It could be said that the rich always get richer. The San Antonio Spurs are apparently ready to hire long-time European coach Ettore Messina as an assistant for the 2014-2015 season.
Reports: Spurs to hire Ettore Messina as assistant coach http://t.co/dXZ2ovzUzp
— CBS Sports NBA (@CBSSportsNBA) June 10, 2014
Messina is known as an innovative offensive mind and has a ton of head coaching experience at the highest level in Europe. He’s currently the head coach for CSKA Moscow and has led Real Madrid as well as the Italian National Team. Messina has been in the coaching ranks since 1989.
His only NBA experience was as a consultant for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011 and 2012.
This isn’t an indication that current Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is set to retire, but Messina could very well be seen as a potential long-term replacement for the future Hall of Famer.
For what it is worth, Spurs general manager R.C. Buford has denied these reports (via CBS Sports).
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.