Michigan has replaced John Beilein.

Juwan Howard has agreed to a 5-year deal to become the Michigan head coach, source told @Stadium.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) May 22, 2019

I'm neither over the moon or ready to visit Ann Arbor Torch and Pitchfork. My initial list of coaching candidates had three guys above the Yak line. Billy Donovan apparently wasn't interested; Steve Prohm inexplicably never came up; Juwan Howard is the guy.

I preferred Howard to the motley crew of available names below the line because they were either barely more proven than Howard (LaVall Jordan), had long track records that looked like middling coaches at middling schools (Porter Moser, Ed Cooley), or were completely ridiculous for any number of reasons (Ed McKillop! Chris Collins!). Yeah, Juwan Howard's a risk. Anyone Michigan hired was a risk. Three and a half years into John Beilein's tenure he was 1-6 in conference and everyone wanted to fire him. A piano is going to hit someone today. Life is chaos.

And while Juwan Howard is a risk, he also comes with upside that the other candidates palpably lack. Think this moves the needle with recruits?

Talk to me nice. Say it is so!!!? My guy deserves this opportunity. This will only be right https://t.co/TWWH4UuiTZ

— DWade (@DwyaneWade) May 22, 2019

Man WHAT!!!!?? Absolutely the right choice and i hope it becomes a done deal ASAP!! One of my favorite people I’ve ever met at the age of 16 and been around since then. https://t.co/hdmF60odnm

— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 22, 2019

Survey says: yes. If you thought Beilein was a popular choice for kids of NBA players you haven't seen anything yet.

Howard isn't just a Michigan alum from the most famous recruiting class ever. He's not just a guy who spent 19 years in the NBA and then immediately moved to the lead assistant position on one of the best organizations in the league. He's also the guy who got his Michigan degree by doing the work in hotel rooms during his rookie year. He's also the guy who Lebron James and Dwyane Wade stan for on twitter.

He's not a slam dunk. He's also not a shot in the dark.

Xs and Os Proficiency

[Bryan Fuller]

If Howard was a football coach he'd be the defensive coordinator of a team led by Nick Saban, Charlie Strong, or Will Muschamp. He is a defensive lead assistant under a defensive head coach (who is under Pat friggin' Riley). The defense is good, but how much of that is the assistant's doing and how much is the head coach? For the record, Heat defensive efficiency marks over the past six years: 15, 20, 7, 5, 8, 7. The NBA is a lot flatter than college basketball so maintaining a spot in the top quarter of the league four years running is impressive.

Howard had at least something to do with that:

“He’s probably our biggest defensive coach.” Josh Richardson told Five Reasons Sports recently. “Any defensive adjustments that need to be made, he’ll normally pick those out and tell us about it. He’s our emotional coach. The coach that will get us going, get us back in the ball game, get us excited.” …

“Coach Juwan helped me out a lot personally, because coming here I had never played the four,” Jones Jr. told Five Reasons Sports. “Switching to the four, and having to learn the pick and roll coverages with my man as the screener, he helped me fast track that a whole lot. Sitting down watching film with him, Bam, Hassan and KO. That helped me out a lot.” …

“He’s obviously a really important voice for us.” Kelly Olynyk told Five Reasons Sports. “…Just trying to be there offensively and a lot of times defensively. Especially for the bigs, how to guard certain actions, pick and rolls. A constant reminder of what you’re doing and how to do it better.”

Howard is old-ass Jon Teske. This is a good thing. Jon Teske would be an amazing coach. That surge is correlated with Howard getting Hassan Whiteside and then Bam Adebayo up to speed.

Howard has had a clear positive impact on offense with his individual player development of Miami's bigs. Other than that, dunno. His approach is a mystery. Given the way the NBA has gone literally any guy up for head jobs is going to be pretty close to John Beilein, at least as far as emphasizing threes and shots at the rim. I have one dollar that says that Michigan feeds the post more, but I would have said that no matter who Michigan hired.

One encouraging thing here is that Howard zipped past a longer-tenured assistant…

The fact Howard rose to the rank of top assistant so quickly on a staff that also includes longtime member Dan Craig speaks volumes about his Xs and Os.

…and won the confidence of Spoelstra even before he put on a suit:

"His last two years of playing," Spoelstra said, "I really thought that Juwan had a lot of qualities that showed he could be a very successful coach. He was a leader in the locker room. He understood the game on a deeper level. He had a great work ethic. Those things translate very well to this profession."

The Heat organization is no joke, and Howard jumped the line. He has the profile of a rapid riser.

Went to the Celtics game last night and sat 10 feet behind Danny Ainge, but he left at halftime before I could think of something witty about Chipotle to yell at him. Also Juwan Howard has to be the most actively involved assistant coach I've ever seen

— Tim Lawrence (@TimLawrence10) January 22, 2019

[After THE JUMP: recruiting, development, and potential catches]

Recruiting

N/A. Howard obviously hasn't been a recruiter. He should have some major AAU connections since has two sons coming up through the ranks. Jace, the older, is a class of 2020 wing with a San Diego State offer. Jett, the younger, is tracking towards being a major prospect in the 2022 class.

The upside in 2022 SG Jett Howard (@JettHoward5) is very very high. A solid two-way player who effects both ends of the floor and he already has that body frame for a two-guard as a freshman. His full potential is on it’s way @nightrydaselite.

— Samad H. (@Mod_Hines) April 20, 2019

He already has Florida and Vanderbilt offers.

Random internet comment here but seemingly one from someone in the AAU scene:

Over the last few years he’s really turned into our main development guy of our bigs, and is a very likable guy that will definitely do well in recruiting.

I know for a fact being around youth basketball circles that he is very plugged in with high school guys down here due to his sons being solid players so I could see him being connected ala Penny Hardaway at Memphis.

Great hire, IMO. Will be a shame to not see him on the bench anymore

Howard might also be able to make some inroads with Chicago's Mac Irvin Fire AAU program, where he played yea so many years ago. Chicago recruiting is a veritable bag minefield. If anyone can navigate it, Juwan Howard can. Also, he has the endorsement of Dwyane Wade and Lebron James.

Unfortunately, Howard's nephew Jaden McDaniels just went off the board to Washington.

Development

.@MiamiHEAT rookie Bam Adebayo (@Bam1of1) + Assistant Juwan Howard worked on the pick + roll in pregame in #Brooklyn (by @formshooting) pic.twitter.com/UGlcQGTIA0

— DraftExpressContent (@DXContent) October 8, 2017

Howard has been widely credited with the development of Hassan Whiteside and Bam Adebayo. Whiteside was a second round pick in 2010 who spent most of his time in the G-League before a strange world tour that took him to Lebanon, China, Lebanon again, and China again. He played for this team at his final stop:

Hopefully someone is currently looking at a weird spike in Monkeykings merch.

Anyway, Whiteside returned to the G-League in 2014 and then caught on with the Heat. A couple years later he'd developed into a max contract player, leading the league in blocks, despite some clear red flags:

Two years ago, the Miami Heat had a massive decision to make. Hassan Whiteside had emerged out of nowhere to become an impactful center, a 7-footer with the ability to both score and be a rim protector. He had also spent two years out of the NBA for a variety of reasons, and there were real questions about whether he had the maturity necessary to play on a big-money contract for a team hoping to contend.

But when Whiteside hit the open market in the summer of 2016 — when virtually the entire league had money to burn — multiple teams were willing to offer him a max contract. The Heat had to give him a four-year, $98 million deal or let him leave for nothing. Understandably, they chose to pay up.

And Howard was the guy working with him every day to get there:

On Christmas Eve, after most teammates had moved on to holiday pursuits, that sphere of influence had a singular focus on the Heat's practice court at American Airlines Arena. For assistant coach Juwan Howard, it was defending a repetitive series of post moves, offering guidance at each turn. …

As a player, Howard's game was more on the perimeter, more face-up jumpers. But his wealth of experience against nearly two decades of post-up competition is what is conveyed in sessions such as these.

"Right now, it's building a trust," Spoelstra said of the Howard-Whiteside dynamic. "The most important thing is building a trust with a player. And in this business, it's not so much what you know; it's the level of trust that a player has, that this coach is going to make me better. And Hassan trusts that Juwan's intentions are pure, that he has a great knowledge base, that he has a great work ethic.

"The things that they cover, he sees improvement. Like, two weeks later, 'Oh, man, we've been working on that.' And it translates. I think that's invaluable. I think that's more important than any other quality."

That big contract is one Miami might regret now as Whiteside's mercurial temper has made him a malcontent. His playing time has been sapped the last couple years by Bam Adebayo. Adebayo was a Kentucky one-and-done who got drafted 14th, so he was outside the range where he's a lock to succeed and had a ton to learn as a one-and-done big. In year two he started blowing up:

Spo credits Bam Adebayos work behind the scenes with Juwan Howard as a major reason for his improvement in an increased role.

— Greg L. Sylvander (@Lefty_Leif) March 6, 2019

Adebayo repeatedly mentioned Howard as a major influence on him, affectionately calling him "Coach 17" because he was 17 years deep into his NBA career before arriving in Miami.

Shandel Richardson, who covers the heat for The Athletic, on Howard when he was a candidate for the Lakers job:

Howard’s primary responsibility has been helping develop the Heat’s big men, particularly Hassan Whiteside and Bam Adebayo. He was instrumental in Whiteside going from G League project to becoming one of the league’s top rebounders and defenders. Last summer the two spent a lot of time working together. Although Whiteside hasn’t become the offensive player the Heat expected, much of his improvement can be attributed to Howard. The outcome has been a little better for Adebayo. Under Howard, he is starting to show signs of becoming an effective player on the offensive end. It has really shown the past month, with Adebayo being a threat as a scorer and rebounder. He has often credited Howard for his growth.

There's a distinct Harbaugh vibe. Howard can give it to anyone he's going up against if they relax a hair. Also he's got his own camp now:

As a student at Camp Howard, the nickname coach Erik Spoelstra has tabbed Howard’s big man school (Howard was wearing a Camp Howard t-shirt Thursday after practice), Adebayo gets to go toe-to-toe with Howard every now and then in the paint.

It gets physical.

“Sometimes he’ll catch you off guard,” Adebayo said. “You’ll be posting up and he’ll really shove you and it will catch you off guard. He’s got this thing where he’s like, ‘Never relax your shoulders.’ So I’ll always be prepared.

“[He’s] not bad for an older guy."

For the full Harbaugh effect he'll have to participate in shootaround. Here's hoping.

CEO Stuff

assembling a staff is job 1 [Marc-Gregor Campredon]

N/A. Our first indications will be what he does with his assistants. It would be crazy not to keep a least one, and even though Howard is something of a defensive coordinator himself if I was a first-time head coach moving from the NBA to college and I knew I could put half of the strategic burden on autopilot I would do that in a hot second. That means Yaklich, who would also give Michigan its best shot at retaining Jalen Wilson.

I am completely down with retaining Washington and Hayes—nothing about this program needs a reboot. It seems unrealistic to hire a head coach who doesn't bring even one of his own guys, though. Washington may be redundant since he worked with the bigs and Michigan just hired Juwan Howard. On the other hand, Washington's recent track record with bigs is Moe Wagner and Jon Teske. Not bad.

There are some encouraging quotes about Howard's demeanor. Relating to players and pushing them without alienating them is the heart of NBA coaching, and that's another reason Howard was a riser:

Howard’s passion is contagious. His ability to relate to players, get them to buy in to the culture and want to be coached, is exemplified in his relationship with Heat point guard Justise Winslow.

“He’s been great. Just with me, we have of connection through Coach (John) Lucas down in Houston.” Winslow told Five Reasons Sports. “He knows the basketball environment that I grew up in and where I come from.”

Howard has the unique ability to tangibly challenge players in a genuine, healthy way. There’s an evolutionary balance that exists in how much you effectively push today’s NBA athlete.

For me, I played with him, so I still have that relationship with him as a player,” Udonis Haslem told Five Reasons Sports. “I respect him so much, not only as a coach, but a guy who has been in the trenches with me. So, it’s like double respect. It’s the respect as a coach and it’s respect as you’ve been in the trenches with me. I know if my back is against the wall you are one of the guys I can depend on it. I still call him (Howard) Big Homie. Even though we’ve played together and had so many opportunities together I still look up to Juwan and value his opinion and everything he can bring.”

Howard isn't going to be a screamer on the sideline. He may even clash less with his players. Beilein did have a tendency to frustrate some of his more exuberant players. Amongst his many endorsements is one from Duncan Robinson…

In his podcast, Duncan Robinson believes that Juwan Howard (who is his coach in Miami) would be a great fit for the vacant head coaching gig.

“I love Juwan, I think he’s a great coach and he would be great for recruiting... I’ve learned a lot from him this year” #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/NW2TF8ZnG0

— Raine Hernandez (@BringerOfRaine) May 19, 2019

…he's likely to be a cultural fit with the guys already on the roster.

Potential Catches

He ain't done it before. A real and major concern. The NBA is not college. College is not the NBA. And while Howard does not have the profile of a lot of NBA-to-college flameouts, many of whom never coached at all or were clearly bad-idea retreads, neither does he have any track record.

I don't think he's going to flame out. Everything about Howard's trajectory since his birth suggests he's a serious worker, a good dude, and a basketball mind. But maybe he secretly thinks Ed Cooley's offense is rad.

A return to the association. Michigan should be a terminal college job. The NBA has its lure, as we just learned to our shock and horror, and Howard is a guy who will get plenty of NBA buzz if he's a hit in Ann Arbor. If he does get poached it won't be the end of the world. By that point at least one of LaVall Jordan, Patrick Beilein, Luke Yaklich, Saddi Washington, or Nate Oats should be pleasantly hireable, and it's unlikely the landscape is nearly as barren as it was this time around.

But if Howard is a hit keeping him around would be real nice. For what it's worth, Chris Webber swore up and down on Rich Eisen's show that Howard would grow old and die on State Street if he got the job:

I am racking my brain for a place on State Street that a wealthy adult would live… and… uh… upzone State Street?

I'll never believe anyone is going to stay forever after our dear sweet John left. If Webber's on point maybe Howard would wait for either 1) a slam-dunk opportunity or 2) a Beilein-rivaling tenure before departing. That would be just fine.

The looming specter of dear sweet John. A couple of CBB pundits have asserted this job is a death trap for the same reason any job is a death trap immediately after the best coach in school history departs. They are not wrong. I have engaged in a holistic cleansing procedure to purify my mind and body, and I know that this will be completely useless when Michigan is 38th in turnover rate one year in.

38th! Damn! More like Juwan Amaker amirite! Fire everyone.

I don't think we know how much John Beilein has warped our perceptions of what basketball is. I spent a few hours this week hunting for programs that might have assistants to poach, and no one on Earth comes anywhere near John Beilein when it comes to metronomic offensive efficiency. Sometimes the shots don't go in, but by God a Beilein team is going to turn the ball over less often than Kim Kardashian frees the wrongfully convicted. Every turnover after #3 is going to feel like a return to the Amaker era. People will lose their shit about the stuff they forgot Beilein did too, like lose to NJIT eight years deep.

As a program legend with the backing of most of the NBA and various extremely rich people, Howard is far more insulated from the backlash than most would be. He is not immune. If things start going sideways the tendency of Michigan to descend into poisonous factionalism is going to be a problem.

WELL?

This looked like a foregone conclusion as soon as it became clear that a thunderbolt wasn't going to shake any of the slam-dunk candidates loose, and it didn't get screwed up. I would have preferred the foregone conclusion to conclude more quickly—Ohio State hired Chris Holtmann in four days—instead of interviewing candidates who shouldn't get the job over the obvious pick. With three open spots every day matters.

But it didn't get screwed up. The fact that Yaklich has not yet taken the Texas job is a good sign for Michigan's ability to retain some program continuity here. If Michigan does in fact retain a couple of assistants Manuel will have done about as well as could be expected in some trying circumstances.