Although Tom Izzo is reportedly already "investigating" potential assistant coaches for the Cavaliers job and has started talking directly to Dan Gilbert rather than through a third party, whether or not he leaves for Cleveland may come down to the team's plans if LeBron James goes somewhere else.
Yahoo! Sports Dan Wetzel reports that Izzo's visit to Cleveland will deal largely with what the Cavaliers' plan is going forward. If LeBron James decides to re-sign, that plan is pretty obvious and would make life on any coach much easier. Should LeBron leave, however, the direction of the franchise is very unclear, which is why Izzo wants to hear what the schematics for rebuilding would be.
When Michigan State coach Tom Izzo visits the Cleveland Cavaliers' facilities and meets front-office staff in a planned trip on Thursday, he wants to hear a detailed plan on how new general manager Chris Grant hopes to retool the franchise should LeBron James(notes) depart as a free agent, league sources told Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday night.
If Izzo can be sold on a rebuilding process and becomes comfortable with Grant, one of college basketball’s biggest coaching stars could be ready to take owner Dan Gilbert’s five-year, $30 million offer, sources told Yahoo!
As far as Izzo's decision goes, this could be the biggest day for him and the Cavs. While he is obviously very close to taking the job considering he is thinking about potential assistants, the Cavs have to clear up what they will do if LeBron leaves before any final decision is made. If they show that a solid plan is in place, then Izzo may figure taking the job is worth the risk, especially if there is a good chance LeBron will be re-signed. If the plan is too shaky and would make rebuilding very tough, then Izzo may figure that it's not worth leaving a Michigan State team that will contend for a national championship.
Assuming Izzo's visit goes according to plan, we should learn more about what his decision is going to be or at least when it is going to be made in the next 24 hours.