Other than the money and I admit it is usually substantial, why would Tom Izzo or any other reputable college basketball coach ever give up the status he's earned over the years to coach in the NBA?  The Pistons are a prime example.  Joe Dumars is about to hire his sixth head coach in ten years-- and for the most part the Pistons have been a very good team.  But no coach was ever good enough for any staying power.  Why will the next guy be any different?  Dumars has tried all different kinds and none of them ever last for the long term.  He says he wants a guy for at least five years with his next hire-- really?  Why would any reputable coach thinks he has a chance with this organization let alone the rest of the NBA?

     Either you have good enough players to win the NBA title or at least contend for it or you don't and if you don't the players don't get fired-- the coaches do.  They get big money and guys like Flip Saunders have never won the title, but they've won in the regular season and done enough to fool the powers that be to keep getting re-hired for big money.  Getting  NBA players to toe the line would be a monster challenge for any college coach who is used to having autocratic control-- but such behavior in front of NBA players would simply never work.  Michael Curry was another Dumars mistake and likely, if form holds true, the next guy will eventually be considered a mistake as well.

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