DALLAS — Bulls coach Billy Donovan was an assistant at Kentucky and recalled the Wildcats’ annual run-in with Bob Knight’s Hoosiers.
“It was always hard guarding all that motion stuff when they ran it because there was really no way to scout it,’’ Donovan said. “I think that’s where he probably branded what Indiana basketball was, that motion offense and the way they played the game. They were probably one of the first to do it, and he was obviously great at teaching it because a lot of teams couldn’t play that way.’’
That was the X’s-and-O’s memory that Donovan wanted to share about Knight, who died Wednesday at 83.
It was their time together off the court, however, that Donovan really appreciated. Knight was working for ESPN, and that’s when they were able to get to know each other.
“For two years there, he had a lot of SEC games, so we got a chance to spend time at shootarounds and after games, things like that,’’ Donovan said. “So I always really enjoyed him and got to spend some quality time with him.
“His program was filled with discipline. It was very, very demanding, but he really got the most out of his guys, graduated players. I think some of the things that happened were obviously unfortunate for him because it kind of took away from his greatness as a coach. My time with him was always really, really positive, really good.’’
Brotherly love
Patrick Williams couldn’t have asked for a worse start to the regular season.
He was averaging five points and 3.3 rebounds and shooting only 33.3% from the field, including 18.2% from three-point range, in a contract year for the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 draft.
Going into the game against the Mavericks, however, teammate DeMar DeRozan remained in the big-brother role for Williams and was his biggest advocate.
“What have we got, 78 more games?’’ DeRozan said. “He’s going to be all right. We’re all going to have that slump, a couple of games here and there where everything feels like it’s terrible. He’ll be fine. We’re all struggling in some way, whether it’s making shots, not executing as close to 48 minutes as possible. It’s a learning process for us all.’’
DeRozan said he has spoken to Williams often about the mentality of a contract year — coincidentally, the same situation DeRozan is in again — and gave him simple advice.
“I always tell guys that you can’t carry a contract on your mental,’’ DeRozan said. “That will put extra stress on you. You can’t feed into what people say about contracts, family or friends asking about contracts. All you’ve got to do is control what you can control. I always tell him, ‘Don’t worry about that. It will take care of itself when it’s time.’ ’’
Playoff atmosphere?
The Bulls will host the Nets on Friday, kicking off the team’s first in-season tournament game. And while Donovan said he was eager to see how the idea will play out, he was hoping his players would approach it like an early-season playoff game.
Donovan would not reveal if he would treat the game differently from a rotation standpoint, but he said he expects the intensity to pick up.
