Two weeks before July 1, and there is still a vacancy on the Cavaliers' bench, a vacancy which seems likely to remain unfilled until the next fiscal year.
The recent courting of Michigan State's Tom Izzo, and Izzo's couple of weeks of debating whether or not to take the job (read: waiting to see if LeBron James would come out and say something definitive about his plans) leave me feeling as if I am watching a soap opera. Will he sign, or will he not? If he does not sign, what will be the next option? What if the next option (probably Byron Scott) decides that he, too, must wait before making his decision, must wait to see if yet another head-coaching job becomes available before giving the Cavs either a red light or a green light? Will Mindy be true to Roger, or will she dump him when she finds out that Roger has been a little more than friendly with Mindy's sister Mandy?
At the center of this soap opera -- the main character, if you will -- is, of course, LeBron. Any new coach will have to deal with one of two things: Either a team dominated by one player, which has been incredibly successful in the regular season and then fallen short of the ultimate goal in the playoffs; or a team with a huge hole in its depth of talent, and the ripple effect that that hole might create, a ripple effect that would possibly send Cleveland basketball spinning into mediocrity, or worse.
Izzo made, in my opinion, a prudent choice (for him) not to leave his comfort zone in East Lansing. I do not have a window into the man's mind, but it makes perfect sense for someone who already does well for himself to be very hesitant to walk blindly into a situation wherein your best chance for success might be wearing another uniform in a few months. It would have helped if James had had something, anything, to say about his plans, but unlike Dwayne Wade in Miami, who has stated clearly that he wants to work out a deal and remain with the Heat, we cannot be certain at all that LeBron's heart is set on remaining with the Cavs.
Of course, what respectable soap opera has the main character(s) giving away key plot points before they are due to be aired?
Byron Scott now seems to be next in line for a major push to be Cavs' head man. But, in keeping with the theme of this story, Scott, a former Los Angeles Laker, is said to be waiting to see if Phil Jackson steps down before committing to any other team.
In other words, a waiting game. Or...after these words from our sponsors, will Mindy finally catch Roger cavorting with Mandy, or will Bill intervene with news about Mindy's ex and send her frantically searching for David?