Ettore Messina: Explaining the dark-horse coaching candidate
Who knows if the Thunder or even the Magic would give him his opportunity? It is still a huge risk. Because Euroleague is decidedly not the NBA. And there is still an experience gap he needs to cover. The NBA game is different from Europe as Messina has surely learned in the last three years.
Certainly, European basketball is a little bit different. Zone defenses are allowed and it is a spread-the-floor game. Its influences have sunk its teeth deep into today’s NBA game. But coaches have a lot of control within franchises. It is not a player’s league like the NBA can be at times.
His offenses for his European teams were pretty intricate. He explained his offensive and coaching philosophies to the Los Angeles Times when he joined the Lakers (above).
You can see why he gravitated to the Spurs. They run a very European-style offense. It is very much about moving the ball quickly and getting the defense to shift and rotate to get good shots.
The Magic largely have been an offense based on pick and rolls and isolation baskets. Their hope was that Jacque Vaughn would bring some of that Spurs offense and defensive mentality to the team. That did not happen.
Unlike Vaughn, though, Messina is not some green assistant coach with two years of experience. He has felt the pressure of the lead chair and found success with many types of teams and players.
What makes Messina a potentially appealing coach to a team like the Thunder or even the Magic is that high ceiling. He has been successful elsewhere, and could be successful in the NBA. Even with that risk, that is hard to pass up.
Next: Why Ettore Messina could fit with the Magic