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Lamar Odom: Lakers Should Hire Juwan Howard, Not Tyronn Lue, as Head Coach
May 4, 2019
Former Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom believes Juwan Howard is the right choice to replace Luke Walton as the head coach in L.A.
In an interview with TMZ Sports, Odom explained why he feels Howard is the best fit:
"Somebody that has some presence," Odom said of Howard. "Somebody that can handle having LeBron [James] on your team."
Since parting ways with Walton, the Lakers have interviewed several potential replacements. Howard is among them, along with Tyronn Lue, Jason Kidd and Monty Williams, the latter of whom was hired by the Phoenix Suns to be their next head coach on Friday.
The 46-year-old Howard has plenty going for him that would make him a solid choice for the Lakers. He was a one-time All-Star and two-time champion during his 19-year playing career, and he spent his final three seasons with the Miami Heat as LeBron's teammate.
He also spent one season as James' assistant coach in Miami. Overall, Howard has been an assistant coach under Erik Spoelstra with the Heat since 2013.
Despite Howard's connections to James and his strong resume, he appears to be a dark horse in the Lakers' coaching search.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday that the Lakers are "proceeding toward an offer" for Lue to be their next head coach "in the coming days."
Lue served as LeBron's head coach for parts of three seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they won an NBA championship together in 2016. Lue is also a former Lakers player, which perhaps gives him a leg up over Howard in terms of connections to the L.A. job.