Charles Barkley cracks wise about Donovan choosing Bulls job originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Bulls are back in the news, and Charles Barkley's got takes.
Hours after the Bulls hired Billy Donovan to be the team's next head coach, Barkley panned the move from Donovan's perspective on Inside the NBA on TNT (thanks to 670 The Score's Cody Westerlund for the transcription).
"Only two jobs worse than that (the Bulls head coaching job): the captain of the Titanic and my fitness coach," Barkley said.
"They ain't got no good players... He could have waited for a better job."
First of all, this is hilarious. Barkley is a national treasure, and these moments of unbridled wit are why.
But it's not a bite to be taken all too seriously.
Yes, Donovan was the most accomplished head coach on the market, and better immediate roster situations existed with the Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Pelicans and Indiana Pacers — all of whom still have vacancies — than the Bulls.
But the Bulls' cupboard isn't bare. They do have a stable of intriguing young talent — chiefly, Zach LaVine, Coby White, Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. — cap flexibility moving forward and a fresh-faced front office leading the way. In fact, the fact that the Bulls were able to lure Donovan speaks to Artūras Karnišovas' stature and sway, and the organization's upward trajectory.
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That's not to say all is hunky dory. The Bulls are coming off their second 22-win season in three years, and haven't eclipsed 27 since the start of the rebuild. For all the core's promise, they're unproven. It's not time to saddle this group with undue expectations just yet. More changes may soon come.
For the time being, Karnišovas, Eversley, and eventually Donovan, will continue the task of evaluating and setting in stone the roster for the 2021 season, whenever that may come. Voluntary group workouts begin Wednesday.
Still, an offseason filled with upheaval continues to inspire optimism. No matter what "Championship Chuck" has to say.
