Luis Edu
The task of finding a new head coach is getting more and more complicated for the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season.
In the last few hours, it became known that the coach of the University of Michigan, Juwan Howard, decided to decline the Lakers’ offer for a family reason, according to a report by journalist Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
It turns out that at the moment, Howard has no intention of managing the franchise with most wins in NBA history: he wants to continue his current job, so he can coach his two sons in the upcoming college basketball season.
Let us remind you that we are talking about a man who has never been the bench manager in the NBA, but has 6 seasons of experience as an assistant for the Miami Heat.
Jace and Jett Howard are the two sons of the 49-year-old coach who are part of the Michigan squad. In Jace’s case, this year’s his college basketball debut.
Who are the Finalists for the Lakers Coaching Job?
After Howard’s negative response, the list of finalists for the vacant Los Angeles Lakers coaching job narrowed down to just three names: Kenny Atkinson, Darvin Ham, and Terry Stotts.
Whoever is the next coach of the team led by LeBron James, he will have the difficult task of the franchise after a disastrous 2021-22 campaign, as they finished in 11th position in the Western Conference, with a negative record of 33 wins, and 49 losses.
Juwan Howard’s Numbers with Michigan
After three seasons as coach of the Michigan Wolverines, Juwan Howard has a record of 61 wins and 32 losses.
His accomplishments as a varsity coach include qualifying for the NCAA tournament twice, as well as a Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year award. The American has a contract with Michigan until the 2025-26 campaign. Then, he could take the step of reaching the NBA as a strategist.
