Report: Juwan Howard emerges as candidate for Los Angeles Lakers job
The Los Angeles Lakers will seemingly need a new head basketball coach with media reports swirling that Frank Vogel will be fired. Among the candidates to replace him are Michigan head coach Juwan Howard, according to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Nick Nurse of the Toronto Raptors is among the top targets, but in Charania’s report he threw Howard’s name into the mix. Vogel has yet to be officially let go by the Lakers as of this posting.
“Nurse, who led the Raptors to a championship in 2019, signed a multiyear contract extension in 2020 and has two years left on his deal,” Charania said. “It’s unclear whether he will be attainable or whether he would have interest, but the Lakers are hoping the former Coach of the Year is an option with the allure of coaching James and Davis and the appeal of the Los Angeles market. To acquire Nurse, the Lakers would need to receive permission from the Raptors and likely engage them on a prospective trade. Over the next several weeks, expect several other candidates to emerge, including University of Michigan coach Juwan Howard, who interviewed for the opening in 2019.”
Howard, the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2021, is 61-32 in three seasons on the job in Ann Arbor. Michigan finished 19-15 this season, but made its fifth-straight appearance in the Sweet 16 where it was knocked out by Villanova. Howard signed a five-year contract extension with the program in November 2021.
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Not Howard’s first rumor, won’t be the last
Much like his peer Jim Harbaugh over in the football building, Howard’s name routinely appears this time of year in head coaching rumors. Given the recent contract and both sons, Jace and Jett Howard, set to be on campus together in 2022-23, the timing for a jump would be odd now. An iconic NBA brand calling could change things, but the Lakers still technically have a head coach. To call Howard a legitimate candidate at this point would be a bit of a stretch.
Some believe that Howard will make the jump back to the pros at some point, but there remains unfinished business at Michigan. Given his ties to LeBron James and the pedigree of the Lakers job, the news does raise an eyebrow. This is something to monitor, but could also be nothing.
Michigan men’s hoops just kicked off its offseason. It appears to have a plot thread now that goes beyond players deciding if they will return.
