Darvin Ham was not Lakers’ first choice as head coach?

Apr. 7, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Darvin Ham against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Lakers 125-105. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

New Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham is more than qualified to serve in the position. But it turns out that he may have actually been the team’s Plan B.

Veteran basketball writer Marc Stein reported this week that there is buzz in league coaching circles that Michigan coach Juwan Howard was the Lakers’ preferred candidate. Stein adds that the Lakers made such strong overtures to Howard that the implication was that their head coaching job was his if he wanted to take it.

The 49-year-old Howard was teammates with LeBron James on the Miami Heat, winning two rings together. He was also teammates in college at Michigan with Lakers GM Rob Pelinka.

It is true Howard was linked to the Lakers as early as April (Ham was only officially hired on Friday). Unfortunately for the Lakers, Howard turned down their advances and chose to stay at Michigan for a notable reason.

While Ham has more experience than Howard as an NBA coach, there were indeed signs that the Lakers were split over who to hire. For his part, the former NBA MVP James reportedly wanted a different coach than Ham.