Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis isn't giving Tom Izzo a deadline or anything like that, but he does expect a decision about the Cavaliers job to be made by July 1 at the latest.
Hollis said he doesn’t see Izzo waiting until July 1, the first day of the NBA’s free-agency period and the first day Cavs star LeBron James can re-sign or jump to another team.
“I would anticipate and hope that decisions are made earlier than that,” Hollis said. “I’m talking to Tom every day, and throughout the process, he’s been very open with me. He has to analyze how good things are at Michigan State and compare that to the situation in Cleveland.”
Once again, this all comes back to the timetable for both Izzo and the Cavs.
If Izzo wants to see what LeBron James does, he has to wait until July 1 at the earliest. I would be surprised if LeBron makes a quick decision, so that could prolong the situation into the middle of July or something.
If the Cavs don't want to wait for Izzo to decide, that could be the end of their pursuit of the MSU head coach. While a matter of a few days might not be a problem for the Cavs, I doubt they are going to want to be without a coach for another month or maybe more. While the ball may be in Izzo's court for a certain period of time, it's not like he is dictating the process. If he waits too long to decide, the Cavs could very well opt to move in a different direction.