Juwan Howard: Yes or No?
The prospects of having Juwan Howard being hired as the next head basketball coach have obviously been discussed throughout other threads, but I wanted to dedicate this thread to get the board’s overall sentiment about him.
He is now the perceived front runner for the job.
Pros:
- Had a very successful playing career both at Michigan and in the NBA
- Has been an assistant coach for the Miami Heat since 2013 under Erik Spoelstra with Pat Riley as GM
- Has played under other notables names Larry Brown, Doc Rivers, Steve Fisher
- Already has an intimate understanding of the school and program
- His presence brings back the Fab 5 brand to the school that younger players may not already be familiar with
- Only 46 years old
- Would very likely be a great recruiter
- He runs youth summer camps and leagues for at risk kids in Chicago and DC through his foundation, which demonstrates his ability to relate to young players
Cons
- Has never been a head coach and has been out of the college game since his time at UM
- Could/would he retain Yak/Saddi and build a good staff around him?
- If he has a great amount of success early, would he leave for a top gig in the NBA?
- Is his ceiling as a coach worth pursuing over other candidates’ floors?
- Is he getting an unfair look over other candidates for fitting the “Michigan Man” criteria?
I personally would like to see him as the next coach. What say you?
The other threads weren't good enough?
Asking for a friend.
If he didn't play at Michigan would he even be a candidate?
GTFO with that logic.
Question for you, 1201 - which realistic option would you like to see as the HC of the Michigan basketball team next year? We all see you bitch about Howard, Warde, other candidates, life in general, etc. but I don't know that I've seen you offer a suggestion as to who should be hired. I'm genuinely curious who Michigan could hire that would appease you.
1201 woulda hired brad stevens last sunday, for pennies on the dollar
Due to the rumors that we are swinging and missing on our top choices, I believe he has been saying at this point, Shaka Smart and retain Yak.
does he have insider information that states Texas will lower the 10 million dollar buy out for Smart? Or does he want Michigan to foot the bill? Does he know if Smart even has interest in the job? I’m asking you because you speak for him a lot, also how does he feel about Mo Bambas brother making that Facebook live video last year saying Smart and Texas were giving his brother money? You know since he thinks Penny is with no proof but Smart actually has accusations against him.
Brian's search bits number 3 was titled "It's Shaka Panic Day". If you have issues with those rumors then take that up with him and his sources. I don't think any of us know how Michigan will deal with the buy out if it comes to that. Texas seems like they don't want to budge.
You are still proclaiming that Penny Hardaway is running a completely clean program which is laughable. You are so passionate about it that you brought a disagreement from a different post over into this one. I'm cool with you thinking he is running the Memphis program a clean way. I think it is a far fetched idea but go ahead and think what you want. This is the internet, I realize I'm not going to change your opinion.
I don't know how any individual on this board feels specifically about the Mo Bamba situation. Honestly I forgot about until now. But it seem like the majority of people around her are ok with the players getting some pay to varying degrees. It seems like everyone is doing it. And before you say that that doesn't make it right, next time you are driving down the highway and the speed of traffic is going 5 to 10 over the speed limit, remember how you personally need to take the moral high ground and drive the posted speed because that's what you think Penny would do.
the only reason why I brought Penny up was because you guys are quick to make claims with no proof but Smart actually has accusations against him
No, because he would rather take an NBA job than any other college job. If he didn't play at Michigan he would only take a job in the NBA or at his hypothetical other alma mater.
But, he did play at Michigan. That was also a pro on the list for Harbaugh. That's like saying "if he hadn't won those championships, would we even be considering him?" about Donovan. Obviously championships > history, but the point remains.
And Brady Hoke coached at Michigan which was a huge reason why he was hired. Did people not learn anything from that debacle? The point is your resume needs to stand on its own merits.
And he'd already proven himself to be a mediocre head coach on top of being a former Michigan assistant, hence why most people thought it was an underwhelming hire at the time. Meanwhile, Juwan is on the cusp of a head coaching gig somewhere IN THE PROS. That stands on its merits for me, on top of also being a part of a storied time in Michigan basketball.
That's some solid revisionist history right there. "He went 12-0 at Ball State!" "He was coach of the year in two conferences!" "He turned around SDSU!"
As for Howard yeah he's interviewing for NBA jobs but he's not on the cusp of getting one. Furthermore guys like Avery Johnson, Chris Mullins, Eddie Jordan, etc are all guys with NBA coaching experience who bombed in college.
If his best attributes are "he played for Michigan" and "he might get an NBA head coaching job" then that is a laughably thin resume.
He's widely considered one of the best assistant coaches in the NBA, which leads to him getting consideration for multiple head coaching gigs in the league. That isn't worth anything? It's clear at this point that we're not getting any of the home run hires so I guess I don't get what you're pining for in this coaching search.
Hoke is a horrible comparison. Charlie Weis is a closer one. An alumnus, top assistant from a top pro-team, very little college coaching experience, no HC experience ... except that football operation is more complicated than basketball.
yes, we vote for Juwan partially with our emotion, but it is a gamble worth taking and other candidates are not without their own concerns.
Hoke and Juwan are not alike, almost a football centric opinion to have.
One was a random D line coach completely absent in the minds of every fan and the other was the catalyst for the formation of one of the most notable teams in the entire sport and one of the program's most talented and personable players.
I see your concern and fuck the Michigan man bullshit, but Howard is different. If you're at all a fan of this basketball program, he has to be.
You could have made the same point about Harbaugh in 2014
Considering all the "home run" guys - Wright, Beard, Stevens, Donovan, Bennet - all don't want to or have to work for an incompetent dumb ass buffoon AD like Warde, and the best of the rest in WD's opinion seems to be Shaka fucking Smart, YES - YES x1000000000000000000000000000 on Juwan
Because of people like you, I hope Shaka Smart gets hired and silences you with 8 consecutive national championships.
What in the 10+ years of his coaching career makes you believe Shaka is worth a damn?
And the only reason you want him to come is that people like me are simply pointing to his track record and saying he is dogshit?
Sounds like a totally good reason to want a coach
He can recruit well. So I think the logic is if you surround him with good assistant coaches, you could really have something.
But can he? He has bag man at Texas and they won't follow him to UM.
I doubt Smart will be pulling in Top 10 classes yearly here.
What in the 10+ years of his coaching career makes you believe Shaka is worth a damn?
And the only reason you want him to come is that people like me are simply pointing to his track record and saying he is dogshit?
Sounds like a totally good reason to want a coach
I don’t wanna know what you think of Cooley or Moser if you think Smarts resume is dog shit.
Both of them are exponentially worse, but they have seemingly fallen by the way side as viable candidates
But I am not holding my breath on Warde not completely fucking this up and actually hiring them - he is dumb and lazy enough to do so
Please explain how/why you say Warde is dumb and lazy?
You’ve posted the same drivel about 20 times today.
Does your spouse know you’re spending time at work on your personal anti-Warde crusade?
Stating my opinion based on the facts as we know them, on the message board for a fan site, created specifically for fans to share their opinions
Maizen, you've stated your opinion again, again, and again . . . we get it.
Maybe.
My first instinct 3 days ago was to retch when I saw Juwan's name being taken into serious consideration. But knowing the Athletic Department's likely dragging its feet on this and taking L's, I'm loving the idea by the minute. He might even turn out to be a far shittier coach than Shaka but I know who'd I love to watch on the sidelines.
He would be the best hire, imo, outside a surprise home run. We need a coach who can keep our level relatively where it is until a Beilein assistant gets enough of a resume to take over, or one of the home run hires become available.
Whether Howard is successful or bad, I believe we would be hiring another coach in 3-5 years. Then we can focus on getting a guy who will be successful here for 12-20 years.
Hiring a coach for 3-5 years would not be a good thing.
We missed the hiring window for this year. Kicking the can down the road until better options present themselves is valid option. Howard, imo, gives us the best chance at keeping the program where it is at until then.
Based on what? The fact that he played here? God this fanbase is an embarrassment....
Did you like UCLA's fan base better?
I don't know anything about that fanbase. The program is a joke now, that's for sure. Can't say anything about the fans though.
Look at your username, then look at the school he mentioned. I leave the rest of the equation up to you.
I do hope that if Howard is the coach, then he can beat his rival and seriously compete for a NC unlike the other guy with the big name who is really good at beating the teams he should beat and that’s about it.
He is a prospect for every single NBA job. Do you want an NBA level coach or a middling college coach? Because there aren't any good options left.
I agree. Except for the last part, I believe that is Yaklich. If he tanks, then we reload in a few years and haven’t blown $20 million on an unproven outsider. I’m ok with giving Howard a chance. I just am not super optimistic but he is low financial risk as well.
Yes, every candidate has pros and cons. Howard has lots of upside.
"If he has great success and leaves. . . ?" is not a con; that would be a pro that could be short-lived. In fact none of your cons are cons.
So not having any head coaching experience is not a con? Choosing/not being able to retain the current assistants is not a con?
I prefer Yaklich. But I must admit I am somewhat unfamiliar with Juwan’s coaching career. He has always been a solid guy with great character. Even as a player at Michigan he seemed to have maturity and steady hand
he always has steady head too
If Howard can and will keep Yaklich, then yes.
I keep seeing opinions like this one. Hire Howard and retain Yaklich, hire Smart and retain Yaklich. If Yaklich is so important, why don't we cut out the middle man and just make Yaklich the head coach. I think that's where i'm at right now, though there could be worse hires than Howard.
We know Yaklich is a great assistant, not sure if he's ready for a head coaching job.
We know the only way to have both the positive qualities of Juwan (recruiting, leadership, etc.) and Yak (defensive strategy, continuity) is for Juwan to be head coach.
I'm not saying Juwan can't hire his own guys, I'm just saying I'd feel better about it if Yak stayed here.