Tom Izzo/Cleveland Cavaliers Dance Could be an Extended One
by KJ@theonlycolors on Jun 9, 2010 2:06 PM CDT
in Michigan State Spartans Basketball
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PrintIzzo-watch Day 4 developments:
- Mark Hollis is hoping for a decision by July 1--although he's (obviously) not setting a deadline. It's hard to see the Cavaliers waiting that long to make a hire, but given that Hollis spent time with Tom Izzo this morning, I'm going to assume he's setting a reasonable timeframe based on what he's hearing from Izzo.
- Izzo met with the team. That seems like a signal there's not going to be a decision either way in the next 24-48 hours. Otherwise, he would have waited to tell them what the decision is.
- Hollis says that, if Izzo leaves, he'll move "swiftly" to hire a new coach. I think that's more a statement of reality, given how far we are in to the college basketball offseason, than it is a signal that he'd immediately call Brian Gregory and offer him the job.
Elsewhere, Lynn Henning has a piece up telling MSU fans not to fret about replacing Izzo. (Sarcastic aside from my Twitter feed that doesn't apply to Henning, who writes about MSU on a fairly regular basis: I'm glad to see all the Detroit columnists who normally only write about MSU basketball in March are on the Izzo/Cavs case. Indispensable insights.)
While I agree with Henning that MSU would be in as strong a position to hire a coach as its ever been in for either major sport, I don't think you can understate the potential negative impact on the outlook for the program over the next 10 years or so (the presumed length of Izzo's continued tenure if he stays). Tom Izzo IS Michigan State basketball. In table form:
| Pre-Izzo | Izzo | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seasons (since joining Big Ten) | 45 | 15 | 60 |
| Big Ten Championships | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| NCAA Appearances | 11 | 13 | 24 |
| Sweet Sixteens | 6 | 9 | 15 |
| Final Fours | 2 | 6 | 8 |
In accumulating all those achievements, Izzo has certainly boosted MSU's national profile, but MSU is still not a North Carolina, Kansas, or Kentucky--schools with the kinds of reps/resources that have allowed new coaches to come in and recruit top-ten classes right off the bat. The MSU basketball program is built on Tom Izzo's ability to take very good, but not great, recruiting talent and turn it into cohesive, nationally-contending teams. Could Gregory or Jim Boylen or Brad Stevens or Jamie Dixon do that? Yes. But almost certainly not with the consistency that Izzo has. (To be fair, Izzo may not be able to continue to do it at the level that Izzo has.)
Anyway, my point is that this is definitely worth freaking out over. And we may well be freaking out over it for another week, or two, or three.
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News from Twitter:
goodmanonfox Michigan State source told FOXSports.com that the Tom Izzo report by WFNY that he’s taking the Cavs job is “absolutely untrue.”
PP-TPW.
The Only Colors
Getting harder and harder to control
I’d love Izzo to have as much time as he needs but I think that this is more evidence that if he’s 60/40 for staying, he (even in his own best interest for the program) should consider accelerating the process. If he honestly doesn’t know yet, fine, he’s earned the right, but the quicker he decides the better for all concerned.
I'm starting to regret my decision to sign up for a twitter account. I don't know what to believe!
by Chris in Kzoo on Jun 9, 2010 2:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Agreed
Existence of Twitter is making this whole thing twice as agonizing as it would otherwise be.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Jun 9, 2010 2:24 PM CDT up reply actions
Crazy thing is the Izzo situation is what prompted me to sign up.
Now I’m hooked like a drug addict.
by Chris in Kzoo on Jun 9, 2010 2:41 PM CDT up reply actions
I signed up last night
And I hate myself for it.
It's going to be a good night.
by Spartalytical on Jun 9, 2010 3:11 PM CDT up reply actions
Also
If it’s hypothetically true, Hollis went on the record and basically covered for Izzo. Make of that what you will, I guess.
It's all about who they hire
I mean with the wrong hires (Daughtery, and Gillespie) two of the programs on your list struggled.
I think that Henning’s point was both that the program is in great shape, and that the people making the decision Simon, Hollis. Will make the right decision. I think their track record is good, maybe not yet great with Dantonio, Merchant, Boss.
As you said, it might be impossible even for Izzo to replicate his own success in the next decade.
Understand, i’m not trying to say we’ll be better off with a new coach, and I hope Izzo stays, but I think that there are some reasons to have some faith.
Also, i agree on twitter making this more unbearable. I’ve tried to avoid signing up for blogs I’m not familiar with to spare myself some agony. But every time I get a PDcavsinsider tweet i’m afraid to open it.
Good point on Doherty/Gillespie
But doesn’t encourage me! Even less margin for error if Izzo leaves.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Jun 9, 2010 2:30 PM CDT up reply actions
A more encouraging angle
Flip side, Roy Williams left Kansas, they made the right hire and won a title soon thereafter.
So if this goes down we all need to hope that Hollis and Simon, are in fact up to the task.
by trivialstuff16 on Jun 9, 2010 2:46 PM CDT up reply actions
But Self was waiting in the wings
Who’s our highly-talented, MSU-is-my-dream-job coach waiting in the wings?
It's going to be a good night.
by Spartalytical on Jun 9, 2010 3:13 PM CDT up reply actions
Good hands
Izzo will not do anything to cause lasting damage to the program, no matter what ends up happening. IF he goes, he will make darn sure the pieces are in place for as smooth a coaching transition as would be possible under the circumstances.
by Ducking Delvon on Jun 9, 2010 2:51 PM CDT up reply actions
If we all quickly come to grips with Allen's leaving, will that make Tom stay?
It's going to be a good night.
by Spartalytical on Jun 9, 2010 3:14 PM CDT up reply actions
Rexrode updated his post to mention the possibility Allen is out of town
But Roe’s dad also had comments pointing toward Allen leaving.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Jun 9, 2010 3:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Purdue fan here
I hope Izzo stays. He is one of my favorite coaches. The Big Ten would not be the same if he leaves.
For some reason
Rexrode’s post makes me feel better. I just can’t see Izzo walking espec. if he told Lucas and Summers to come back so they could go get a title together. I love that he sat the team down to talk to them about this. Shows his class yet again.
Hollis looking for new coach
Hollis has said he must protect the program. He’s not waiting for an answer but is building a list of candidates. Life goes on. Izzo may regret his leaving as a NEW coach leads the team to Big Ten championship.
You know...
After everything Izzo has done for the University, and continues to do. The messages that he teaches and imparts onto his players… I would actually lose a lot of respect for the guy for bailing this late in the offseason. It means he would fail one of his own goals as establishing MSU as an elite program. Leaving in late June does nothing but put the program into a turmoil it might not be able to recover from…
That's disappointing
If he leaves, he is leaving an AMAZING situation on the table. For him to do so, he must really, really, really think highly of coaching the new job ahead of him. He can’t control when the Cavs would look to hire him. If he goes, it’ll certainly be difficult to forge ahead… but, whatever. He’s done more than was asked of him. All I know is that a good portion of coaches would’ve left for the Hawks job years ago, but he didn’t… So maybe we should be thankful enough for the last couple phenomenal, memorable tournament runs.
I agree...
but like I said, sometimes actions speak louder than words. Tom is a great coach, and an even greater human being. But for someone to espouse traits such as loyalty, trust, and faith so highly… to turn an forget his loyalty to his players and his program, well to me that says a lot about a man. Any man really, not just Coach…
WFNY updated their post
In response to the heat they are taking. To say they have their story confirmed by 3 separate sources. Of course they don’t name those sources.
I agree with one of the above posts that the way this is all playing out is going to prompt a quick decision. Interestingly the only thing that can stop all the speculation is Izzo himself to say something on the record. I’d settle for a “The cavs have offered me a job, and I haven’t made a decision. Please rest assured that when I do make that decision I will make it public, and the story won’t be broken by a random blog in Cleveland.”
Maybe this is part of what Izzo has had problems with...
Many people are flying off the handle. “He’d never leave.” “Screw him if he leaves.” “MSU made Izzo.”
Very small sample and mostly level headed here, but instead of accepting that he may get a very lucrative offer to coach another team, many (on other boards and locations) have become chicken little. Same thing happened when that kid chose Oregon over us.
Izzo is well aware that he will leave MSU when he chooses to, to wit, unless he is caught in bed with a live boy or a dead girl, the university will not fire him. (Thanks to H. Long) Coach Izzo is very close to arena naming/ statue building stature. He knows that.
The answer I do not have is whether the chicken little response is what Coach Izzo seeks or what he dislikes. Would more of the fly off the handle response (putting us into the territory of the obnoxious, arrogant, delusional UK, ND and Duke fans) “prove” that we have arrived as a sports powerhouse to him? Or is he tired of the inferiority complex that many many Spartan fans (and to a lesser extant, alums) possess? And is the chicken little response a manifestation of that?
As far as replacements, most coaches wouldn’t let the door hit them in the ass if they were offered jobs at UK, KU, UCLA, UNC, Duke and Indiana. We aren’t there yet. So we may not get the best possible coach to replace him. Gregory is a good choice, but not one that will make a splash or generate any media excitement. I’m not sure who would.
Tom Izzo leaving, for whatever reasons, would be the most devastating event in my sports loving life.
And I’m pretty detached from the emotional side of sports (players, and for the most part coaches, come and go pretty often).
My old blog is Tigers By The Numbers.
Now I write at Bless You Boys.
Like music? See what I'm listening to at my Last.fm account.
If you look at the Twitter universe
Particularly Kalin and Day Day, it appears that good news may be on the way.
Not sure how to read it.
DayDay and Lucas both seem to be guys who would move on quickly and step up to run the team.
Hope you’re right. You can read it both ways.
True
but it’d be a really weird reaction to hear something negative from Izzo and run to grab your B10 title ring and declare that more are on the way. I suppose everyone has their own rhythm.
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