It’s been less than a year since Colin Cowherd moved to Chicago full-time, but The Herd host is quickly becoming a go-to for rumors around the city’s sports teams.
And on Tuesday, after the Chicago Bulls parted ways with head coach Billy Donovan, Cowherd didn’t waste any time going on air with rumors around Donovan’s potential next destination.
Both in a post on X and a segment on FS1’s The Herd, Cowherd claimed that two sources in the NBA’s Eastern Conference suggested Donovan was headed to the Orlando Magic — before Donovan even left the Bulls.
“I was told this weekend, two separate sources in the Eastern Conference … both said, ‘Keep your eye on Billy Donovan in Orlando,” Cowherd recalled.
“I said, ‘He’s staying in Chicago.’ They said, ‘He’s ‘weighing,’ not staying in Chicago. He’s weighing it.’ And remember, they love him in Chicago. This is not a Doc Rivers situation. They love him, the Reinsdorfs love him.”
Now that Donovan is in fact out in Chicago, Cowherd feels confident Donovan would go to Orlando… or, in a completely different sort of career move, the University of Kentucky.
“Orlando is ready to win now,” Cowherd said. “Even if you (Chicago) nail your picks, that’s like a three-year runway to get good, because they’ve made so many mistakes giving players away and missing on players. Orlando’s ready to win now. Now if Orlando beats Detroit in that series, I kind of got a feeling the Pistons are going to come back, blowout win … or keep your eye on Kentucky basketball.”
Interestingly, Orlando faced loud rumors that it would fire head coach Jamahl Mosley for much of the season, but stole Game 1 on the road in Detroit over the weekend.
At the same time, Mark Pope is still employed at Kentucky. And Donovan hasn’t coached college basketball since 2015.
The two-time NCAA champion still boasts a .532 winning percentage in the NBA despite overseeing a rebuild the past two years in Chicago, and will undoubtedly be a top target across the NBA this offseason. But Cowherd is going somewhat out on a limb, tying Donovan so strongly to two jobs that are not yet open.
“This dude is hyper-competitive. He’s in unbelievable shape. I think he’s going to stay in the NBA, and I think people are out of their mind if they don’t consider hiring Billy Donovan,” Cowherd said.
“And I’m not saying Orlando is going to fire its coach … I don’t like to see anybody get fired.”
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.