As you know, Tom Izzo is currently trying to make one of the most important and difficult decisions of his life: does he stay in East Lansing or bolt for Cleveland and the NBA?
Despite reports over the past week that Izzo’s decision was imminent, no such decision has been made.
Our good pals at Sparty and Friends are on record as saying that people need to lay off Izzo for taking his time in making the decision (especially idiots who would flippantly make Izzo-Favre comparisons on Twitter.) And Sparty’s right.
Izzo is weighing a lot of important factors right now, not the least of which is whether or not he’d have the luxury (necessity?) of a roster that includes LeBron James. Seeing as how he has one of the best situations in college basketball if he stays put, I think a reasonable mind could understand why Izzo is being meticulous.
We certainly do here at MSF, and that is why we have opened up our pages to Coach Izzo as he weighs this important decision.
The current-Spartan-possible-Cavs coach wanted to blow of some steam by creating a photo diary of his offseason, so of course we let him. The photo diary is below for your enjoyment.
(Tip: It will be more enjoyable if you let this song play in the background.)
Tom Izzo’s Offseason Photo Diary
Unfortunately, my offseason started off a game sooner than I’d hoped when Butler and its screaming student manager beat us in the Final Four.
The truth is that my own personal offseason might have started even sooner had Draymond Green not had the presence of mind to hold me back from attacking the Final Four officials, whose ears I momentarily contemplated taking a biet out of because they were screwing us!
But it’s okay. I’ve gotten over it.
In the days and weeks after that frustrating Final Four in Indianapolis, I had the good fortune of going on some lovely walks on the beach with my wife (who thankfully didn’t take the advice being subliminally given to her by my T-shirt)…
…and partying with my old pal Steve Mariucci.
My wife and Mooch always know how to take the edge off and help me relax after a long season.
I even had time to do fun stuff like perform on stage…
…and frame this picture for my old friend Tom Crean, just to remind him of what a tool he was back when we were coaching under Jud (and how no matter how much he tans or claps, he’ll never harness the Tao of Izzo).
But then it happened, and my offseason got turned on its head. I got the phone call from my old friend Dan Gilbert, the owner of Cleveland Cavaliers.
Unfortunately, the call came during my second theater performance of the offseason. I was playing King Leonidas in the East Lansing Civic Theater’s production of 300. That Gilbert is a feisty one though. As you can see, they interrupted me mid-line to tell me he was one the phone.
I was like, “WTF?” But I took the call anyway.
And boy am I glad he did.
Dan Gilbert was calling to offer me the head coaching job of the Cleveland Cavaliers!
Sure, I’d been offered NBA jobs before, but usually they were with really crappy franchises. This was the Cavs, the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, run by a guy who loves his Spartan basketball, and, of course, a team that has the 2nd best basketball player on Earth: LeBron James.
(BTW, who is the best basketball player on Earth, you ask? Why, none other than Mateen Cleaves, of course.)
And the Cavs wanted…me! Little ol’ Tommy Izzo, #24, from Iron Mountain.
Oh, and did I mention how much money Dan Gilbert said they would pay me?
$6 million dollars!
That’s actually more than the annual gross domestic product of the state of Michigan nowadays!
So of course I had to really listen and really consider the offer.
I know that people in East Lansing wish that I would just turn it down and get back to whoring myself around the country to beg high school kids to play basketball for us, and I know that Cavs fans just wish I’d make up my mind so they can move on either way…ut it’s not that simple.
You see, I love Michigan State and I especially love the team I have coming back next year, which could win another national title. Everyone who knows me knows how attached I get to these kids.
On the other hand though, I’m sick and tired of recruiting. It sucks. I have to run around for months out of the year begging like this in the living rooms of high school twerps who haven’t done anything but dominate other high school twerps.
So while I understand why Spartan fans want me to not even think about it, you have to understand that someone is telling me that they will pay me $3 million dollars more per year than I’m making now and I can leave recruiting in my rearview mirror.
Are you serious?
Score!
Except, of course, that it’s not that simple, and this is where I need the understanding of Cavs fans.
As you know, LeBron James’ future is completely up in the air. He is a free agent and obviously intends to treat this offseason like the high school twerps I mentioned earlier treat their senior years. LeBron wants to be wined and dined and begged and all of that, but at least he’s won MVP awards and has talent so prodigious that grown men feel perfectly justified groveling at his feet.
Except, Dan Gilbert is asking me to be the Cavs coach and to put my coaching legacy on the line…without knowing what LeBron is going to do.
Let me ask you something Cavs fans: how many of you are withholding ordering season tickets for next year until you find out what LeBron does? Or if you’re not a normal season ticket holder, how many of you would be holding out to see if LeBron is on the team or not?
See, now you can understand my plight.
Because here’s the thing: I can do it. I can coach in the NBA. I know I can. I didn’t rise up from little Iron Mountain to the top of the coaching ranks without being able to accept and overcome challenges.
Some people say I won’t be able to handle not having control, or dealing with the egos in the NBA. Look, I have plenty of experience dealing with petulant, child-like attitudes.
So I can handle the petulant, child-like attitudes of NBA players, okay?
And the other thing to understand is that I study other people who are successful coaching basketball. So I’ve watched Phil Jackson. What, you don’t think I can pull off his Zen-triangle-American-Indian-1960s stuff? Please. I’m The Izzo.
Of course John Calipari and Rick Pitino couldn’t handle the NBA. You think that worries me? Calipari also can’t handle a blue chip recruit without cheating and Rick Pitino can’t handle an after hours dinner without, well, cheating.
I’m not those guys. I’m different. Once again, in case you need a reminder, I’m The Izzo. I can and would win big.
But I’m also a realist. And I know that I need LeBron, which is why I have been trying and trying to get ahold of him. He doesn’t seem to want to return my calls, so I’ve been forced to just scream at the top of my lungs in hopes that he’ll hear me…
…and then decide to scream back.
Yes, hopefully we’ll have better communication if I end up being his coach, but the truth is that it ultimately won’t really matter. LeBron will do his thing, listening to me when it’s convenient for him, and I’ll coach up the other 14 guys with it all hopefully coalescing somehow into a championship. If not, he and I will both be viewed as failures and we’ll go our separate ways.
But it could and would work. I know it would.
If I take the job.
And so, now we’re back where we started. I’m torn between a great job that I already have and a great opportunity that sits out there for the taking. I really appreciate Jerod and Midwest Sports Fans for hosting this photo diary because now I can tap into all eight MSF readers for input.
What do you think I should do?
Loading ...I don’t promise I’ll take your advice, but who knows? Maybe I’ll need a tie-breaker.
I’ve already talked to Magic, so I’m running out of people to consult.
The only thing I know for sure is that I’m going to be doing this somewhere next year:
You’ll just have to wait a little while longer to find out if it’s going to be for the Spartans or the Cavs.
Update 6/15 8:30 CT: And it looks like I’ll be staying in East Lansing…Spartan for life baby!
My apologies to my good friend Dan Gilbert, but I made Magic happy.
And honestly, when you coach at Michigan State, that’s really all you’re trying to do: make Magic happy. (I swear Magic! I never really wanted to leave!)
Now let’s go win another national title!
Remember, Jud only won one. It’s time for me to get number…
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[Editor's note: For anyone who doesn't "get it", please don't ask me if this really was written about Tom Izzo. Seriously?
I mean, what kind of a stupid question is that?
Of course it was.]
About Jerod Morris
