Lonnie Chisenhall On Fire in Double-A
June 14, 2010Report: Browns’ Jackson Signs One Year Tender
June 14, 2010
Last week the Tom Izzo saga was a refreshing break from all the LeBron James free agency nonsense. As Izzo has now stretched his decision past the weekend, and with no end in sight, this story is becoming more and more of a nuisance itself. So it’s of little surprise that the delay in this decision might be directly tied to the LeBron James free agency story.
According to Brian Windhorst’s Twitter account, LeBron will continue not to speak to any of the Cavs’ coaching candidates:
A source today: LeBron respects coach Izzo but continues his plan not to get involved with #Cavs coach search or speak to candidates.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it’s worth once again pointing out that this continues to be LeBron’s right to play this thing out however he prefers. No matter what his intentions are, not talking to Izzo makes sense if protecting his intentions is his top priority. This way, nobody can read into Izzo taking the job or not taking it. It is solely up to Izzo what he wants to do and LeBron has nothing to do with it.
However, if LeBron really has any real intention of staying in Cleveland, does it make any sense for him to ignore Izzo? By all accounts, one of the major holdups at this point is Izzo’s desire to talk to LeBron and to get a feel for LeBron’s future. If you believe LeBron that winning is his top priority, it doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense to not want to talk to potential coaches no matter where he might play. It would certainly stand to reason that if LeBron wanted to play for Izzo that he would at least take a little time to talk to the potential coach.
I really only see three possibilities here that make any sense. 1) LeBron has no intention of coming back to Cleveland and thus doesn’t care at all about the coaching search. 2) LeBron doesn’t really think Izzo is the best choice to be coach of the Cavs and he is thus trying to dissuade him from taking it. 3) LeBron cares more about keeping all this free agency hype and nonsense going strong than he does about making sure the Cavs get the best coach available.
On a personal level, I don’t know how I feel about Tom Izzo coaching in the NBA. I have more than my fair share of question marks and red flags considering Izzo, but there are red flags about every candidate. What I can say with complete certainty, though, is that it’s frustrating that LeBron can’t even muster up the ability to fake that he cares about the Cavs coaching search.
This is just further evidence of LeBron continuing to hold the franchise hostage and to make everything be about him. Of course most of us still want LeBron to stay in Cleveland. None of this changes my stance on that specific issue. You just wish the franchise wouldn’t have to continuously find itself in such difficult positions of trying to weigh doing what’s best for the franchise with what LeBron’s intentions and desires are. It would be nice if those two topics were one and the same for once.
The reality of the matter is, they’re not. Tom Izzo is either going to agree to come to Cleveland, or he’s not. LeBron James is either going to re-sign in Cleveland, or he’s not. The only thing we know for sure is that Tom Izzo’s decision seems to be much more tied to LeBron’s future than the other way around. And that is precisely why LeBron continues to refuse to discuss anything with the Cavaliers organization. As is usually the case with LeBron, the Cavaliers need him much more he needs them, and he knows it. LeBron’s decision will be bigger than any one coach, even a coach as highly thought of as Tom Izzo.
93 Comments
Matt S – go down to the bottom of the first page, click #3 and then scroll down a story or two. The story is still there. Now who is spreading falsehoods? If you like the site so much don’t give the recent home wrecker commenters reason to whine and complain.
I think its number 3, and its been killing the progress of building this team over the last 2 years.
I’m to the point where I don’t even care anymore if he leaves. Just make a decision. If he’s all about winning a championship, you would think he would like to help whatever team he’s going to play for pick the best possible coach, even if that team isn’t the Cavs.
Instead, he just wants to hype up his free agency like its a presidential campaign or something.
if lebron is all about ‘winning’ shouldn’t he sign with kobe for the mle?
all we know for sure is he’s not ‘about winning’.. in cleveland. if he were, we’d have ariza, probably stoudamire, and izzo by now.
what he is seeming to be about is being told how great he is and figuring out a way to retain his nice-guy image when he leaves cleveland.
Clown Baby. You are correct and I was mistaken. It is indeed there. I was looking under the cavs tab on the sidebar. That was a mistake and oversight on my part (See that wasn’t so hard!)
My point remains though. They argue that the message is more important than the medium. And I agree with that. In the post it says “You’ll see us publish an apology if we are wrong.” I respect these guys and want them to be taken seriously. All I’m asking is that they live up to their word.
I won’t clutter up the comments section with any more posts – I’ve said my peace. Keep up the good work guys!
3) LeBron cares more about keeping all this free agency hype and nonsense going strong than he does about making sure the Cavs get the best coach available.
sounds about right
Andrew
thanks for the clarify on your intentions of the article. on first read through it cam off to me as if you were expecting LeBron to call up Izzo and begin to interview him and since he hadn’t you were concerned.
Just a quick question though, has it been reported that Izzo has publicly stated “I want to talk to Lebron, but he will not speak to me”?
I don’t seem to recall that and if we are all just assuming that it is a big factor if it hasn’t happened.
I can completely understand the common sense factor behind Izzo wanting to speak to a key franchise player. On the other hand I can understand Izzo saying to himself I made it work at MSU, I can make it work at Cleveland without LBJ.
I would just remind everybody there have been 7 titles handed out to teams without LBJ on their roster since he first signed with the Cavs out of high school.
I’m with Matt S on all of his points. I just want one of my favorite sites to justify my respect for it. Without acknowledging their blunder, its hard to do so.
Hey … I’m still waiting for your 100 percent sure Izzo will sign with Cleveland after his kids get out of school on friday theory.
Stare at the monster we created, Dr. Frankensteins.
#3, no bout a doubt it. The way he’s nurturing his little plan without regard to impact on the org that has slavishly catered to him for 7 years … would have been nicer to see such single-minded devotion to a ring. I admit, I had this kid wrong.
His inner circle is not going to set him right. There’s no Cus D’Amato there. He already knows everything, he’s a mentor to all the young players and all that. Watch how the inevitable backlash stuns him. None of us will be the same after this, not us and not him. That’s about the only good thing right now. Let Narcissus fall right into the drink, and let’s finally come back to reality after non-stop genuflecting to the man-child savant. If we continue this relationship, let’s hope it’s a little more reality based.
I think we’re all being a little melodramatic about this. Like Christopher says, it hasn’t been reported anywhere that Izzo has tried to contact LBJ and been refused. We’re trying to make a story out of this that isn’t there.
Izzo has a tough decision to make. We’re trying to convince him to do the exact opposite of what we want LBJ to do. LBJ has a tough decision to make. We’re looking in advance for ways to demonize him in hindsight if he leaves. Otherwise, he’s playing his hand close to the chest and trying not to bee seen as interfering. Simple as that.
LeBron doesn’t have to do anything before July 1st, other than tell the Cavs he isn’t going to pick up his option.
Only in today’s press-driven culture can the LACK of action be construed as offensive to people, just because they’ve been waiting too long, and their delicate psyches can’t take it.
LeBron never said he was going to do anything other that what he has done. The Cavs chose to put themselves in the position where they wouldn’t have a head coach before LeBron made his decision when they fired Mike Brown. It is not LeBron’s obligation to help the Cavs in wooing Izzo, any more than it was his obligation to help the Nets get Avery Johnson or the Bulls get Tom Thibodeau.
I hope that LeBron James stays in Cleveland. But he doesn’t owe anything to you or the Cavs organization to make that more likely.
I agree with the majority here in chosing option 3. I am worried that option 1 is worse but the truth is option 3 is a bit scarier. If LeBron is leaving, well, at least then I get it. If not, well, then I have no idea what he is doing. LeBron is so desperate to become a free agency that it has me shaking my head.
I understand why he re-signed the shorter deal a few years back.
The Cavs weren’t very good and he wanted to see the team’s commitment to improving without getting locked in like Garnett. Ok, it makes sense. But surely he has to see the problems his stance has made for the Cavs and his goal of winning ie. not being able to sign guys like Ariza and now the whole Izzo fiasco. With this knowledge, why continue this stance? How many of you out there think that LeBron really doesn’t have an idea of what he is going to do? I think he knows but still needs to go through this ridiculous charade for God knows what. Ego? Attention? I really dont get it.
Another question came to me. LeBron is under contract until July 1st. If the Cavs hired Izzo tomorrow and Izzo wanted to talk to LeBron about the future, would LeBron do it? Afterall, he is still under contract.
Why are you all so worried about this? Izzo told his MSU players last week that he was taking the Cavs job. That’s why he has made his announcement… err, wait… no he hasn’t.
Consider the difference in stakes in these decisions and times between LBJ relative to his overall plans versus Dan Gilbert relative to his overall plans (really versus anyone).
Much hot air here.
@MSU school of journalism or whatever fancy name paid to be associated with it:
not sure why everyone is so worked up over getting a retraction. MSM report from their sources and as long as they believe they were not completely deceived move forward without retraction all the time.
don’t believe me?
KC news station puts out what was immediately refuted as BigXII members joining the Big10. No retraction.
Chip Brown puts out almost daily columns from his sources some stating definitive conclusions, which he himself contradicts the next day with no retraction other than this is what his sources are now saying. And, generally, he is a well-connected guy with good sources.
Things change, things happen. We won’t know what happened in that locker room because we weren’t there. It’s up to the guys here to believe their source and move forward, or, if they believe that he deceived them, offer a retraction. They obviously believe their source. End of story.
And we’ll miss you guys once Izzo ends his vision quest to determine his future. It won’t be the same without a bunch of random comments beating a dead horse over and over again (even on posts about the Tribe and commenter profiles). Stop by from time to time; hopefully, to check on the progress of Izzo’s Cavs.
@Matt#2 – Can you expand on this?
Glad to see people finally waking up. I said after the loss to Boston he could care less about winning yet homers bashed me for being ridiculous. I said he was a prima donna and egomaniac too. Glad to see people in Cleveland see it now with this ridiculous free agent crap.
I don’t like the way LeBron has handled this situation (for the past couple of years really) but I understand where he stands on this particular issue.
The guy said he wants to test the free agency market and by all accounts, he will do just that come July 1. How can he go about doing that while he’s involved in the Cavs Head Coaching search? That’s something he would do had he already committed long term to the Cavs.
Again, I don’t like how James is going about this. But if he’s going to do it his way, at least he’s being consistent.
mike, 61: Indeed.
Leave LeBron alone already no matter what he does or doesn’t do it’s never right. Gilbert did his impression of Napoleon last week when he said that LBJ didn’t pick coaches or make management decisions so Gilbert’ts getting what he wanted. Obviously LBJ heard what Gilbert had to say.
How exactly is LeBron supposed to handle this? If he talks to Izzo, he is construed as a meddler and someone who runs the team behind the scenes. We’ve already heard that. Everyone already believes he was the one who got Mike Brown and Danny Ferry fired. Now, if he doesn’t talk to Izzo it’s because he’s a drama queen. Someone explain to me the middle ground here, cause I’m not seeing it.
Anyway, this brings up a bigger problem. Cleveland, specifically the Cavaliers, are not a good destination for seemingly anyone. It requires LeBron James to recruit people to come and play with him in Cleveland for people to actually come. Avery Johnson is coaching the Nets with no guarantee whatsoever that LeBron is coming. Tom Thibodeau is coaching the Bulls with no guarantee that LeBron is coming. Now, why did those guys accept so early, but yet no coach wants to come here w/o a guarantee of LeBron staying? It points to a much bigger issue, this franchise isn’t attractive whatsoever and that is a bigger problem than just one guy.
If I’m LeBron, I see these other teams able to get solid coaches w/o a promise from me. Then I look at Cleveland and wonder why they can’t do the same. It doesn’t look good for the Cavs.
Oh, and if he is really just wanting to test the market, then he simply can’t talk to Izzo. If he talks to him, and then Izzo decides to not come to Cleveland, what will be your response? Something along the lines of “ZOMG LEBRON IS LEAVING.” If he does talk to Izzo and then Izzo comes to Cleveland, you can obviously see the other response. It totally renders his free agency pointless, and that doesn’t make sense for him to do that.
Oh, and everyone can defend WFNY for not posting a retraction all they want.However, when they say the will gladly print one if they are wrong, and then don’t do it, I’m not sure how you defend that. Call it beating a dead horse. I call it running and hiding.
Weak. Just got back from bonnaroo thinking lebron was likely going to endorse Izzo and sign.
For those interested: I have no idea what is happening in that picture, but Izzo is like 5′-10″. He’s an awfully commanding 5′-10″, though.
Peace
Ty
Ty, LOL
I mentioned his height a little earlier. I guesstimated about 6’6″ (sarcasm)
Rich#71 made a good point about LBJ being in a conundrum. I would also like to state that the Cavs could hire Byron Scott right now if they wanted to. But, Izzo is Gilbert’s number one choice.
Now if Gilbert balks this could get really ugly with Byron Scott.
All this about LaBron and D Wade has me B Ored.
The ole Lebron is selfish article. *Sigh* Will someone please explain why Lebron should commit to any team before the draft or trades are made? Can someone explain why he should sign his career away without looking at all his options? Does Izzo want to be Lebron’s coach or does he want to be an NBA coach?
my sources tell me LeBron will re-sign once WFNY posts an apology. and my sources are SOLID!
@Eric: I’m guessing you just looked at the headline or something and didn’t read the article, right? Because nowhere in there did I come even remotely close to saying *anything* about LeBron having to commit to the Cavs now.
*Sigh*
This, my friedns, is the problem when you have a league that is superstar dependent. Yesterday, I saw a bottom line story about Wade and Bosh having dinner because they “are friends just having dinner.”
I’m hoping this is not a trend of every upcoming summer from this point forward. I hope this is a unique situation planned by a handful of spoiled brats.
Andrew, If you are not saying Lebron needs to commit now, then what is the purpose of complaining about Izzo not being able to make a decision about his future because doesn’t know Lebron’s decision? In a round about way you are saying Lebron needs to commit if for no other reason than to give Izzo a better undestanding of his options *Sigh* indeed! Andrew, I don’t think you understand what you wrote.
You know, he can talk to Izzo without committing to the Cavs in any way. That was my only point. There’s no need for LeBron to just ignore Izzo.
As for LeBron “needing to commit”:
“At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it’s worth once again pointing out that this continues to be LeBron’s right to play this thing out however he prefers. No matter what his intentions are, not talking to Izzo makes sense if protecting his intentions is his top priority.”
Andrew, what would they talk about other than a commitment? The weather? Hotspots in Cleveland?
@80 Almost all major sports are superstar dependent. The Cavaliers problem is that their superstar is so head and shoulders above his teammates. The dropoff is large enough even Stevie Wonder could see it. Even worse LeBron is the only superstar Cleveland has had in decades. Factor in the hometown element and it’s no wonder the fans in this town ride him more then a jockey on a race horse.
It’s starting to seem like we don’t want Lebron to resign… Certainly, he’s brought a lot of this onto himself, but to worry about the fact that he won’t talk to a potential coach hire is over the top. Just a few weeks ago everyone was up in arms, saying that a well functioning organization should make upper-office decisions without player input and if LBJ was calling the shots on coaching/GM then this organization was doomed, etc. Now people are pissed because he won’t say anything.
To me LBJ is doing exactly what he said he was going to do: test the free agent waters. The fact that he’s been pretty quiet is actually respectful to Cavs fan. Maybe he thinks his lack of involvement one way of another is best course of action, so nobody get their feelings hurt? If he starts dabbling in Cavs operational decisions then leaves he’s the bad guy who played everyone and snuck off in the middle of the night. If he dabbbles in the organization decisions and stays then he’s the diva who had to have everything his way, is running the Cavs organization, and responsible for when decisions go awry.
He’s a player. His job is to show up and do what the coach tells him to regardless of who that may be. Let the GM (and owner now) worry about the coach. The reality of the Cavs job is that you may have to commit without LBJ’s blessing. Everyone in the front-office knew that when we fired MB. But now it’s Lebron’s fault it’s hard to find a coach? That’s silly.
Maybe he wants to see if the Cavs organization can stand on it’s own 2 feet without his input? After all, they lost their coach and GM and all stability… So maybe LBJ wants to see the organization make some solid decisions on its own before he commits to anything????
Andrew, what could he talk to Izzo about?
This is a non-story. Izzo told his players last week that he decided to take the Cavs job. That was confirmed multiple times by WFNY. OK, so school’s out, that’s not why he was holding back making an announcement. It will come….any minute now…wait for it…I’m sure it’s imminent…I mean he did tell his players he was taking the Cleveland job….right? Hello? Didn’t he?
does a finals loss by the Lakers make it more likely that P Jackson could look elsewhere? If so, I’m increasingly glad that Izzo hasn’t committed.
@72 – Rich
Until WFNY sources say they were lying and that they did not hear Izzo tell his players he was leaving there will be no retraction article.
Please build a bridge and get over it.
I FEEL LIKE I AM TAKING CRAZY PILLS HERE!!
Man, this whole thing is beyond getting old…i really dont even care anymore…
Lebron has really hurt “his” team with his antics over the past two seasons. Remember, he once called the CAVS “his” team. If he chooses to leave Cleveland he’ll never be held with the same respect as the “great” players who stayed with one team and eventually led them to championship(s). Seems he’s a quiter. I see it as Lebron feeling he needs to shop around for the best talented “other” team to help him win a championship. I think it would be a greater feat to win a “first” championship for Cleveland than it would be for him to win in a city where it would be just “another” championship. At this point in time I’ve lost respect for the so called “king.”
Steve says “I see it as Lebron feeling he needs to shop around for the best talented “other” team to help him win a championship. EXACTLY! If Gilbert won’t/can’t bring the talent to Cleveland, Lebron should go to another team. Those “great” players who stayed with one team and eventually led them to a championship had reasons to stay. I suppose you’re talking about Jordan. Well, it made sense for Mike to stay with Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant. It made sense for Magic to stay with Kareem and Worthy. But does it make sense for Lebron to play another three years with Andy V? Or Mo Williams? Are you serious? At this point the only reason Lebron would stay in Cleveland is for the money. The Cavs can’t trade for talent, have no money, draft picks, or even a coach. No, Lebron shoudn’t piss his prime years away trying to bring Cleveland a championship especially when the owner of the team doesn’t have clue about he’s doing.
[…] to him. Fans weren’t the only ones disappointed with the way that process played out. I certainly vented my frustration over it, and we’ve seen some members of the media begin to turn on LeBron as […]