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Report: Hawks make offer to Izzo
Posted: Thursday May 11, 2000 08:01 AM
ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta Hawks have offered their head coaching position to Tom Izzo, who led Michigan State to win this year's NCAA championship, according to a newspaper report Thursday. Izzo, 45, received an offer thought to be worth more than $15 million over five years to replace Lenny Wilkens and expect a decision by the end of the week, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Wilkens resigned from the team April 24 after coaching a 28-54 season. Hawks general manager Pete Babcock said the team would not comment "on any phase of our coaching search." Izzo is on a cruise with his wife and could not be reached for comment Wednesday, the newspaper said. "Tom said they had expressed some interest," assistant coach Stan Heath told the Detroit Free Press. Heath said he spoke Wednesday with Izzo. "But he didn't say that's what he wanted to do. "I don't think there's much there. I think it's all smoke and mirrors because it's been business as usual around here. If it would have been serious, he would have brought us all in and had a meeting or something." Izzo led Michigan State to a 32-7 record and the school's first national title in 21 years last season and complied a 120-48 record in five seasons as head coach. The newspaper said he is thought to be considering the offer after getting his third raise in as many years from Michigan State, where his new deal is estimated to be as much as $1.1 million a year. If Izzo accepted the job, he would be the second college to coach to win an NCAA title and leave the next season for the NBA. Former Kansas coach Larry Brown is the other. The newspaper said the Hawks have cooled on former Pistons guard Isiah Thomas as a candidate. The paper said Thomas had been told of the offer to Izzo and now is interviewing with another team. Michigan State spokesman John Lewandowski said as far as he knew, the NBA team had not sought permission from Michigan State to interview Izzo.
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