Rochester’s Late Runs Sink Clippers 7-5
June 9, 2010Can I Have a Do-Over?
June 9, 2010
By now, it’s well established that Tom Izzo is Dan Gilbert’s prime target to be the next coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. When most people heard this, present company included, the natural first reaction was to think that there’s no way Izzo would take this job without LeBron James already being locked up.
It’s a unique conundrum, because there’s a popular belief that LeBron won’t play for just any coach. If true, there’s a peculiar “chicken v egg” dance going on in Cleveland. It’s not unlike the famous Bill and Ted circular logic of needing Eddie Van Halen in the band to make a triumphant video, but not being able to make a triumphant video unless Eddie Van Halen is in the band. To quote the supreme brilliance of MTV’s Jersey Shore, “It’s a situation”.
Rather than worrying about the details of who would blink first, Izzo or LeBron, it’s probably more worthwhile to consider the reasons why maybe, just maybe, Tom Izzo would consider taking this job without a guarantee from LeBron.
The merits of hiring Izzo can be debated, but the fact remains that Izzo is the guy that Dan Gilbert wants, so the question then shifts. Dan Shanoff so indignantly asked the question why would Izzo even consider do something so stupid as taking the Cavaliers coaching job, so here are some answers to that question.
First and foremost, the most obvious reason is money. Any time you can double your salary, you’re going to at least consider it. For Izzo, he’s looking at a guaranteed $30 million no matter what happens, and his annual salary will double from $3 million to $6 million. That $6 million figure would tie Izzo with Mike D’Antoni, Gregg Popovich, and Don Nelson (who may end up retiring) as the 5th highest paid coaches in all sports behind only Phil Jackson ($10 million/year), Bill Belichick ($7 million), Larry Brown ($7 million), and Mike Shanahan ($7 million). If Izzo pushed, he could possibly even get his figure up to $7-7.5 million to make himself the 2nd highest paid coach in sports. That amount of money is something that should never be scoffed at.
Beyond the money, there are perks. We’ve already heard about the use of private jets, but who knows what else could be involved. Perhaps Gilbert will throw in some casino perks. Gilbert will spare no expense in making sure Izzo is comfortable in Cleveland and has everything that he needs to succeed.
Perhaps the biggest thing people are overlooking is support of the owner. Izzo knows the NBA will always be there for him whenever he wants, but he will probably never step into a more comfortable situation with more support from the owner than he will have in Gilbert and the Cavaliers. Gilbert is a Michigan State alum who holds Izzo in the highest esteem possible. This is personal for Gilbert in a way that most situations won’t be. Gilbert is more likely to give Izzo time to get himself established as an NBA coach than most other owners would be. For most, it would be a strict business transaction with extremely high expectations. If Izzo doesn’t meet those expectations, he will be quickly discarded. Gilbert showed patience with Mike Brown, and it would stand to reason that Izzo would be given more patience and a longer leash with Gilbert.
Failure in the NBA doesn’t seem to destroy one’s NCAA coaching career. Some, such as Lon Kruger (UNLV) and Mike Montgomery (Long Beach State) have found their way back to mid level programs, while other more high profile coaches such as John Calipari (Memphis and Kentucky) and Rick Pitino (Louisville) landed right back into major powerhouse programs. So the gamble for Izzo isn’t as great as it might seem. If he fails, he can always collect his $30 million and return to a comfortable program in the NCAA.
Even if LeBron doesn’t return to Cleveland, Izzo doesn’t have to fail. If he really is as good of a coach as most seem to think, he will always be given the opportunity to succeed as long as Dan Gilbert is owner. All this talk about the Cavs being in ruin if LeBron leaves is entirely premature. Sure, the Cavs were terrible in the years preceding LeBron’s reign, but those years were spent under a well-meaning but overwhelmed owner in Gordon Gund and a completely inept and incompetent GM in Jim Paxson. Not to mention the slew of poor coaches. People forget that in the past when the Cavs had solid front office leadership (Wayne Embry) and good coaching (Lenny Wilkens) that the team can be successful and the fans of Cleveland can still get behind the team.
The franchise doesn’t have to succumb to the gloom the national media is projecting on this franchise. If Gilbert can sell a great coach on coming to Cleveland without LeBron, it would be a huge step in the right direction. It’s a hard sell, for sure, but perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss it outright. Gilbert is providing a scenario for Tom Izzo to make a lot of money to come try his hand at coaching basketball at the highest level in the world. He can give Izzo money, perks, facilities, patience, support, players….anything and everything he wants. Situations like that aren’t always easy to say no to.
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Photo Credit: (AP Photo/Al Goldis)
17 Comments
Good read. I’m just worried about Tom Izzo’s voice. He gets raspy coaching 30-40 minutes games a year in the NCAA…. Can you imagine the strain on his vocal chords coaching 82-48 minutes games?!?!?!?
To quote the supreme brilliance of MTV’s Jersey Shore, “It’s a situation.”
What’s this Jersey Shore you speak of?
Good stuff Andrew. I can’t wait to see this little guy coaching in the NBA, being dragged across the floor hanging on to (insert power forward’s name here)’s leg during a fight, JVG Style.
If LeBron isn’t with us next year, he wont have to yell. There wont be anyone in the seats
Someone give this message to Original Charlie – I’m actually you posting from the future. I’m sorry, but I had to go because a Doctor told me there was a problem with my kids when they got older. ANYWAYS I need to tell you something incredibly important:
If an old man tries to give you a copy of Grays Sports Almanac TAKE IT and bet big and often.
XO
“Future Fake Charlie”
P.S. – Say hi to the princesses for me…. Youuuu’llll see.
Tom Izzo sounds scratchy.
The more this Lebron hostage situation keeps going, the more i wonder if he would even listen anyways, to anyone
Someone with knowledge of the “rules” tell me if these guys can sign option contracts to the effect of,
“if such and such guy is signed or signed contingent upon my signing and XYZ conditions are met, I’ll sign.”
Does this really have to play out like a game of chicken?
The CBA doesn’t extend to coaches. To my knowledge, Gilbert can pretty much sign him to any kind of contract he wants to.
@Matt#2 – Interesting. Might make sense for Gilbert to offer a contingent contract like this:
“If LeBron re-signs, coach X’s compensation will be $5 mil. per year for 5 years. If LeBron does not re-sign, coach X’s compensation will be $6.5 mil. per year for 5 years.”
Covers all scenarios. Basically, “I will pay to you a $7.5 mil. bribe to coach this team if our superstar gives us the shaft.”
Great article, you really gave a perspective that those outside of the local media don’t give
My reservation about Izzo is the power issue. In college, he controlled the players financially by being able to revoke scholarships if they don’t do what he wants. In the NBA, most of the guys on the team will make as much as him, so there’s really no power there for him besides playing time.
Not that it’s a big deal, but that seems like the biggest hurdle for any college coach making the jump. Will they have the ability to reach players who really don’t have to listen to him?
Uh someone has been watching way too much tv with their girlfriend (at least Im hoping that’s the case)
How come when I look for a job I cannot get whatever job it is id like to get without first having done that job somehwere else before and every team owner in town just hands out these multi-million dollar positions to someone trying to make their bones (whether it be in that position or at that level) for the first time? What is the rationale there? I understand the “diamond in the rough” theory or the thinking that a guy eager to prove himself could be an exception, but isnt the reason they have sayings like that because those things are rare? And yet the teams in this town seem to try it 95% of the time?
Other than Holmgren/Mangini and Manny Acta, can anyone tell me the last coach/manager/gm that had actually done their job at this level somewhere else before signing on here? Im really interest to know….was it Ernie Accorsi?
Cleveland the home of 1st year coaches. Oh and decades with no championships. Good luck.
This a great move! First you turn Lebron over to a clip board holder that can’t run an offense and who had never been a head coach, and then you turn Lebron over to college coach I guess because college coaches are so successful in the NBA. Brillant! If Lebron does not leave Cleveland he is doomed to always fail.
Oops. You were wrong.