You’re thinking about the wrong job. Ron knows hes toast as coach, hes known this since he brought EB in. The job he might still hold out some hope for, is GM/Player Personnel.

My guess is hes hoping that picking Howell will overshadow whiffing on Forbes, and if he can get a good haul for basically renting out Sweat/Young, he might be able to make a case for GM. Its a long shot, but not as long a shot as staying on as head coach.