I GUESS WE SHOULD ADDRESS THIS:

NBA storylines we'll be monitoring in the NCAA tournament: Juwan Howard, No. 1 pick candidates, mid-major prospects, upperclassmen vying for first round consideration and more (with @Mike_Schmitz)https://t.co/b5aP8xn8Wu

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) March 17, 2021

Seth: Hope Howard buys Jim a steak and milk with the money that used to be his.

BiSB: /Homer into the bushes and re-emerging meme/

Harbaugh NFL rumors
Howard NBA rumors

For those who don't know NBA Media... is this the same insular "The Shield is life" attitude, or would there be some meat behind it?

Brian: I have a hard time believing he'd leave before Jace and Jett are done.

Ace: Same here. NBA media aren’t as militant as NFL because, aside from basketball drawing better journalists than football in general, they’re more willing to acknowledge that they are two different games with different draws.

They will also acknowledge job security in a way NFL guys did not. The nba is ruthless, meanwhile Howard could be here forever.

BiSB: For immediate purposes, it feels like "Howard might leave for the NBA" rumors are less damaging for recruiting purposes in basketball than football, at least for top-flight guys.

Ace: I don’t think anyone is taking them too seriously.

BiSB: True, but even if they persist.

Alex: Also important to draw a distinction between “NBA wants Juwan” (which... of course. I can’t believe Minnesota hired Flip’s failson instead of him.) and “Howard interested in NBA.” I don’t know if anyone would offer him Full Control like SVG had with the Pistons or whatever but I’m sure there will be interest from pretty much every team that may have an opening.

Ace: FWIW the NBA as a whole has been pretty bad about promoting longtime black assistants and that may sour Howard on the league a bit. Seeing Steve Nash get a head coaching job with zero experience after he got passed up multiple times has to stick. They’re talking about maybe needing an NBA version of the Rooney Rule.

[After THE JUMP: Who’s worried not worried]

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Alex: Maybe this is just wishcasting but I do feel like the cultural side of the college game appeals to Howard in terms of mentorship and relationships with the players.

Ace: Meanwhile Howard almost got a top assistant hired as a head coach in two years.

Alex: He’s not gonna get bossed around by a star, but he’s also not gonna have 10-day and G league guys floating on and off the roster.

Ace: I agree, I think the relationship aspect of the college game appeals to him.

BiSB: A lot of the stuff written when he was hired seems reeeeeally dumb in hindsight, and the inherent racism is almost impossible to read out of it.

/glances toward Valenti

Ace: Valenti even went so far as to backtrack on his initial take, which really requires a lot.

Brian: I think there was a surface-level "NBA to college doesn't work" take that was pretty dumb... and then you have some sportz talk guys going beyond that. Like people were comparing Howard to guys like Chris Mullin, who'd literally never coached.

Ace: Yeah, there was a lot of downplaying his experience as an assistant and the fact he spent the last few years as a player basically serving as a player/coach. Plus, Miami’s franchise has been one of the best and most forward-thinking in the NBA as well as having one of the better player development programs. Howard got credit for plenty of that while he was still there.

Brian: So yeah now two years in he's gone from Chris Mullin to hot NBA name du jour.

BiSB: No pressure, Indiana.

Brian: PSU hiring Shrewsberry seems like a clear "let's try the Howard path" hire.

Ace: Well, he’s getting a clean slate to build that program, at least.

Penn State transfer portal update hits six players with Lundy joining the list: https://t.co/z2xdO7xLAI

— Ben Jones (@Ben_Jones88) March 16, 2021

Alex: Shrewsberry did come up through the college game until he was hired by Stevens in Boston.

Brian: Well, he's going to get a lot of runway now. PSU coaches usually do. But anyway, back to Juwan.

Alex: I think you're right in that Juwan's likely to stay at least until Jace and Jett are done with college hoops. I could see him trying his hand at the next level someday. But he does really seem to like the college game.

Ace: Howard seems really tough to replicate, though, even putting aside the fact he’s a mega-famous alum. The level of coaching and playing experience is really, really high for someone who didn’t have a head job before. He’s the most-liked person in the world outside of College Park, Maryland. Then add in that he was in the Fab Five and shed tears of joy when he was hired.

Brian: I engage in the same wishcasting as Alex because of that. I kind of feel like this guy is inclined to stick around.

Alex: Patrick Ewing is the best comparison and until their run through the Big East tournament... it really did not work out.

Brian:

[Marc-Grégor Campredon]

Ace: NBA guy: he’s devastated he had to settle for the college game.

Alex: The quotes from players about how great of a guy he is and how much he cares... you don't see that with many college coaches. Sure, he could build those kinds of bonds in an NBA franchise because of his personality, but it's not the same. Especially because he's at a place that means so much to him.

Brian: Also the Chaundee Brown locker room video is something.

Yea we were able to get a key road win, however, it’s moments like this that really makes this team winners.

Congrats Chaundee!#GoBlue 〽️#WolverineCulture#LockedIn pic.twitter.com/9bzVJPYrpw

— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) February 15, 2021

I'm never going to say that a coach definitely won't leave after Beilein but I feel like if and when Howard goes it'll be after a long run at Michigan.

Ace: There are several Senior Day photos that could go here, too. Maybe we’re all in denial but it really feels like the fit is too good here for Howard to leave before adding some serious hardware to the trophy case.

BiSB: It also helps that he's primed to enjoy significant on-court success for the next many years.

Alex: Hopefully the athletic department forks over the money to put him at the top of the conference. The contract he signed was fair for a guy who'd never been a head coach at any level. It's not fair for a National Coach of the Year.

Ace: Yes, it’s certainly worth considering which NBA jobs will actually open up, and whether coaching those teams would be more fun than coaching the #1 class in the country plus whoever comes back from this one-seed next year. Give Howard a blank check and also let him name the length of the contract.

Brian: This article speculates that Sacramento, Washington, Atlanta, and Milwaukee might open.

Seth: With Beilein at least we knew he had thought about the NBA because he interviewed with the Pistons the year before. Howard so far has said nothing but "Hard no" to overtures. I expected the NBA to ask, since Howard was in line to be an NBA coach until Michigan opened up, but in basketball coaching the chance to be a college legend at your alma mater >>> taking over a middlesome NBA team.

Alex: I'm imagining Minnesota's brass calling his agent like "hey sorry we didn't hire you last time but uh wyd."

Counterpoint: The NBA has better donuts. [Marc-Grégor Campredon]

Ace: Milwaukee would be an intriguing job to open up because they’re a legit title contender that hasn’t gotten over the hump, plus Giannis is locked in to a max extension. Atlanta has some interesting talent. The other options—I don’t think those are the ones to jump at, and I’m not sure the more interesting jobs actually open up.

Alex: Milwaukee should have made a move after last season, but that's neither here nor there. Howard seems genuinely happy at Michigan, which matters a lot. It's pretty obvious too.

Ace: Also, if the Bucks are going to fire Budenholzer, I wonder if they’d be looking at a more established NBA coach. We now circle back to the problem with NBA hiring, which is largely the same as NFL hiring, but in this case it could benefit Michigan.

Brian: There is something to be said for the fact that Howard has essentially infinite job security at Michigan.

Ace: Compared to the NBA, I’d say that’s extremely important.

Alex: Indeed. He was part of a great situation in Miami but those situations are few and far between. San Antonio comes to mind. Beyond that? Not many.

Ace: We’re talking about Milwaukee potentially firing their coach and they’re one of the best teams in the league.

Seth: And look at the class he's bringing in. I think basketball is way more who-you-get than football in that regard, so it's not like Juwan's star is likely to plummet and he needs to cash in when he's a hot commodity.

Brian: So:

1. Jace and Jett
2. Emotional introductory press conference
3. #1 recruiting class
4. Not a lot of great NBA options
5. Loves mentoring aspect of CBB
6. Michigan can and will pay him

Alex: Look what happened to Dwane Casey in Toronto. It's a cold world out there.

Ace: [looking at Warde Manuel and Stephen Ross and Al Glick all at once somehow]

Michigan CAN and WILL pay him.

Brian: We're all so jumpy because of Beilein to the Cavs.

Alex: Michigan had BETTER pay him or else there are going to be several extremely angry bloggers picketing Crisler.

BiSB: With Beilein, though, you knew he could return to the college game at Not Michigan and be roughly as happy. Michigan is presumably different for Howard than Not Michigan.

Brian: The last thing I'm worried about is the Michigan Money Cannon failing to shower Howard appropriately.

Ace: Yeah, if Indiana boosters can single-handedly fund Archie Miller’s firing, we’re good.

Beilein was clearly sick of losing his finds to the NBA, and clearly wasn’t down for doing what most other teams do to keep them. [JD Scott]

Seth: I'm not jumpy from Beilein. Beilein:

1. Was at a different point in his career,
2. Had much less to prove in college,
3. Had a ceiling with how he recruited that was an endless source of frustration for him,
4. Had already investigated an NBA job seriously the year prior.

Brian: Well I'm jumpy.

Alex: I think with any coach, there's an intense desire to compete. If Howard feels that the competition level is higher in the NBA, maybe he'd entertain making the move. But I'm with you guys: if that ever happens, it's probably going to be a while. The NBA will doubtlessly take a pass at him every offseason until then. But you can't beat Maryland's ass three times every year with the Memphis Grizzlies or whatever.

Ace: I’d certainly prefer the rumors didn’t exist. At the same time, I’m still in the camp that it’s pretty unlikely for at least a few years. The NBA will still be there for him.

Brian: Beilein seemed to get really tired of recruiting bullcrap and frustrated at the general inaccessibility of higher-level guys. Emphatically not a problem for Howard.

BiSB: For recruiting purposes, do the rumors almost help with the 5-star types?

Seth: Also: 5. Beilein had never been to the NBA. Howard isn't laying in bed at night wondering what he'd be on that level. There's no magic castle there for him to imagine.

Alex: Bryan's right that Michigan is special to Juwan. I mean, we all went there. We all saw his press conference. We've all gotten BTB drunk at 2:30 in the morning.

Ace: Alex, you’re showing your youth, BTB arrived when I was in high school.

Seth: Sigh. BTB opened right after I graduated. But Spot's drunk, yes.

Alex: We all went to a Final Four as students. Right?

Ace: …

Seth: Uh, we counting Frozen ones?

Alex: [showered with rotten fruit]