Friday, March 29, 2024

Izzo has number of reasons to leave, stay at MSU

Jeremy Warnemuende

Amid speculation the Cleveland Cavaliers are interested in taking MSU men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo away from East Lansing, MSU athletic director Mark Hollis told The Associated Press on Monday that Izzo has not been offered a contract by the Cavaliers.

Hollis was unavailable for comment Monday.

Regardless, it is likely Izzo soon will have to make the decision either to turn down another NBA coaching offer or to accept and start a new chapter in his coaching career. Although Izzo’s opinion remains the only one that matters, here are four reasons why he should stay and four reasons why he should move on.

*Why he should stay *

1. Familiar with the college game – Izzo has been around college basketball since his playing days at Northern Michigan more than 30 years ago. His brand of tough, team-oriented basketball is ideal for late runs into the NCAA Tournament, but might not fit in quite as well in the star player-oriented NBA.

Perhaps more importantly, Izzo knows more about dealing with college kids and molding them into the player he wants as opposed to working with some of the divas in the NBA.

2. His legacy at MSU – With six Final Fours in 12 years, including a national championship, Izzo has cemented himself as a Spartan legend. MSU’s students, alumni and fans immortalize the 15-year head coach, and his status as the most important person in East Lansing should be enough to keep him where he is, adored and rarely questioned.

3. The elusive second title – Most coaches would do anything to have the résumé Izzo has. However, anyone who follows basketball — and possibly even Izzo himself — knows another national championship would put him in the discussion as one of the best coaches of all-time. A second title is one of Izzo’s biggest goals, and only 13 coaches, including the likes of Dean Smith, Mike Krzyzewski and the late John Wooden, have won more than one title.

4. History of college coaches in the NBA – Unlike the list of college coaches to win multiple national championships, the list of college coaches attempting and failing miserably to coach in the NBA is quite lengthy. The name that most often comes up tends to be Rick Pitino, who won a national championship with Kentucky in 1996, left for the Boston Celtics and lost more than half of his games in three and a half NBA seasons. Izzo might have proven to be a great college coach, but history has shown that does not mean much at the next level.

Why he should go

1. Money – Like it or not, money is the driving force behind many coaches’ decisions to leave for the NBA. Izzo, who currently makes more than $3 million per year, would undoubtedly receive a pay increase with the Cavaliers. He didn’t take more cash when Oregon came calling, but if Cleveland names the right price, Izzo could be gone.

2. Opportunity to coach LeBron James – It is no secret James is one of the major selling points Cleveland is using to bring in a coach. He is one of the best players in the league, and he might have a better ability than any active player to single-handedly make a team a contender. Izzo might know something we don’t, and James could plan on staying if Izzo is named head coach. Having James on your team would be hard for any coach to turn down.

3. New challenge – Izzo has conquered college basketball. He’s won a title and ran through the Big Ten multiple times. Although he said he wants another championship, Izzo also has said he loves a challenge, and the NBA would be just that.

4. Last chance – At the age of 55, Izzo is no spring chicken. If he has any desire to test the waters of the NBA and is offered the chance to coach a player such as James for a team that has the potential to win it all next season, he would be taking a big risk if he didn’t go to Cleveland. An opportunity like that might not come again, and he might be passing up on his last quality chance in the NBA.

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