Izzo will be back with the Spartans next season. (USATSI)
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Given Tom Izzo's success as the head coach of the Michigan State Spartans, and Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores being an MSU alum, the talk in late March about the Pistons chasing Izzo as a head coach sounded pretty logical. It wasn't the first time Izzo had been linked to Detroit, and this time the franchise needed to make a splash. He handled the rampant rumors deftly, and the Pistons ended up handing their franchise over to Stan Van Gundy, naming him the president and head coach.
According to the Star Tribune's Jerry Zgoda, they offered Izzo the same five-year, $35 million deal that Van Gundy accepted.
That's no small chunk of change, especially for someone who has never worked in the NBA in any capacity. It would have been quite a step to make Izzo both the president and the head coach, as either one of those positions would come with a large lurning curve.
If Detroit really wanted him, though, it makes sense that they'd need to overpay. Izzo is beloved in East Lansing, and going to the pros would come with significant risk. It's the same reason Brad Stevens got a six-year deal from the Boston Celtics, and it's why it is going to take an excellent offer to pry Kevin Ollie away from UConn or Fred Hoiberg from Iowa State.
It's a complete unknown how Izzo would have fared in the NBA, and he's certainly comfortable in college. Since the Pistons wound up with one of the best basketball minds on the planet in Van Gundy, things might have worked out best for all involved.
Basketball Hot News
Report: Kevin Love’s ‘people’ told Timberwolves that if he isn’t traded, he’ll leave in free agency
Kevin Love will essentially be in the final year of his contract with the Timberwolves next season, because he has a player option for the year after that which he’s widely expected to decline in order to become an unrestricted free agent.
That’s if he makes it through next season in Minnesota.
There have been persistent rumblings that Love will pursue a larger market situation that may offer a better chance of winning when the time comes, but the word out of the Timberwolves is that they’re going to do everything they can to convince their franchise player to re-up with a max contract to stay in town.
The latest report has Love’s “people” reminding the Timberwolves that Love may in fact bolt after next season is finished.
From Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News:
Kevin Love’s people reiterated to the Timberwolves this past week that they had better trade him or else he’ll leave via free agency when his contract is up after next season. With Love looking to exit, there’s your No. 1 reason the T-wolves have not been able to find a head coach to take over for Rick Adelman. Love wants to play for the Lakers but he’s also open to coming to the Knicks.
There aren’t many reasons keeping Love in Minnesota, especially if the team fails to retool its roster and make the playoffs next year. As for the coaching search, it’s still far too early in the process to believe that Love’s potential future status would actually be deterring candidates from being interested, and it’s unclear if the search to replace Adelman has even begun in earnest.
This particular report may or may not have any weight to it, but it is restating what we’ve known for quite some time.
Love may very well pursue other options after next season. If in fact he decides that leaving Minnesota is in his best interest well ahead of the trade deadline, then Minnesota would be wise to try to deal him. But superstar free agents aren’t exactly lining up to play there, which leads you to believe that the Timberwolves will work extremely hard until the last possible moment to try to convince Love to stay.
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