Spurs to announce Ettore Messina as assistant after the Finals

[objective]

Good news is that he's probably pop's successor, and not udoka, marks, Boylan, or avery Johnson. He could have gone to Utah to be an assistant, but he's coming here to take over I feel.

Bad news is it's more playing time for trashcan Marco.

[Mal]

Great move. Best european coach.

[ace3g]

First thing I thought of, tbh.

Thinking the same thing

[SpurPadre]

Great move but I hope this isn't the best news we get this month, tbh.

[99 Problems]

Certain to be more to this that meets the eye. He's not coming here to work Sean MAY during mini camp.

[Hemotivo]

Great move. Best european coach.

yep

but two years late imho

[alpha_HaZE]

great move, I always secretly hoped for Obradovic, but I am bias. Messina is as good, if not better.

[xmas1997]

I also wonder if he will be the number one assistant coach.

[Brazil]

Damn, that's a big move..I don't follow Euro basketball, but isn't he regarded as an elite coach?..

He is an elite coach, one of the best in europe if not the best with obradovic. He is modern in his approach and a winner (euroleagues, italian and russian championships, silver medal at the euro with Italy)... a good move for the Spurs. He was rumored to the Lakers at one point and worked a bit with Mike Brown in 2012 but did not last.

[jARS mEsH sEt]

The NBA desperately needs to start thinking outside of the box for coaching hires, tbh..it's trending upwards, thankfully, as teams are diverting from ISO-ball..

They need to stop recycling failed coaches that don't run systems..Byron Scott, Monty Williams, Mike Woodson, Scott Brooks, etc..those types of coaches should never get NBA jobs, going forward..

Former players that played in the ISO-ball era of the 90s are not going to be good coaches, as we just saw with Jason Kidd and his ISO offense, this year..Fisher won't be any different..Kerr has hope, though, as he is big on analytics..

Kerr always raves about Pop's system. I'm pretty sure he knows how antiquated iso-ball is if you want to be a championship contender in the modern era.

[Brazil]

btw there are some cool stuff in this website about european coches for those who would want to dig into european culture: http://coaching.fibaeurope.com/Defau...CB5D1D3A722%7D

I've read some of Messina, some are quite interesting.

here is a link about some Messina drills: http://www.fip.it/public/41/3533/ett...e%20drills.pdf

[elemento]

A bit late tbh

[hsxvvd]

Great move. Succession planning. Could even be that the Head Coach opening is something that is part of his negotiations, especially with so many NBA teams sniffing around for new coaches. Locking up an 'elite' coach and giving him a season or so to learn the ropes from the master, whilst keeping him away from potential suitors. Brilliant move.

[AFBlue]

Just awesome.

[mudyez]

What? Obradovic? no! Not saying, he is a bad coach, but no way he is one of the best in Europe. He is somewhat of a camera happy .

[Cherry]

Ettore!! mi amore

[Pero]

What? Obradovic? no! Not saying, he is a bad coach, but no way he is one of the best in Europe. He is somewhat of a camera happy .

Not one of the best? Right, he's a legend.

[mudyez]

Not one of the best? Right, he's a legend.

I think, i have to google his name...maybe his father is a coach too! no way we are talking about the same guy.

[mudyez]

LOL yeah...not his father but another person (I was thinking Sasha).

[barakz21]

Okay, so for us who aren't that familiar or don't really follow the euro league.. What can we expect from him as a coach, regardless of whether it's as a head coach or assistant? I know he's a pretty good coach, based from the reactions of the posters, but it would be nice to know what he can bring to the spurs? Thanks!

[dg7md]

Replacement coach in 2 years tbh?

[Perry Mason]

I already posted this but it bears repeating. According my legit Popovich family source, Pop retires this off season and needs hip surgery. There is a small chance of one more season. This will be Pop's replacement, and it is a genius move.

And I don't make up guys. Look at my post history.

[JR3]

Jazz wanted him too... Great move for the Spurs!

[Rito3d30]

UPDATE: Spurs general manager R.C. Buford denied that Ettore Messina was San Antonio-bound, via Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News:

“Is someone leaving our staff that I don't know about?” Buford said when asked about the Messina report. “We have not had one conversation with anyone about a coaching position for next season.”

---
CSKA Moscow head coach Ettore Messina will join Gregg Popovich's staff with the San Antonio Spurs after this season ends, as first reported by Corriere di Bologna's Daniele Labanti and confirmed by Sportando.
Messina served as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers under Mike Brown in 2011-2012. The Atlanta Hawks reportedly considered him for their head-coaching vacancy last year before settling on Mike Budenholzer, who was Popovich's lead assistant at the time. The Spurs tried to hire Messina last year, according to ESPN's Marc Stein, who also reported that there was talk that new Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder would try to add Messina to his staff.
Having coached Real Madrid, Benetton Treviso, Virtus Bologna and Italy's national team, Messina has quite a resume. He's long been talked about as a potentially historic hire as an NBA head coach, and that could still happen in the future. He has a great reputation for his offensive mind -- in that respect, this will be a case of the rich getting richer in San Antonio.

Smokescreen or what

[TheGreatYacht]

Not sure about that............. it means more tunobili. I was hoping he retiring this year.