http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2010/06/06/sports/nh2604471.txt

Well, if true, this means LeBron is gone and Gilbert is well aware of it. Izzo would never deal with an ego like James, and I doubt LeBron is clamoring to play for Izzo. I don't mind the move for a rebuilding team though. I just wish all three Cleveland teams weren't rebuilding at the same time. Oh well.

Not saying LeBron wants to play for Izzo, but he has said publicly the respect he has for Izzo and the way he runs his program at MSU. Again, that doesnt translate to "I wanna play for him" but he certainly respects the man.

I think Izzo is the best college coach in the nation, but I cannot see him as a NBA coach....he doesn't seem like a guy that would stroke egos.

I like it. I think the timing is right for Izzo to give it a shot at the pros but he's going to want LeBron if he makes that move.

So not sure how that's going to work. He shouldn't accept the offer until he knows he'll have LeBron.

Also, someone want to fix this thread title or tell me how to do it? I fucking hate typos.

I fixed it.....just double click on the side of the thread title....unless only us mods can only do that.

Cleveland Buck;381167 wrote:Also, someone want to fix this thread title or tell me how to do it? I fucking hate typos.

Hit full edit on your original post and you can edit the title.

Yeah, LeBron also said on Larry King that he doesn't want to hand pick his coach--but whatever, apparently he's given everyone reason to believe that everything he says is bullshit....

Izzo means no LeBron...that makes fucking sense. Dumbass.

wes_mantooth;381159 wrote:I think Izzo is the best college coach in the nation, but I cannot see him as a NBA coach....he doesn't seem like a guy that would stroke egos.

I tend to agree, although I really think his style (offensively) would work well in the NBA. Kind of the opposite from other guys who made the jump where their styles just dont come close.

Laley23;381174 wrote:I tend to agree, although I really think his style (offensively) would work well in the NBA. Kind of the opposite from other guys who made the jump where their styles just dont come close.

Yeah, he can flat out coach. The only question is, does he want to have to deal with superstars that don't want to be coached...they just wanna do their thing?

Izzo's teams play defense, rebound, and take good shots, perfect fundamental basketball. If I could choose anyone to coach a college team it would be Izzo. I think if he can get the players to buy in he could do very well in the NBA.

I think Izzo would be a great NBA coach. Unlike Calipari who just recruits great talent and lets them loose, Izzo actually has a system and gets his guys for that system. He's great with the X's and O's of the game. Also it can't be denied how he approaches the NCAA tournament so much differently than the regular season and how his teams reflect that. I would think he would take the same approach to the playoffs and that's probably exactly what Gilbert is looking for given the Cavs' success in the regular season and failures in the playoffs the last two years.

I don't see why someone would say that this means LeBron is gone. If anything I would think Izzo would want to go to the NBA BECAUSE he'd get the chance to coach LeBron.

He's already been to numerous final fours and won a national championship, I could see him being willing to take on the challenge of the NBA. He's 55 and could always go back to college in a few years if it doesn't work.

It would have to be the right situation to go to the NBA but this would be, not that far away and having a good team and the league's MVP.

He's a tough coach but I don't think stubborn to the point where it will be his way or else. He urges his team on in a passionate, fun way more than anything.

I like this from both sides but the key is getting LeBron to stay. Izzo shouldn't just leave Michigan State to coach the Cavs as they rebuild. That's stupid.

Izzo is the best college coach in the nation, and he would be a good coach for the Cavaliers.

However, I don't see him leaving MSU and you can take that to the bank.

Izzo would be interesting. Not sure if his style would work in the NBA, but he can't be any worse than Doug Collins, Eddie Jordan, and Jim O'Brien (aka guys who keep getting jobs only to get fired less than 2 years later)

Here's a recap I found of Windhorst's interview on WKYC tonight. Apparently he's oblivious to the Izzo situation:

-Said Ferry and Gilbert were on opposite sides of firing MB. Said that Ferry doesn't need the job and that he wanted the control of the new coach. Ferry wanted to have the final say on matters and Gilbert didn't want that.

-Said Ferry might not have been around for 2 yrs even if we signed LeBron. Said that Gilbert wants more of a say. Grant and Gilbert are running the team.

-Said that Gilbert wants to hire a coach as quickly as he can, but no one in the NBA can see that. Says no coach will take the job without a commitment from LeBron.

-Windy has no idea who the coach will be. He says if LeBron signs it could be Jeff Van Gundy or Byron Scott.

-He thinks LeBron will re-sign. He believes he will sign because of the fallout from leaving his city and the way the city ended. Will hurt his reputation and that he will never be able to live here again.

-Said LeBron will make the decision himself, not his team or friends.

-He believes it could be 2-3 weeks until he makes his decision. He thinks the smart thing would be to sign the 6 year extension but thinks he will sign a 3 year contract with a 4 year option.

-Believes Gilbert is a top 10-15 owner in sports. Says that if LeBron left the Cavs won't be dead because of him and that he operates a great team.

-Doesn't know what happened to LeBron in the Boston series. Felt that he was in a depressed state during the series. Wasn't wearing suits after games. It could have been frustration, his elbow, or free agency.

-He believes we will make a trade for sure. He says that West is likely gone, and that the team is trying to trade Mo, but he is tough to trade because of his contract.

I don't see it happening. Izzo seems like a very loyal guy that is content with his life. For some gentlemen, you can't put a price on leading young men at the college level.

I highly doubt LBJ is worried about "never being able to live here again". Bitter fans 15 years after that fact probably doesn't scare him. Let alone, Akron will always love him because he'll always love Akron. Cleveland is a different story.

I hear that Gilbert is a great owner, and in ways I'm sure he is. I just think he could be going down a slippery slop wanting to be so heavily involved. Sometimes you have to trust the guys that might know more than you.

jpake1;381298 wrote:I don't see it happening. Izzo seems like a very loyal guy that is content with his life. For some gentlemen, you can't put a price on leading young men at the college level.

I highly doubt LBJ is worried about "never being able to live here again". Bitter fans 15 years after that fact probably doesn't scare him. Let alone, Akron will always love him because he'll always love Akron. Cleveland is a different story.

I hear that Gilbert is a great owner, and in ways I'm sure he is. I just think he could be going down a slippery slop wanting to be so heavily involved. Sometimes you have to trust the guys that might know more than you.

Not saying you are right or wrong about Gilbert but if you look at prior experience then Gilbert is trusting the guy (Grant) that knows more than him or the past GM (Ferry). Not sure if Windhorst is trying to undercut what Ferry did for the team but he wrote that all complex contracts to resign players was handled by Grant as well as the draft scouting/selection. Basically sounds like Ferry made the trades and all the long term work was completed by Grant.

I didn't lean one way or another with Gilbert. I'm just seeing the very early signs of a rich guy that is in complete love with his toy that doesn't want to share it. Hey, that's okay. It's his team. It'd just be a shame if he had too much control of the team and there came a time when he had the final say on a big move or two and that it'd be the different between a title and failure. From everything I've read, it just seems like Ferry has too much pride to be a puppet in the end. Seems like Grant could be the new puppet, and a willing one at that.

jpake1;381304 wrote:I didn't lean one way or another with Gilbert. I'm just seeing the very early signs of a rich guy that is in complete love with his toy that doesn't want to share it. Hey, that's okay. It's his team. It'd just be a shame if he had too much control of the team and there came a time when he had the final say on a big move or two and that it'd be the different between a title and failure. From everything I've read, it just seems like Ferry has too much pride to be a puppet in the end. Seems like Grant could be the new puppet, and a willing one at that.

Gilbert is a businessman and a very successful one at that. For pretty much his entire tenure in Cleveland as owner he has sat back and let the basketball people handle things. It's no different than when a CEO hires managers and supervisors to oversee operations. Those people did not meet the goals that Gilbert set and he's chosen to move in a different direction for what he perceives to be the benefit of his brand and business, no different than how any business man would handle it. I don't think this is going to turn him into a Mark Cuban/Al Davis like you're saying. I think he's just trying to take a more active approach for the time being until he can find a new set of personnel to handle the operations so that the goals of the franchise (keeping LeBron, winning the championship) can be met. Ferry wanted more control, but Ferry's way didn't produce enough results.

I would be stunned if Izzo left MSU to coach the Cavs. Like others have said, he would never leave MSU and the great situation there for a situation that is very much up in the air right now in Cleveland. And I don't see hardly any coaches signing on the dotted line until Lebron makes a decision.

He "sat back"? Somehow I highly doubt that. Gilbert is a very involved owner. NOTHING got done without his approval IMO. He had just as much say in those moves as Ferry, if not more. Nobody will convince me otherwise. I already think he's on his way to being like Cuban (without the fines). He's a very very involved owner that will spend anything to get a ring. Thus far, he's seeing the same results at Cuban as well. They both wanted more of a say, which seems to be the problem. He failed just as much as Ferry, but of course he'll never fire himself. I'm just seeing the beginning of a POSSIBLE long term problem. He may get so heavily involved that IF he continues to fail, his fingerprints will be all over the team and he'll have nobody else to blame in the FO except himself.

If you think Gilbert is a "hands off" owner, then you don't know shit.

jpake1;381315 wrote:He "sat back"? Somehow I highly doubt that. Gilbert is a very involved owner. NOTHING got done without his approval IMO. He had just as much say in those moves as Ferry, if not more. Nobody will convince me otherwise. I already think he's on his way to being like Cuban (without the fines). He's a very very involved owner that will spend anything to get a ring. Thus far, he's seeing the same results at Cuban as well. They both wanted more of a say, which seems to be the problem. He failed just as much as Ferry, but of course he'll never fire himself. I'm just seeing the beginning of a POSSIBLE long term problem. He may get so heavily involved that IF he continues to fail, his fingerprints will be all over the team and he'll have nobody else to blame in the FO except himself.

I'm sure he was involved with decisions as much as any NBA owner would be. Yes he'll spend whatever it takes to get a ring but that doesn't mean he's making the basketball decisions. He gave Ferry the benefit of the doubt for a long time and let him pick the coach, let him make the trades, let him sign the free agents. You hardly saw Gilbert at ANY Cavs press conferences the last 5 years. He doesn't sit courtside like Cuban and yell at the players and coaches. He has a lot of money invested in the team so OF COURSE he's going to have a lot of say in things but I don't believe he was involved with the day to day operations NEARLY as much as you're trying to make it out. Only NOW is he taking more of a say after the failures of the team. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Windy and just about every other source involved said Ferry had full control.

That is the biggest reason Ferry is no longer around. Gilbert wanted to have a bigger say-so in the decision making and Ferry wanted full control still. They didn't see eye-to-eye on the situation and decided to split ways.