trade a complete rebuild in June 2017 and Jimmy Butler. And yes, LaVine is the first Bulls All-Star since Butler in the same year.
But it’s more for this reason: the Timberwolves arrived Wednesday night with Chris Finch coaching his second game since replacing sacking Ryan Saunders. It’s been three coaches – Tom Thibodeau, Saunders, Finch – in the four years since LaVine left the city.
This turnover is common for LaVine, who plays in Billy Donovan for his sixth coach in his seventh NBA season. Flip Saunders, Sam Michell, Thibodeau, Fred Hoiberg, Jim Boylen, Donovan.
But that’s why LaVine’s rise to All-Star status in Donovan’s first season with the Bulls is so important. Donovan is not going anywhere. The word around the league is that LaVine does not either.
And a partnership that starts a strong, respectful start should therefore only strengthen and grow.
That’s another reason why it makes sense for the Bulls to expand LaVine, whether it happens out of season or not. Just think of what he can achieve with some coaching stability, especially one of Donovan’s stature?
“Billy was great, man,” LaVine said. ‘A total of 180 of what we had last year, because we have almost the same team. We had our share in ups and downs, matches we had to win and did not play the right way. But our approach and my approach differ spiritually just as much.
‘I said it all along: (Donovan) challenge you and he is so respected and goes the right way. Clearly, we have all been bought in from the beginning. We were ready to fight for this man. ”
Donovan uses equally complimentary language when asked about LaVine.
‘My little time with Zach, I will say this: It is a pity in many ways that people do not get a chance to see behind the scenes who he is as a person. “He’s an amazing teammate and a great man, and I think the show, which you talked to his teammates about, is at the heart of how they feel about him personally,” Donovan said when asked about the team members’ sincere joy over LaVine’s All -Star choice. ‘I would say just as good as a player and just like he played, he’s even a better person than that. I have great respect for his game and what he did and the way he worked and tried to improve and get better, but he was always incredibly approachable. He was incredibly open-minded.
“He’s the same man every day. I think consistency is a big part for a player. As talented and talented as he is, he is the same person personally every day. I always ask him, ‘How are you?’ He says, ‘I’m fine. I’m always good. “I think that speaks to him. Guys enjoy being around him, and guys enjoy his company. ”
This coaching trait was noticed by other coaches who coached LaVine. But this Donovan-LaVine partnership is exhausting potential.
LaVine’s commitment to becoming a two-way player – a process that former coach Jim Boylen, as he was, began by challenging him – fits perfectly with Donovan’s non-nonsense approach to accountability.
Clearly, LaVine is responding to Donovan. He said he respects how Donovan directly challenges you. But when he says ‘he’s going the right way’, that’s what LaVine means: Donovan does it without seeking credit. He empowers the player even though he keeps the player at a high standard.
‘Zach was the one who made the decisions, that he really wanted to focus on becoming a two-way player, and that he wanted to focus on winning. It came from him, “said Donovan. ‘Of course, if you have a player in that spot, I think as a coach you’re trying to put things on his board that will put him in a position where he’s challenged to confront some of the things he wants to face. ‘OK, you want to become a two-way player? This is what it takes, this is what it looks like. This is what you need to do. Do you want to be a man who wants to be a leader? Well, you have to come in and be the hardest working man. If you want to hold your teammates accountable, you must first hold yourself accountable. You can not be the kind of guy who does not do that and say, ‘Listen, do as I say, not as I do.
“I think it was a learning process for him. Because I think because he’s so gifted, a lot of it was, ‘Give me the ball, and I’ll try to take us home and win the game.’ And I think he realized it was not working. So I think there are things he learned during the six years he was in the league, I think there are things he learned from last year that made him a better player. I think I come as a coach, and I tried to challenge him to just be better in the areas where he wants to be better. And to be honest with you, I totally agreed with him that he was watching movie when we sat down and talked about areas he wants to improve on. And I think he was really very good at working together and listening to my message. ‘
The messages connect completely when it comes to the desire to win. Donovan and LaVine share it equally and passionately. It’s a relationship up front, the possibilities seem endless as long as stability remains in play.
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