At 8:30 Tuesday night, Tom Izzo held a press conference announcing his decision to stay at Michigan State. As Brian Windhorst tweeted from the presser, Izzo said: “If LeBron wouldn’ve stayed that doesn’t mean that I would have been there. It was not the only factor. Was it a big factor? Sure.”
So does that mean LeBron isn’t staying? Don’t know, but here’s a full story on Izzo from Mitch Albom: “And so he stays. The most hotly debated topic in basketball ends with Tom Izzo going nowhere. He is ‘here for life,’ he now declares. But he is not the same. What Izzo went through the past 10 days will shadow him for months, if not years. It was nothing less than a total soul examination: Who do I want to be? How will I be remembered? How important are the things I say are important? The questions may be over now for Spartans and Cavaliers fans, but the wondering will not end for Izzo, no matter what he says. He will think and think again about the reported $30-million offer, a chance to coach LeBron James, one of the greatest talents in NBA history, a chance to see the NBA Finals without two decades of trying. The words you heard suggest: ‘I did the right thing.’ But the question in his head will be: ‘Did I do the right thing?'”
