More thoughts on Izzo
Here's something I wrote on a sports-related Facebook page, in response to the question "Will Tom Izzo leave to coach Cleveland?". These posts tend to ignite a little more passion in me than this blog (the irony of that is not lost on me. Isn't a blog where you're supposed to really blow off steam?), so here's what I wrote:
"Maybe this is just the Spartan fan in me talking, but it would be a mistake for Izzo to leave MSU. He is already a legend in East Lansing, as well as the rest of the state, but if he stays at MSU he will be among the "Mt. Rushmore" of anyone ever associated with the school, that means the likes of John Hannah, Biggie Munn, and Duffy Daugherty.
"If Izzo goes the NBA, he's just another pro coach dealing with temperamental pro players with overinflated egos. His personality is not cut out for the pro game and he will flame out quickly. I'm not saying he couldn't win in the NBA, but he will never develop the love and personal connections that he's made at MSU."
That just about sums up my deeply impassioned feelings on the matter. Am I coming at it as a dyed-green Michigan State fan?--of course, I will not deny that for a second. But beyond the fat paycheck, or the (still very much up in the air) possibility of coaching LeBron, I don't see how coaching in the NBA is that enticing. Izzo has developed roots in this community and this state that I can't imagine he really wants to sever.
"Maybe this is just the Spartan fan in me talking, but it would be a mistake for Izzo to leave MSU. He is already a legend in East Lansing, as well as the rest of the state, but if he stays at MSU he will be among the "Mt. Rushmore" of anyone ever associated with the school, that means the likes of John Hannah, Biggie Munn, and Duffy Daugherty.
"If Izzo goes the NBA, he's just another pro coach dealing with temperamental pro players with overinflated egos. His personality is not cut out for the pro game and he will flame out quickly. I'm not saying he couldn't win in the NBA, but he will never develop the love and personal connections that he's made at MSU."
That just about sums up my deeply impassioned feelings on the matter. Am I coming at it as a dyed-green Michigan State fan?--of course, I will not deny that for a second. But beyond the fat paycheck, or the (still very much up in the air) possibility of coaching LeBron, I don't see how coaching in the NBA is that enticing. Izzo has developed roots in this community and this state that I can't imagine he really wants to sever.
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