Izzo tells AP: Still no decision on Cavaliers job

Basketball Betting Lines

06/11/2010 -

Tom Izzo is still torn, trying to figure out if he should stay at Michigan State or leave to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Izzo wrote in a text message Friday morning - about 12 hours after he returned home from Cleveland - he has not made a decision.

He flew to Cleveland on Thursday and visited with the Cavs for several hours. Among the questions facing Izzo is whether he'd be able to coach LeBron James, who can't sign until July. Izzo, however, can't wait that long to decide.

``It won't go on forever, I can tell you that,'' Izzo said Thursday night at the Lansing, Mich., airport before getting in a car and heading home with his wife, daughter and son. ``I feel bad that I can't talk. I feel good that I did what I had to do.''

Messages were left Friday with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and general manager Chris Grant, both of whom have declined to elaborate about their pursuit of Izzo.

If Izzo spurns Cleveland, the team could turn to former New Orleans and New Jersey coach Byron Scott, whose resume would make him attractive to Cleveland. Scott won three NBA titles as a player and has coached such stars as Jason Kidd and Chris Paul.

A message was left Friday with Scott's agent, Brian McInerney.

Michigan State has been bracing for Izzo's possible exit for a decade, dating to an offer from the Atlanta Hawks after he led the school to its second national championship. Each offseason his name emerges as a candidate for openings in the NBA and NCAA. This time, though, it looks as if he might take the leap.

Izzo could make about $6 million a year - doubling his pay - and take on a challenge of making the transition to coaching in the league. A vast majority of college coaches hired by NBA teams have failed. If Izzo thinks James will re-sign, he may not get a better opportunity.

The Cavs fired Mike Brown last month after they lost in the second round of the playoffs to Boston despite having the league's best regular-season record for the second straight year.

AOL Fanhouse.com reported that Scott had an hour-long interview with Chris Grant and assistant GM Lance Blanks. Grant said the Cavs have spoken to a ``number'' of candidates, but did not divulge any names.

The team has also inquired about Milwaukee assistant Kelvin Sampson. Grant, who recently took over when Danny Ferry resigned, confirmed this week the team has had contact. He would not comment on whether an offer has been made to the 55-year-old Izzo.

Gilbert is a Michigan State graduate and has known, liked and respected Izzo for years.

While the Cavs work on Plan B - talking to coaches other than Izzo - Michigan State athletic director said earlier in the week he has a long list of candidates he would consider if the Spartans need a new coach.

Dayton's Brian Gregory, Tulsa's Doug Wojcik, Utah's Jim Boylen - all assistants under Izzo - would likely be on the list along with associate head coach Mark Montgomery and Dwayne Stephens. Both played for the Spartans when Izzo was a relatively unknown assistant for Jud Heathcote.

Izzo met with the Spartans on Tuesday, informing them he was in discussions with the Cavs. About 500 people, including center Derrick Nix, tried to sway his decision on Thursday night.

``Coach is the best thing that ever happened to me,'' said Nix, a freshman last season.

A rally at the Magic Johnson statue outside Michigan State's arena was created by fans on message boards and social networking websites. Hundreds wrote personal messages on a huge banner that was taped up to the windows of Izzo's office. An ``Oh no, please don't go Izzo,'' banner was taped at the base of Johnson's statue.

Izzo has been at the school since 1983 and has been the Spartans' coach since 1995, leading them to six Final Fours in the past 12 years. The late John Wooden at UCLA and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski are the only other coaches who have accomplished that feat.

``I'm happy for him either way,'' said Los Angeles Lakers guard Shannon Brown, who played for Izzo. ``He deserves everything he gets. He works hard. He knows his stuff. He rarely sleeps. He's always thinking about different ways to get better and different ways to stay on top of his game.''

---

AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

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