Several days, jet rides and text messages to the AP have gone by. Cleveland Cavalier’s owner Dan Gilbert made it clear that he wants Michigan State’s Tom Izzo for his team’s next head coach.
This scene has played out before with Izzo. He dodges the media, side-steps questions and remains mum about his actions. Reports are never clear as to what Izzo will do or how official an offer actually is.
This time, though, the offer is real. A five-year contract at $6 million a season for $30 million total (double his salary at MSU) and use of Gilbert’s lavish private jets is on the table.
Cleveland’s signature All-Star and two time MVP LeBron James is now a free agent. A large part of this $30 million deal is weighed on whether James will re-sign with the Cavs. Many a newspaper have been covering this story and they all say the same thing; Cavs plus no LeBron James equals mediocrity for Izzo.
Izzo still has a contract with Michigan State extending through 2016. He has confessed to being “fascinated” with the NBA, but this isn’t the first offer that’s been presented to him at the professional level. What would be different about this offer that would sway Izzo to leave his roots, the school that propelled him to collegiate greatness and which he took to six Final Fours in 10 years?
Of course, there’s always a possibility of expanding his horizons and reaching a different level, but what I said before sticks. He’s been presented with pro coaching offers before. If he had his heart set on coaching in the NBA, why hasn’t he taken an offer before now? One answer might be the elaborateness of the proposal. One can’t face the prospect of earning $6 million per year to coach as successful basketball team and simply wave it off. It’s not surprising that Izzo decided to weigh the options.
On the other hand, the star who makes the team as great as they are is free to sign with whoever he wants. If James doesn’t want to be coached by Tom Izzo then he won’t be — he has that power. Without LeBron the Cavs job doesn’t hold as much weight, even with the proposed $30 million. Cleveland will not win a championship without James and they’ll be hard-pressed to get Izzo without him.
History has taught us that college coaches transitioning to NBA have major adjusting to do, and it doesn’t always turn out to be the dream job they expected. Sure, Izzo will live in a lap of luxury, flying on palatial jets and enjoy $6 million per season. But what he’d be leaving behind is worth, in my humble opinion, a whole lot more than that.
His legacy at Michigan State extends now a decade and a half. He may have only won one NCAA title, but he’s gotten dangerously close since then. He’s taken his team to 13 straight NCAA Tournaments , six of which have resulted in Final Four appearances.
This is probably the reason Izzo is taking his sweet time mulling it over. $30 million is a lot of money. Michigan State is his family — he makes Spartan basketball. Would it be worth it to give that up? Until he decides, Izzo watch continues.
UPDATE
Izzo watch is finally concluded! In a press conference, Izzo publicly rejected the Cleveland Cavaliers’ offer. He told members of the media that he is “a Spartan for life — and damn proud of it.” Izzo almost sounded like he never intended to leave Michigan State. Good news for all the Spartan fans out there who were biting their nails and singing “MSU Shadows.”
The LG Blog 