Thunder’s Westbrook overshadows Donovan
It speaks volumes about the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Billy Donovan that you almost forget he was a college coach.
Gone are the comparisons with the Lon Krugers, Tim Floyds, Rick Pitinos or John Caliparis of the basketball world, college coaches who fell short in the NBA and thus created the idea that the transition to the pros was simply too tough. His 19 years at Florida, a run that included back-to-back national championships (2006 and 2007) and 10 SEC regular-season or tournament titles, are fading farther in the rearview mirror.
And with good reason: After nearly two seasons of success with the Thunder, he’s making history with Russell Westbrook.
Amid all the focus on Westbrook’s pursuit of the triple-double average, that mystical mark not achieved since Oscar Robertson did it in 1962 and a milestone Westbrook can clinch Friday, it’s worth remembering that he’s not doing it alone. Donovan has played a part, too. He holds a combined regular-season record of 100-60 in his first two seasons with the Thunder, led them within one game of the Finals last season and has them in the sixth seed in the Western Conference despite doom-and-gloom predictions last summer when Kevin Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors.
“I have gotten a lot of enjoyment and fulfillment out of these last two years here,” Donovan, who played for the New York Knicks in the 1987-88 season, told USA TODAY Sports. “The thing that’s been great is that Russell, being the leader that he is, it’s front and center all the time about competing and winning.
“As a coach, I’ve been around players or teams where you have to crank them up. And you’ve got to motivate them to get them to play. I never, ever, as a coach, ever get on the floor for a game and am thinking in my mind, ‘Is this guy ready to play tonight?’ And when you have your best player that you never have to worry about, that is an incredible luxury that -being a head coach for as long as I have — I’ll never take that for granted.”
Any other season, Donovan would likely get serious consideration for Coach of the Year. But though the honor will likely go elsewhere, whether to the Houston’s Mike D’Antoni or the Miami’s Erik Spoelstra or former Thunder coach and Washington coach Scott Brooks or someone else, the part that shouldn’t be forgotten is how Donovan helped the Thunder pivot from the devastating loss of a former MVP to a season that they see as uniquely special.
“I don’t think people have a true understanding of how challenging (losing a player like Durant) can potentially be,” Donovan remembered. “When you take a team that’s as young as we are (third-youngest in franchise history), and we have a leader like Russell who can show these guys what goes into winning, I just think what he has done is remarkable.”
The process started not too long after the Thunder traded Serge Ibaka to Orlando for Victor Oladipo in late June and then Durant left.
“How do you come up with a system and a style of play with a group of guys that you have not necessarily had the opportunity to coach or be around very much,” Donovan said. “So we’re starting off at square one. That’s why I thought it was so important in the offseason to come up with a style, an identity of how we wanted to play. And Russell, I think, was really on board with understanding that and believing in that and wanting to do that.”
In theory, it sounds easy. But for all of Westbrook’s talent and athleticism, it’s no secret he has struggled with recklessness. Coaching him, in other words, can be like catching fire. There’s a fine line between cooking and getting burned.
As Donovan sees it, Westbrook learned a valuable lesson two seasons ago that has served them all well during this historic run and made their partnership that much easier.
“The team got decimated with so many injuries, with Durant’s foot at that point in time, Serge Ibaka’s knee, Russell missed some time as well,” Donovan said of the season before he arrived.
“I think Russell tried to put the entire team on his back to try to make a playoff push late, and obviously they came up a little bit short. I think that experience has helped Russell to realize that he’s got to really involve his teammates.
“I think he’s done a terrific job being a leader, and what that entails. Giving our guys a lot of direction, and confidence and belief, in what we’re doing. And just being with him everyday, it’s his commitment to winning.”