Yesterday I wrote that I would totally understand if Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo left his job in East Lansing to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers. With news coming out that Izzo is in Cleveland meeting with Cavs officials, it's looking more like Izzo is going to take his shot at coaching in the NBA.

I wouldn't be happy with it, but I'd understand. With the job he's done at MSU, turning it into a consistent winner and a nationally-recognized program, Izzo has earned the right to chase him dream.

But the cons may outweigh the pros. The biggest con may be the success rate of coaches who left winning college programs for NBA jobs.

Larry Brown, who has coached nearly every team in both the NCAA and NBA, is the only coach in history to win a title in both the NCAA (with Kansas in 1988) and the NBA (Detroit, 2004).

For every Larry Brown, there's 10 Tim Floyds. Izzo, who I believe to be the best coach in college basketball, has a chance to succeed like anyone else would. But the college and pro games are too different - which is a key reason in why great college coaches seemingly never live out their NBA contracts.

In college, your Xs and Os are vital to team success. The NBA in recent years has turned into an isolation league - pound the ball into the court for the first 17 seconds of the shot clock, then give it to your best player and hope he makes something happen.

In college, you can get away with screaming and yelling at 18-22-year-old kids. In the NBA, you're dealing with millionaires. Chances are that if a coach takes the Bob Knight approach with a guy like Carmelo Anthony, he'll be cleaning out his office shortly thereafter that encounter.

In college, players actually (for the most part) listen in huddles. In the NBA, players routinely tune out coaches to look at eye candy in the stands.

In college, you can put your players on curfew so they stay out of trouble (even though that may not always work.). In the NBA, you have no say over whether or not your star player is shooting off guns at 3 a.m. on a Thursday in the parking lot of a strip club.

In college, players don't get burnt out on coaches because they know they'll only have to deal with the guy for a maximum of four years. In the NBA, players turn on coaches all the time. The Pistons turned on Larry Brown a season after they won the NBA championship. The New Jersey Nets, one of the worst franchises in the history of the league, a season after it made back-to-back Finals appearances.

I'm sure Izzo will take his time in making this decision. And I'll support him no matter what he decides. But, based on past results, the odds are stacked against him succeeding.

At 55, Izzo may not have too many more chances to make the jump. If he feels like this is the best decision for he and his family, Izzo should make the move to the NBA.

It is better to try and fail than not try at all, after all.