Bulls coach Billy Donovan's link to Kentucky job doesn't carry much weight

The link between Bulls coach Billy Donovan and the coaching opening at Kentucky makes sense.

After all, before he became a legend by winning two NCAA titles at Florida, Donovan was an assistant to Rick Pitino at Kentucky in 1989-94 and admittedly has ‘‘fond memories’’ of his time there.

But that’s about where the speculation comes to a screeching halt. A source told the Sun-Times on Tuesday that there had been no communication between the school and Donovan in the wake of John Calipari’s departure, and Donovan confirmed that before the Bulls’ game against the Knicks.

‘‘I have not been contacted by anybody; I have not spoken to anybody,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘My whole total focus and commitment is here to this team and this group. I think with what we’ve been through this year and the way we started . . . I give our guys a lot of credit for hanging in there and battling through some of the things they’ve had to battle through, and I’m with them on that. I’m committed to them on that. So, again, a lot of this stuff turns out to be speculation, but I have not had any contact with anybody, and my commitment is here.’’

And if he is contacted by Kentucky?

‘‘I would still say the same thing I said: I’m committed to being here with this group and helping these guys close out this year the best we can and try to get the home court in the play-in and try to advance,’’ Donovan said.

But that’s not the only layer to this. Donovan publicly has discussed the difference between the NBA game and what college basketball has become since he left Florida in 2015. He has said several times that the college game is completely different from what’s going on in the pros.

Add the transfer portal and NIL deals to the equation, as well as how much Donovan is valued by the front office, and the likelihood of him walking away from the Bulls is minuscule.

‘‘The thing I don’t love for the game is when the players can just jump around,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘I just don’t think it’s good for them because I don’t think it builds up any level of resiliency or tolerance. Now people might say coaches can jump and go here to here. I get all that. I get it.

‘‘[But] at a time where [players] are getting paid — and I’ve always been a big advocate of that and think that should have happened a long time ago — when these guys are fortunate to come up to this level, they don’t pick and choose which team they go to. They’ve got to go and earn a contract and fulfill that.’’

Donovan has two years left on his contract after this season. And even if the front office and ownership didn’t value him as much as they do, chairman Jerry Reinsdorf doesn’t like paying dead money to fired coaches.

A source recently said Reinsdorf, who is also the chairman of the White Sox, knew manager Pedro Grifol had put in a fireable season by midsummer of 2023, but he wanted to wait at least a year so the dead money wasn’t as big a hit. Reinsdorf, of course, denied that Tuesday.

But it all will play out for both teams.

‘‘I’m happy here at this level, but I also understand that in this profession sometimes things don’t work out at a particular place or things change,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘I know I enjoy coaching, and I know I enjoy coaching in the NBA.’’