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Who is Ettore Messina?

This is my favorite Messina quote:

Coach Messina, do you think about going back to the NBA? If you could, who would you like to have from Euroleague player on your team?
Miroslav, Lithuania

"Who knows? Maybe it might happen. It is something that I don't have control of, because it depends on people who might be willing to offer you a position there. Should I go back, for sure I would have a lot of names that I would like to bring with me. Again, as I answered before, it would be unfair just to say one name with respect to the many great players that we have in the Euroleague."
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Should I go back, for sure I would have a lot of names that I would like to bring with me. Again, as I answered before, it would be unfair just to say one name with respect to the many great players that we have in the Euroleague."
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Any good players in Euroleague who are free agents? I imagine most have their rights owned by NBA teams already.
 
It was what he had to say.. of course he would say he would bring unnamed players so they all thought it was them. He's smart.
 
Core4 said:
Any good players in Euroleague who are free agents? I imagine most have their rights owned by NBA teams already.
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Like someone else said, all young euros are either already grabbed by NBA teams or not drafted yet. Maybe he can help on drafting europlayers or suggest for trades for drafted players. Other than that he may suggest bringing ex-NBA players that are still actively playing in Europe. One more possibility is he may want to bring an American player playing in Europe. There are many decent American players in Europe that can do what their fellows do in the NBA currently as rotational players.
 
stockcillo12 said:
https://www.rojadirecta.me/goto/futboltvprox2006.blogspot.com/
or
https://www.rojadirecta.me/goto/www.deporte42.es/2012/07/canal-deportes_12.html
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That was an intense game. Sloppy performances from both teams at the end but thanks to that it went to overtime and turned out to be a very exciting game. Like I thought, playing against Pana in Athens was tough job, especially short handed at PG position, so CSKA couldn't grab the win. But Panathinakos deserved it and Pana win means another game will be played so that's good news for Euroleague fans.

As for Messina, I liked his timeouts and late game decisions overall, like, he was very active on the sideline, he didn't hesitate to change players for rebounding or rest his best players for the last minutes and he certainly made sure to find his streaky players at the crucial times, but the same players that brought the game to overtime also caused the game to slip from their hands so the loss wasn't on Messina in my opinion.
 
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Messina sounds great, but just don't see him coming to Utah.
If he's that good Lakers, Knicks, etc would get him.
Does not seem like enough Italian community and lifestyle to embrace him here.
It would certainly help. Money may not be enough either.
Too many reasons not to come. Not enough good ones to come.
 
slc said:
Messina sounds great, but just don't see him coming to Utah.
If he's that good Lakers, Knicks, etc would get him.
Does not seem like enough Italian community and lifestyle to embrace him here.
It would certainly help. Money may not be enough either.
Too many reasons not to come. Not enough good ones to come.
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The reason they won't get him is they cannot afford another failed experiment.

slc said:
Messina sounds great, but just don't see him coming to Utah.
If he's that good Lakers, Knicks, etc would get him.
Does not seem like enough Italian community and lifestyle to embrace him here.
It would certainly help. Money may not be enough either.
Too many reasons not to come. Not enough good ones to come.
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He is coaching in Russia. I don't think that is an issue for him.

slc said:
Messina sounds great, but just don't see him coming to Utah.
If he's that good Lakers, Knicks, etc would get him.
Does not seem like enough Italian community and lifestyle to embrace him here.
It would certainly help. Money may not be enough either.
Too many reasons not to come. Not enough good ones to come.
Click to expand...

One big reason for coming would be that he had done all that is possible to do in Europe. After winning what, 5 Euroleague Champs, don't you think that would start to get old? He still has plenty of years left in him. The fact that he came over for the Lakers assistant gig tells me that he's interested & motivated to take his talent to the next level.
 
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Hotttnickkk said:
The reason they won't get him is they cannot afford another failed experiment.



He is coaching in Russia. I don't think that is an issue for him.



One big reason for coming would be that he had done all that is possible to do in Europe. After winning what, 5 Euroleague Champs, don't you think that would start to get old? He still has plenty of years left in him. The fact that he came over for the Lakers assistant gig tells me that he's interested & motivated to take his talent to the next level.
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All of these people questioning Messina are just bleak. Their bleak and afraid for CHANGE. They'd rather get some "Good ole boy" that knows the Jerry Sloan and have TyCo all over again.

I've heard people suggest Matt freaking Harpring for coach, they must put crack in the pipelines in Utah.
 
Wouldn't it be funny if Messina became coach and won like 5 rings with the Jazz? I think everyone would be like who's Jerry Sloan after the 2nd one lol, no offense to ole Jer.
 
I think not getting Messina is like passing up on a million dollars cash that is right in front of your face and yours for the taking.
 
As a European myself I really can't stand watching Euro games.. boring, slow, ugly.
But there is one thing I can't miss: Coaches! These guys are fantastic! In fact they're MUCH better their American counterparts. Want an example? Those who watched the World Championship finale witnessed the brutal outcoaching (Spain's Scariolo over USA's Coach K).

But you gotta understand the difference. In Europe, a team belongs to a coach. He is the king! Does not matter name of star player, how much he is paid. If he ****s with the coach, he is probably gone.

Messina.. is a god compared to your average NBA coach. He is a big collector too, he would be wearing rings on his toes too if given rings for championships in Europe.
Earned the nickname of father when he was at his late thirties.
Could well be the best coach in the world besides Popovic and Obradovic.

In the past he attracted interest from hundreds of teams. This huge list included some NBA teams like Hawks and Raptors too. But a deal never came through.
I'm not sure if Jazz is really considering him. DL is bold, I could see him taking this path. But even if he wants, Messina may reject most offers. Even if he accepts the terms and take the job, he may fail.

But if he does not... Man, Utah Jazz lead by "the Father" will probably be one hell of a team to watch!
 
Ettore Messina would be an instant buzz hire. Everyone would be interested in the Jazz next season to see if he has the ability to make the transition. Even so, he's still a risky hire because, even though he was a consultant for the Lakers for one season, his experience in the NBA is very limited. The NBA is the polar opposite to Euro basketball and could Messina be good enough to overcome that difference?

The thing is, looking over Messina's resume, the guy is a winner. There is no coach, not even Stan Van Gundy, Jeff Van Gundy or George Karl, who has won as much as he has - and done so as impressively. The dude has never coached a losing season, won well over 70% of the games he's coached (from Virtus Bologna in 1990 on through to his current stint with CSKA) and has a pretty damn impressive playoff record. He's a winner. He's won wherever he's gone (five teams he's coached for) and you get the sense passing up on such an opportunity could prove too much for a franchise still reeling from losing its last great coach.

It is a high risk/high reward thing - but you've also got a template for success there that you won't get with any NBA assistant or college coach. If it's between Jim Boylen and Messina, absolutely pull the trigger on Messina. If he works out, and succeeds, the Jazz could have something special on their hands.

If he doesn't ... well you tried at least.
 
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