Billy Donovan to Thunder: Takeaways from Coach's Press Conference
The Oklahoma City Thunder announced the hiring of former Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan on Thursday to fill the same role in their organization. He replaced Scott Brooks, who was let go after the team missed the playoffs.
Adrian Wojnarowski and Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports reported the sides agreed to a five-year contract worth about $30 million for Donovan to make the jump from the collegiate level. He won two national championships with the Gators.
The team held an introductory press conference for their new coach Friday. Let's check out some of the notable highlights from the meeting with the media.
Royce Young of ESPN.com noted Thunder general manager Sam Presti said there was a large group of people considered before they chose Donovan:
DeAntae Prince of Sports Illustrated highlighted Donovan talking about already getting a chance to meet with some players, including superstar forward Kevin Durant:
"Billy Donovan said that he had a chance to talk to players and spoke with Kevin Durant today.
— DeAntae Prince (@DeAntae) May 1, 2015"
He went on to say he hoped to connect more with them over the next week. He also explained how highly Presti talked about the group as individuals beyond the basketball court.
Donovan wasn't afraid to joke about his previous extremely short stint in the NBA—he agreed to coach the Orlando Magic in 2007 and then reportedly changed his mind the next day—when asked about his lack of experience at the pro level, per Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman:
One thing the 49-year-old coach tried to do consistently was turn the attention back toward the players. News 9 Sports provided one example:
Perhaps the most interesting moment of the presser came when he discussed being in Oklahoma City after tragedy struck two decades ago. Mike Sherman of The Oklahoman passed along the story:
Thunder Obsessed provided Donovan's explanation of the type of offense he wants to create:
Durant will be a crucial part of that attack. The coach joked about why he didn't try to get the Texas product to join the Gators, per George Schroeder of USA Today:
KOTV provided his response about getting to a championship level:
Of course, the conference wouldn't have been complete without a question regarding Durant's potential foray into free agency after next season. News 9 captured the answer from Donovan:
The Thunder snapped a picture of the team personnel in attendance, which included the six-time All-Star:
All told, Donovan clearly doesn't mind holding court with the media. He seemed relaxed and answered every question tossed his way. Trying to shift the attention to how he was just part of the puzzle rather than the main focus was clearly a goal.
If press conferences were given grades, he passed with flying colors. Now the real pressure begins to build as the Thunder look toward next season.
