Bulls looking at Izzo?
Posted by kj on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
You can thank TMadison’s comment to the previous post for this morning jolt: Yahoo is reporting that Izzo may be under consideration for the open Bulls coaching spot. I don’t want to blow this out of proportion, but since Izzo himself has commented–and doesn’t rule it out–I thought it was worth passing along. Here are his comments:
“I’m not counting out any (job openings) because you can’t,” Izzo said. “College or pro.
“I go back and forth on (coaching in the NBA),” he continued. “I still think it’s the ultimate level. There is something about it. I look at it and say, ‘It’s a real challenge.’ But I love what I do too. I go down and look at what the Pistons (coaches) do in preparation and I think, ‘That’s insane.’
“But I look at what I do in terms of recruiting and I think, ‘That’s insane.’ ”
You can still sense that drive to prove he could succeed at the highest level in those comments. Working in our favor is that Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf may not want a college guy after the failed Tim Floyd experiment. Former Pistons and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle is reportedly the favorite to get the job.
Also, this part of the report just doesn’t ring true to me:
The Bulls are under the impression, sources said, that Izzo is eager to speak with them. Some believe he has grown restless in East Lansing, and it’s believed he would’ve become the Kansas coach had Bill Self taken the Oklahoma State job.
Too early to panic at this point, but let’s not rule it out . . .
Update: Joe Rexrode talked to Izzo this morning:
- Izzo is in Milwaukee to visit Korie Lucious and recruit Jamil Wilson.
- He confirms the Buls haven’t contacted him but that he would listen to them.
- He was apparently bothered by the second quote from the Yahoo article I posted above.
- Rexrode views the odds of Izzo leaving as very small.
My thoughts at this point:
- One hand: Can see Izzo’s competitiveness driving him to the NBA at some point, especially since he has said he doesn’t intend to coach into his 60s.
- Other hand: Just not sure his high-intensity approach would work in the NBA–a star-centered league with a grind-it-out regular season.
- Chances of him going to the NBA seem better than going to another college program. Have to believe he views winning another national title at MSU and firmly establishing the program as an elite one as a bigger challenge than winning at a school like Kansas/IU that already has a nationally-elite reputation.
- Appreciate that Izzo is honest with the media about listening to job offers. Many/most coaches would listen privately but deny it publicly.
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Filed in michigan state basketball, tom izzo
John Mon 23 Apr 2008 at 8:56 am 1Take it for what it’s worth, because I am in no way an insider or connected. But the Izzo rumors, from sources that I trust, were persistent throughout the IU coaching search. Obviously, the current condition of the IU program and the awkwardness of moving within the conference made me doubt that it would ever happen, but rumors of his interest were persistent and came from sources that I consider credible and level-headed. Take it with a huge grain of salt.
Even though he is the most formidable adversary in the conference, I would hate to see Izzo leave. With all of the coaching talent in the conference right now, I think the Big Ten is poised to return to its late 1980s/early 1990s quality. Plus, anyone who can keep the Wolverines down is a friend in my book.
DMPon 23 Apr 2008 at 9:58 am 2I just can’t quite go with it. I think Izzo has to go through his mini-crises from time to time because his ultra-competitive nature and ego dictates he has to wonder what he could do in the pros or with a college program where blue chippers just line up to play for (UNC, KU, UK, UCLA, Duke, as a very exclusive list). Especially when he is frustrated about performance of the team after a long and draining recruiting and college season. But I think in the end he always cools down and realizes that his personality and style is not fit for the pros (and as we saw, he’s talked that over with Calipari in the past). And he also seems to realize that the real need for his ultra-competitive nature and ego is for him to build his own program where are blue-chippers line up to play for. Or that he beats those other programs without their advantages. Or whatever.
On top of all that, MSU has given him just about everything he wants, plus an incoming AD who is a promotion freak. I think his name has to come up on major coach searches from time to time, and that’s just the way of it.
GBBoundon 23 Apr 2008 at 10:01 am 3Joe Rexrode posted a conversation he had with Izzo as of 8:30 this morning. Izzo is in Milwaukee seeing Luscious and recruiting Jamil Wilson.
http://noise.typepad.com/hey_j.....-spec.html
witless chumon 23 Apr 2008 at 11:06 am 4http://noise.typepad.com/hey_j.....-spec.html
Rexrode at LSJ speaks to Izzo
“So what would he do if contacted? Would he give it serious consideration?
“I don’t know if I would or not,” he said from Milwaukee. “I really don’t. I’ve got a class (coming in) here, we’ve got a chance to do some things.”"
Izzo agrees with your opinion of that Kansas B.S. in the post, too.
kjon 23 Apr 2008 at 11:34 am 5Posted my thoughts in an update to the post above. Regarding John’s comment: I have to wonder whether Izzo’s natural friendliness/openness/competitiveness misleads people into thinking he’s more interested in other jobs than he really would be in the final analysis. Thanks for sharing what you know, though.
DMPon 23 Apr 2008 at 4:19 pm 6Honestly, I think it’s good for the program if recruits hear about how Izzo is considered one of the few college coaches who can make it in the NBA. Bodes well for attracting talent that wants to go to the NBA eventually. Evidently he knows how to communicate to recruits around rumors like this, maybe they even think him with more prestige if they assume he can take $5mill/year if he wanted to in the pros. I think this is great. I also think Izzo is coaching MSU at the 2010 Final Four. The only wildcard here at all is if the 2009 team can overachieve and get to Ford Field, and if Herzog can finish a burrito at Panchero’s.
Danon 24 Apr 2008 at 6:15 pm 7That may be a good point, kj, about how Izzo’s willing to discuss this sort of thing. Most coaches won’t even pretend it’s a possibility until they’ve signed on the dotted line, so maybe the occasional panic from Izzo rumors is just because he doesn’t flat-out deny it like every other coach.