Izzo To Bulls, Could it Happen?

EAST LANSING - What's the worst thing that could happen to the Michigan State basketball program? Without any doubt, it would be the exit of head coach Tom Izzo to the NBA.

Izzo has flirted with opportunities in the past, only to stay in East Lansing, but according to several published reports, Izzo's flirtation could lead to a job offer from the NBA's Chicago Bulls.

Currently, former Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle is reported to be the front runner.

Izzo has gone on the record to say he has not been contacted by the Bulls as of this morning.

However, the Michigan State coach told Yahoo! Sports, "I’m not counting out any (job openings) because you can’t, college or pro."

“I go back and forth on (coaching in the NBA),” said Izzo. “I still think it’s the ultimate level. There is something about it. I look at it and say, ‘It’s a real challenge.’ But I love what I do too. I go down and look at what the Pistons (coaches) do in preparation and I think, ‘That’s insane’, but I look at what I do in terms of recruiting and I think, ‘That’s insane.’”

According to those reports, Izzo would have taken the Kansas job has Bill Self left for Oklahomas State.

Izzo denied having any interest in the Kansas position this morning.

All of this begs the questions; Is Izzo really tiring of East Lansing? Is he ready to make the jump to the NBA? Would he really leave MSU after landing one of top incoming recruiting classes, and if he did leave, who become candidates to succeed him?

Izzo said, prior to MSU's NCAA tournament loss to Memphis, that he had requested coach John Calipari advice on taking a job in the pros in previous years.

At that time Calipari told Izzo, 'If you think you can get a better job than the one you have, when you get fired -- because you are going to get fired -- then do it. And if you think you have the best job ever, then don't do it."

Calipari said Izzo told him, "I don't know if I can have a better job for me than Michigan State."

Could money be a factor? Izzo's friend and counterpart, Tom Crean, recently signed an eight-year $18.3 million contract at Indiana. Oklahoma State offered Bill Self a $3.5 million annual salary with a $6.5 million signing bonus.

USA Today reported last year, that Izzo is among the nation's top five highest paid coaches in guaranteed compensation at $1.735 million annually and received a $9.8 million one-time bonus payment as MSU's "Pinnacle Coach".

What would MSU do if Izzo left? Assistant Mike Garland could function as an interim coach to allow for a national search.

Likely candidates would be former Izzo assistants Jim Boylen at Utah, Doug Wojcik at Tulsa, Brian Gregory at Dayton and perhaps even Stan Heath at South Florida.

However, MSU might elect to go outside the family to take a young up-and-coming coach like Xavier's Sean Miller. Maybe Calipari himself would have interest in coming to the Big Ten?

The X-factor in all of this is that the Bulls fired former MSU assistant Jim Boylan prior to hiring former MSU player Scott Skiles.

Would Chicago really take a chance on another college coach over a veteran NBA coach who has had proven NBA success?