LeBron James can pick his next team. If it's the Cleveland Cavaliers, he won't be selecting their coach. That was the powerful message from Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, who refused to comment Tuesday on reports he has offered a massive contract to Michigan State's Tom Izzo and adamantly denied that James, the two-time MVP now on free agency's doorstep, has been running Cleveland's franchise. Gilbert added that James will not be consulted during the team's coaching search. Speaking at a news conference at Cleveland Clinic Courts to introduce new general manager Chris Grant, Gilbert refuted reports that James has had input on past hires and trades, the firing of coach Mike Brown and GM Danny Ferry's recent departure. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5264853
UPDATE: Waiting for Next Year, a Cleveland sports blog, reports Wednesday afternoon that "Tom Izzo has told his players at Michigan State that he plans on taking the Cavaliers job." But that's untrue, according to ESPN's Andy Katz. Reads ESPN's report: "Izzo told the team that Cleveland has a big interest in him and that he has a lot of thinking to do about it, a school source who was at the meeting told ESPN.com's Andy Katz. But Izzo did not give any indication that he would accept the job, according to the source." Katz's reporting has also been backed up by several other media outlets on Wednesday afternoon. For now, it appears Izzo is mulling over all angles of the Cavs' job before he makes a final decision. So while it could still happen, it doesn't appear to have happened yet. -- Earlier on Wednesday, we noted a report from the Detroit News in which former Michigan State coach Jud Heathcote, after speaking with current Michigan State coach Tom Izzo on the phone, indicated that Izzo's ultimate decision on whether to coach the Cavs or not could be dictated by where LeBron James decides to sign in free agency. Even still, there have been indications that Izzo likely won't accept the job. But is the tide turning on that Wednesday afternoon? We turn to Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer for some new information. "Tom Izzo had a meeting with his players [Tuesday]," Windhorst tweets. "MSU AD said [Wednesday] he thinks a decision comes before July 1. Monday people were telling me Izzo would stay. Now there are rumors he's attempting to find jobs for his assistants if he leaves. All could be contingency planning, though. I'm sure MSU is preparing action plan if he leaves. Just as Cavs working on other options." For now, there are no overriding indications he's going to accept the position. But if he gets definitive word that James will be back in Cleveland? It's possible it could be an offer that's too good to refuse.
