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Travel back in time through the John Beilein era for Michigan basketball.
Wochit, Wochit

The timing is not great.

Warde Manuel said.

And that will only make things even more complicated for Michigan basketball.

The Wolverines must replace John Beilein, the most successful coach in the history of the program, after he became head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. This task is already quite herculean, given Beilein's stature and his role in reviving this program. And this is only more difficult since this coaching search begins in mid-May.

"It's not the perfect time," Manuel said Monday night at the Big Ten headquarters just outside of Chicago. Many movements have already taken place. Things have worked out, for the most part. "

As Manuel pointed out, most transitions take place between mid-March and mid-April. Alabama is separated from Avery Johnson on March 24. He hired Nate Oats in Buffalo three days later. Arkansas fired Mike Anderson on March 26. Eric Musselman boarded on April 7th. And the list is long.

U-M Sports Director Warde Manuel speaks at the International Champions Cup press conference at the U-M Junge Family Champions Center in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (Photo: Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)

It's not impossible to make a rental that goes well despite coaches' carousel at the full stop – Thad Matta was sacked on June 5, 2017 by the Ohio State. hires Chris Holtmann away from Butler four days later. He almost won the Big Ten in his first year and led the Buckeyes to fifth place in the NCAA tournament standings.

Performing a similar movement will be extremely difficult.

More: What is the next step for U-M basketball? It's a complicated question

Michigan research – which will be assisted by turnkey research – will come out of the normal period and with many presumed candidates already announced.

"People have taken their role and where they want to be," said Manuel. "Some successful coaches have now chosen other programs, I'm sure it will weigh on them, their families and the institutions they're at."

"The schedule is that I want to do things right. Although I would like this to be done as soon as possible, I will also take the time to make sure to find the right person for Michigan. And the right person to step in and continue the success we've had in the last five to six years. "

The Wolverines have a strong core that returns in their main guard, Zavier Simpson, in the senior center, Jon Teske, and in junior striker Isaiah Livers, but they needed to be expanded – especially at the guardhouse – to make up for the early departures from the NBA. That's why Beilein and his staff have spent last month recruiting.

"It's going to be difficult," Manuel said. "It would have been difficult for John anyway to continue to reach this level of success."

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Most prospects of the 2019 promotion have either committed or signed elsewhere. The graduate transfer market has also dried up. And although Jalen Wilson and Cole Bajema have each signed a letter of intent, they could choose to apply for a release from their Michigan Scholarship.

This is not to say that Manuel should speed up this process in the hope of saving the team from the off season and next season. The process of hiring a head coach is to find a long-term adjustment, not a short-term fix. After all, Beilein was 10-22 after his first season. He finished under .500 in his third season.

Overall, this movement will define Manuel's legacy as a sports director. He thinks it's a job among the top 10 befitting a coach of similar stature. He hopes that Beilein's successor will be able to continue the recent success of the program.

Both things can still be true. But the timing of this research is not on the side of Manuel or Michigan.

Contact Orion Sang at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Learn more about the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.

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Michigan Sports Director Warde Manuel "surprised" by John Beilein's departure to Cleveland Cavaliers on May 13, 2019.
Orion Sang, Detroit Free Press