Scottie Pippen Says He's 'Not Impressed' by Bulls Hiring Billy Donovan as HC

Scottie Pippen has been around the Chicago Bulls long enough to know what real organizational change looks like and he hasn't seen any yet this offseason.

Even after bringing in Arturas Karnisovas to serve as vice president of basketball operations and replacing head coach Jim Boylen with Billy Donovan, Pippen isn't convinced the Bulls have improved.

Speaking to Chris Cason of Forbes, Pippen specifically said he wasn't "impressed" by the Donovan hire:

"If you're looking at it from a fan perspective, I'm not impressed with what they did. I don't think that they have made any dramatic changes that are going to change who they are as a team. That's just my personal opinion. I like Billy Donovan as a person but I don't think he's proved anything in the NBA that proves he's worth investing in and bringing a team up that needs help like Chicago does. They're a team that has been struggling for a long time. To me, I don't see the value he brings to them. He's going to be a coach but there are a lot of them out there. He didn't do anything special in OKC that warranted him a second opportunity. That's just my opinion."

Donovan was named the Nation Basketball Coaches Association's Coach of the Year in 2020, his fifth and final year with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite taking OKC to the Western Conference Finals in 2016, Donovan hadn't been able to sustain that success, falling in the first round each year since. 

Despite five straight playoff berths and a .608 regular-season winning percentage, both Donovan and the Thunder were interested in exploring new options. 

For Donovan, that means taking on a Bulls team that has not only been one of the worst teams in the NBA over the past few seasons, but also one of the league's most dysfunctional overall organizations since Pippen last played for them. 

Chicago is now on its 12th head coach since Phil Jackson left the team in 1998 with none lasting more than Tom Thibodeau's 394 games coached from 2010-2015. They've also appeared in the Eastern Conference Finals just once since the 1998 season (2011) and haven't been past the first round since 2015. 

Karnisovas believes Donovan is the coach to turn things around fully and told reporters he jumped at the opportunity to hire him as soon as Donovan parted ways with OKC:

"With all of our research and background, certain things emerged regarding Coach Donovan, the most impressive being the relationships he's built with players, coaches and [executives] that have worked with him over the years. He has built a reputation around the league as someone who values others and has a great passion for growing and developing players. Those that have played for Billy trust his coaching acumen and perhaps more importantly trust him as a person. In all of my conversations and my personal meetings with Billy, two things stood out: First, he's a great communicator and values his relationships with others, and second, he has the ability to inspire enthusiasm in others to strive for a common goal. He believes deeply that it's about the journey and who we're with that matters."

Pippen, a six-time NBA champion, isn't convinced those are the attributes most needed to turn the franchise around. 

Either the former franchise star or the current GM could end up looking silly for their comments depending on how Donovan's tenure plays out.