Hts121

^Let's take a look at current NBA players: Duke - Boozer, Brand, G. Hill, Maggette, Battier, Deng, Dunleavy, Duhon, Reddick, Jones, S. Williams, S. Randolph, D. Ewing.... and don't forget that J. Williams woud likely still be playing but for his motocycle accident. That's 10 NBA lottery picks and at least 4 All-stars or former All-stars. MSU - Peterson, J. Richardson, Z. Randolph, A. Anderson, S. Brown, M. Ager, P. Davis. Which group would you rather have? Also, Izzo has allegedly cancelled his golf outing for today.

Beach Club!

^No, no. MOney is NOT an issue. I meant trade assets, as in players to offer in exchange. For instance, the Lakers can offer Toronto a young, promisng 7 foot center and other assets (such as Shannon Brown) for Bosh - BTW, I don't think it would be wise for the Lakers to do so. We can't match that offer IMO, but it has nothing to do with Gilbert's bank account or willingness to spend. Also, I really, reallly do NOT want Lebron to "resign" ^^^I see a big difference between him and Pitino. Pitino was first and foremost a great recruiter. Izzo is first and foremost a great coach. Quick... anyone not named diaspora... name more than one Mich St. player currently in the NBA. Really, Zach Randolph might be the best NBA prospect he has had and he only had him for one, maybe two, years. Izzo has done much more with MSU's talent than Coach K has done with Duke's, where he has had multiple NBA lottery picks coming through. Calipari reminds me more of Pitino than Izzo does.

Izzo spent over 9 hours with the Cavs today. Decision should come shortly. Cavs have lined up Byron Scott should the Izzo plan fail. And I don't care what they say, Scott IS "plan B".... even if he may be the much wiser pick, having both played and coached in the NBA Finals whereas Izzo has 0 NBA experience. Izzo is a much higher risk/reward pick.... and his hire would have Dan Gilbert written all over it.

Thanks for that Clueless. Great thread. Now... Chillly, my man... in Cleveland, there are a lot of things that you can get away with posting a sign outside your establishment saying "Best _____ in Town!"... but 'corned beef' ain't one of them.

Izzo is here. No word on whether it is just a visit or if the pen will be put to paper. MSU fans are planning a rally for him tonight to encourage him to stay. I don't blame them, as he has been great for that program, getting the most out of the talent he has. However, I do not think I would feel the same. I am a huge OSU football fan and have been for my whole life. 'Senator' Tressel is the greatest thing since sliced bread IMO and I hope he stays at OSU forever. However, if the NFL came calling and he truly wanted to test the waters at the next level, I don't know that I would openly discourage him from taking the job. I would be mad at him for leaving for another college program, but that would be more of a lateral move. I don't think he would be half the NFL coach that he is in college, but that would just be my best guess. Of course, OSU football is OSU football and always will be. Not sure if MSU fans have as much confidence in their program minus Izzo.

Personally, I like Tony Coyne. He is just the right amount of 'tough' for this job IMHO.

It is a bee-a-utiful day here on the lake! Sunny and 72 degrees with just the right amount of breeze.

^I don't think that is in Izzo's character.... not saying the life tenure offer isn't for real. Why wouldn't he have used the Bulls' interest in him the same way?

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=5268408 Looks like the Cornhuskers are going to be the first to jump ship from the sinking Big 12. This will cause a domino effect IMO. Personally, I am looking forward to a 2 Division B10, which may look something like this - EAST Ohio State Penn State Indiana Purdue Michigan Michigan State WEST Nebraska Minnesota Wisconsin Iowa Illinois Northwestern Geographically it makes sense, and the balance of power is not that far off center (unless Michigan returns to glory). It would maintain the OSU-Mich end of season game, even if that game would lose a bit of luster.... as if it hasn't already. I could also see the B10 adding a few more teams, such as Rutgers, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Missouri, possibly even Texas (although they appear Pac10 bound if the B12 breaks up). I am going to guess it is a no from Notre Dame, or otherwise the B10 probably would have closed the fence and been happy with that pick up by itself. Some of those eastern teams would move the Indiana schools over the west I would assume.

Believe me, as a Cavs fan everyone is following this like crazy. That includes ESPN, Yahoo, CBS, Fox, every major and minor media outlet. One thing we know for sure is that he is DEFINITELY and strongly considering the offer. If he bites, everybody here will go nuts - 1/2 will be ecstatic and the other half will pull their hair out. It would be a very controversial decision, yet definitely the kind of big story move Gilbert wants.

^I'd love for someone to find me an article about the Cavs this off-season that isn't based on someone's gut feeling. Lol...don't take anything that Hondo says seriously. The dude thought Izzo was a serious candidate for the football job before they hired Mark Dantonio. He has no credibility. He's a fat guy with a TV show (small market, cable access quality, etc.) and a website. Well.... where there's smoke - (BREAKING NEWS) http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/?p=29584 ^Windy is saying this is not true... unless Izzo met again with the players today.

He is supposedly meeting with the AD and MSU Prez either tomorrow or Friday. While the college to NBA thing worries me, there is not an "ideal" candidate out there. There's no hiding the fact that Gilbert wants to make a "big splash".... and this would be it. Also, some guy from SpartanNation (Hondo Carpenter) had lunch with Izzo yesterday and said he thinks that Izzo is going to take the offer.

Don't get me started; the "closed on Sundays" is a pet peeve of a number of key Cleveland downtown/urban restaurants, among them: Lola on E. 4th and Great Lakes Brewing Co. (which kills Ohio City on Sundays) ... there are a number of Warehouse Dist. eateries close up on Sundays, too... ... and GLBC fans take a back-to-back hit on our more patriotic holidays like Memorial Day, last weekend, and the 4th of July... I'm not knocking anybody's religious observance or sense of patriotism, but it rankles me that, in a city begging for people to come to urbanized areas and create a buzz like Ohio City and downtown that establishments Great Lakes, Lola (and plenty of others that feature darkness and upturned chairs on tables every Sunday) go a long way toward perpetuating the "ghost town" feel we applaud these places for helping to eliminate... I just don't get it; it makes Cleveland seem so Podunk-y. Not enough people drink alcoholic beverages on Sundays, and that is where alot of the above mentioned places make their money. I have a friend who owns several restaurants in Chicago, and he closes all of them on Sunday. There just is not enough money in food items in big places that bank alot of their revunue off of alcohol sales volume. Don't you have to hold a special kind of liquor license to sell alchohol on Sundays? If so, I'm sure there is a cost-benefit analysis at play.

1. The Jerk 2. MTS - Blazing Saddles DanB and EVD - Grumpy Old Men Scrabble - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (kidding.... sort of) Mayday - The Silence of the Lambs (at least lately) KJP - Trainspotting EC - The Thing

^Allegedly, the other "incentives" includes free use of a private jet whenever he wants. Izzo definitely would not be my first choice, just because of past precedent of college to NBA coaches. However, I would not be upset with the hiring either. Gilbert is a gambler and Izzo would be the ultimate "roll of the dice" for this franchise. Don't worry diaspora, I doubt Izzo bites... but he, unlike Coach K, certainly is seriously considering the possibility. Gilbert is supposed to hold a press conference this afternoon, so maybe we will find out more.

^^^ We MIGHT already have that guy in Telfair. Don't forget that he came straight out of HS and is relatively young. Hopefully, he has matured, both physically and mentally, to handle an NBA season. Most of the crazy rumors you are hearing are pipe dreams. Forget about Paul. Not going to happen. Never. NO is changing ownership and is not going to trade away their franchise centerpiece. And if Paul WAS on the table, there would be a multitude of teams that could and would outbid us. I hear the Bosh rumor as well, but I believe that it only legitimately exists in the minds of 13 yr old Cavs fans. Once again, we don't have the assets to outbid the teams that are interested. Latest I hear is a possible deal involving the Lakers and Andrew Bynum. We don't have a young 7 foot legitimate center to offer them. Besides, Bosh would have to agree to the trade because he will be a free agent. Golden State does not have the 2nd pick. They have the 6th pick. Philly has the second pick and it has been rumored that they MAY be willing to part with it if some team will take Elton Brand and the 4 years/$60 mill+ left on his contract. I find that unlikely though. Golden State is the most realistic and intriguing possiblity to me. Although Ellis would not be my preference. He is a knucklehead IMO and cares more about personal stats. Team productivity tends to drop with him on the court. However, it is hard to judge when you play for a team like GS, so I would not completely rule him out. I would much rather take Maggette, and I hear that GS wants to rid itself of his contract. He is older but much more efficient in his productivity. To take on his contract though, I want that 6th pick.

True. But also... just because you can allow someone to do something, doesn't mean you should. If there is something in the federal/state law which entitles stinky people to a train ride and creates a legal cause of action for those people if they are ejected from the train, then we should change that :)

There is nothing wrong with Mo's offensive game. He is one of the best shooters in the league. Don't forget about the time when we didn't have anybody that could hit an open jumper (the Lucious Harris, Kevin Ollie era). It is his defense that just doesn't cut it. My friend who is a Buck's fan tried to tell me this back when we got him. Still, we paid such a low price, I can't complain. I love Delonte. He has been my favorite Cav for the past three years... Lebron included. However, his mental issues have made him entirely unpredictable and, like I said above, the structure of his contract makes him our best asset. On Boobie... have you ever looked at his numbers for games he starts? Not too shabby. I think he and Telfair both have some serious unfulfilled talent.

I agree with 327. If he succeeds and you have a problem with it, the problem you have is with the law as written... not the legal system or the litigant. Express your displeasure at the voting booth. If Amtrak gives him a nuisance settlement, that is Amtrak's choice. However, I would assume that he hardly has the resources or leverage to force anything significant. I also assume that Amtrak has In-House Counsel which could easily handle such a suit, so there is no need to hire outside 'hourly-fee' attorneys. If I was working for Amtrak, my first question would be "what are his damages?"..... and, if none are identifiable then a defense on principle is appropriate.

For one, Coach K really is untouchable. And second, I hear that Gilbert holds Izzo in higher regard. West is trade bait because his contract is HIGHLY valuable to a team looking to slash payroll. The other team would trade for him and then cut him with a $500,000 buyout. Williams is trade bait because he couldn't stop my sister from getting to the rim. I'm not sure they are going to find any takers for Williams though due to the length and size of his contract. Diaspora, Izzo has indeed immediately shot down speculation from the Pistons, Timberwolves, and other teams in recent years when his name came up. The Hawks job, to my knowledge, is the only one he gave any consideration to and that was 10 years ago when he was a younger coach. Here, he is obviously contemplating the possibility. Money talks and Gilbert has plenty of it. Personally, I would prefer a former NBA player who has some coaching experience. Here is a list of the coaches of recent NBA champions... since the first Jordan-Bulls 3-peat - Phil Jackson Doc Rivers Pat Riley Larry Brown Greg Popovich Rudy Tomanovich Only L Brown came out of college and even he took awhile to make it to the championship. PJax, Rivers, Riley, Tomanovich all played in the NBA. L Brown played in the ABA. Coach Pop is the only one who did not have a significant playing career.

Most people I have talked to actually do not want Izzo. Very rarely does a college coach make a successful transition to the NBA. The reason why the rumor is going around is because the interest is definitely there, and unlike other instances, Izzo's people did not immediately shoot down the rumors. And don't misunderstand Dan Gilbert. He hardly lives "to serve a superstar".... he lives to win a championship and made SIGNIFICANT investments to see that through without yet seeing a return on those investments. He is simply protecting his assetts at this point.

Hmmmm.... leasing the land and retaining ownership sounds like the current owner envisions retail. I know landowners who do that - lease the land, allow a new structure to be built to suit and take the rents and a percentage of the profits. In my experience, it is the type of deal that is used for box stores, such as CVS and Wal-Mart. I have not run into that type of situation for residential structures.

Writer from Cleveland Scene ponders whether we are better off without Lebron... http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/...nt?oid=1922333 I don't agree with the premise, but some valid points are made.