1. Chris Allen tells WILX today that "It's all good everything is fine and this is just all rumors you heard it hear from me."
2. It's important to note that Tom Izzo said after the season that the decision might not be the players and we haven't heard from Izzo on this subject.
1. talked to #izzo on road recruiting. Izzo says "nothing has changed and (Allen) still has some things to prove both on & off the court"
2. #izzo stressed to me that Chris Allen's status is still very much in limbo. and it will be izzo and not Allen who decides if he is on roster
So there's some first-hand confirmation of what we basically already knew: Chris Allen is not leaving the team of his own volition. But Tom Izzo is not yet fully convinced Allen has done everything he needs to do to remain a part of the team.
This post may technically qualify as an "Obsessing Over Nonnews in July" TOC entry, but I think Allen's status is worthy of obsessing over. While he's still yet to ever become the consistent outside scoring threat he was expected to be coming into the MSU program, Allen has developed into something maybe even more important: A solid, near-lockdown-level perimeter defender. And there's not another one of those on the Spartan roster at this point.
Outside of the offensive playmaking abilities of Kalin Lucas (outside) and Draymond Green (inside), Allen's perimeter defense would arguably be the hardest individual skill to replace on the current roster. Durrell Summers' scoring ability will be a key part of the team's success, but the team also have other players who can knock down 3-pointers. Delvon Roe's going to be a rugged, experienced presence down low, but the bench will go fairly deep in the post.
The bottom line is that Chris Allen, along with the four guys referenced in the previous paragraph, projects to get starter-level minutes next season. From a basketball perspective, his loss would be substantial, leaving a much finer margin of error for MSU to contend for Big Ten and NCAA Tournament success. So we'll keep obsessing.
UPDATE: Rexrode has a little more. Allen participating in team workouts again. Sounds like a decision will be made late in August, between the summer and fall semesters.