Should the Bulls look to Europe for Coach?

by chibullsareback on May 19, 2008 4:23 PM CDT

Here's a name for a coaching candidate that no one has brought up: Ettore Messina.

I assume that most of you are saying to yourselves "who?" at this point so let me introduce you to Messina. He is a 47 year old Itallian born coach whom has won 4 Euroleague Championships (including 2008). He coached and developed Manu Ginobli before he came to the NBA. He is known as a defensive genius.

Maurizio Gheradini, the assistant GM of the Raptors, has been on the record as saying

"He [Messina] can rank with the very best. Messina breaks things down in a different way. He understands how to teach the game and how to put the right emphasis on the teaching points. The guys under him, they're always awake when he's talking. The guys cannot relax one second. They have to be awake because he is so detailed, demanding, critical, you need to be awake to do things the way he tells you to do them.''

I'm not saying that this guy should be the top candidate on the Bulls' list, I favor Thibodeau, but if the Bulls can't get Thibodeau for whatever reason I think this guy is someone they should give a serious look at. This guy is the best foreign born coach right now. He's a proven winner, and he's a great x's an o's guy. He also speaks perfect English so the language thing won't be a barrier.

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I doubt it would happen

though if we are already down to assistant coaches anyway why not open things up further. Has he indicated any interest in entering the NBA scene? How would he handle NBA style offense?

And not to add a stumbling block, but he does speak English, right? He is coaching in Russia so he must know something a bit more universal than Italian or Russian to pull that off I’d assume. It would be amusing, for a moment, if someone as, uh, articulate as Noc was the coach.

by cranscape on May 19, 2008 4:32 PM CDT reply actions

he speaks english

He speaks perfect English. He is interested in the NBA. I got a lot of my info from this article.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/ian_thomsen/05/25/lewis.notes/2.html

And you know it for a fact that everybody's eating out of your hands

by chibullsareback on May 19, 2008 4:35 PM CDT reply actions

vecsey

Vecsey reports that Donnie Walsh interviewed him before hiring D’Antoni

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05162008/sports/knicks/appealing_to_a_hire_authority_111041.htm

And you know it for a fact that everybody's eating out of your hands

by chibullsareback on May 19, 2008 4:41 PM CDT reply actions

Not saying it's false

But I never heard of Walsh interviewing this fellow, and Mr. Vecsey isn’t the most truthful journalist out there. I wouldn’t mind seeing him come as an assistant if we just end up hiring Pete Myers(which could very well happen).

Rusty Longley v 2.0

by Ozzie Montana on May 19, 2008 4:51 PM CDT up reply actions

how is Myers more qualified?

by your friendly BullsBlogger on May 19, 2008 4:56 PM CDT up reply actions

I believe that's sarcastic pessimism by Oz.

We should all be familiar with that.

by tyger1147 on May 19, 2008 4:57 PM CDT up reply actions

He speaks American

Rusty Longley v 2.0

by Ozzie Montana on May 19, 2008 5:09 PM CDT up reply actions

foreign presence on the Bulls

with Nocioni, Deng, Sefolosha, and to a lesser extent Gordon and Noah the number of foreigners on the Bulls should ease the transition considerably for a foreign coach. He speaks English, he’s the best coach in Europe. Couple that with the international presence on our team and I have less worries about him than I normally would about assimilating.

And you know it for a fact that everybody's eating out of your hands

by chibullsareback on May 19, 2008 5:46 PM CDT up reply actions

just because someone is from Notfromamericastan

doesn’t mean they’ll take to a Euroleague coach. Nocioni is the only guy who played in the Euroleague.

by hscs on May 19, 2008 6:36 PM CDT up reply actions

Deng and Gordon's foreign status is questionable

Yes, Lu is from Sudan and grew up in England, but the guy became a stud ballplayer at Blari Academy and Duke, not in Europe. Ben Gordon was a stud at Mt. Vernon, and UConn, not Europe. The only 2 sucessful players on our team who played overseas are Thabo and Chapu.

Rusty Longley v 2.0

by Ozzie Montana on May 19, 2008 7:30 PM CDT up reply actions

were you for D'Antoni coming to the Bulls?

He was an NBA coach that came from Euro-league. I think that players will respond to someone they can respect. 4 titles is 4 titles; this guy is a winner. I’m for getting Thibodeau, don’t get me wrong, but if the Paxson and Reinsdorf pull another, well, Paxson and Reinsdorf and we don’t get him, this guy is someone the Bulls should at least look at.

And you know it for a fact that everybody's eating out of your hands

by chibullsareback on May 19, 2008 10:57 PM CDT up reply actions

I definitely wouldn't mind

I don’t care where you find the coach, Rucker Park or Zimbabwe. If he gets the respect of the roster, gets them playing hard defense, and is able to devise a solid lineup rotation that includes our young talent, then he’d be fantastic.

Also, D’Antoni wasn’t a straight from Europe coach. He went from Europe, to the NBA, back to Europe, then back to the NBA with the Suns, and has worked for the Nuggets, Spurs, and Blazers in player personnel and scouting areas. So, if Messina has a fine reputation in Europe, then considering the way our league is, it isn’t that bad of an idea to at least call the guy. If retreads like George Karl and Mike Fratello can continue to garner support, then why not this guy?

Rusty Longley v 2.0

by Ozzie Montana on May 20, 2008 12:05 AM CDT up reply actions

yea Vecsey isnt reliable

but at least his name is being floated. BTW I’m illiterate, he was interviewed for the GM job not the head coaching job.

And you know it for a fact that everybody's eating out of your hands

by chibullsareback on May 19, 2008 4:55 PM CDT reply actions

Just a second.

Are you actually saying that this Messina guy should be tha Bulls next GM?

Sight unseen, I say yes.

Dum spiro spero! (While there is life, there’s hope!)--Leon Trotsky

by alec on May 19, 2008 5:12 PM CDT up reply actions

LOL

no I’m saying coach, but at this point a new GM or owner or whatever isn’t looking so bad either.

And you know it for a fact that everybody's eating out of your hands

by chibullsareback on May 19, 2008 5:36 PM CDT up reply actions

How about taking this proven winner as an assistant coach?

Messina succeeded D’Antoni as the head coach of the Italian powerhouse, Benetton Treviso before he moved on. Can anyone argue that D’Antoni was a lousy NBA coach? Leadership is a rare quality and reports indicate he is highly respected and a great teacher who is listened to by his players. I realize he’s no Jim Boylan, but….........the following is from SI.com’s Ian Thomsen’s Inside the NBA article of May 25, 2007,

3. Will Ettore Messina be the first foreign-bred coach to run an NBA team?

The answer is yes, though it is unlikely to happen this season. “I am very happy here,’’ emphasized Messina, the 47-year-old Italian who coached CSKA-Moscow to the Euroleague final. Messina has another year remaining on his contract with CSKA and intends to honor it.

The most intriguing news from my recent conversation with Messina is that he would be willing to become an NBA assistant for one or more years before seeking employment as a head coach.

“The season is different, the habits are different, even the basketball terminology is different in the Euroleague than it is in the NBA,’’ Messina said. “There could be different ways to imagine the process of adjustment should a foreign coach come to the NBA—it may be as an assistant for some time. I do not have a problem recognizing that an adjustment should be made.’‘

Sorry, I am clueless on how to highlight this quote.

If you can't answer a man's arguments, all is not lost. You can still call him vile names.
Elbert Hubbard

by Tyrusmancrush on May 19, 2008 8:00 PM CDT up reply actions

If you looked at the Fanshots

you would have seen my fanshot about Ettore Messina renewing his contract with CSKA about a week or two ago.

The Game chose him !

by Diabolo on May 20, 2008 7:12 AM CDT reply actions

heh

i was actually going to point this out as well…

by Jaina on May 20, 2008 7:28 AM CDT up reply actions

well what the hell

I can’t be the only one policing redundancy.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on May 20, 2008 8:05 AM CDT up reply actions

and yet

people continue to encourage this.

by Jaina on May 20, 2008 10:41 AM CDT up reply actions

I didn't see your fanshot

I was trying to be original, not a thief. I actually just googled the Euroleague to scout coaches myself, when I saw that Tyrone Corbin was now a serious candidate for head coach. Only after I posted about this guy did I realize that he wasn’t the unknown that I thought he was. Henry Abbot even mentioned him yesterday, and I hadn’t even noticed. He did re-sign the night before the title game, but I’m under the impression that he is rumored to be in contract talks with other European teams and possibly the Knicks. So I have no clue what the deal is. I wish I could read his blog, but it’s in Russian…

And you know it for a fact that everybody's eating out of your hands

by chibullsareback on May 20, 2008 1:01 PM CDT up reply actions

Maybe Veektor will put a good word in for the Bulls.

by paxson43 on May 20, 2008 8:43 AM CDT reply actions

This is definitely an excellent out-of-the-box suggestion.

I like his humility.

“The fact that my name is being rumored for the NBA, I would be saying a lie if I were to tell you this does not please me. But the question is not whether I am interested in the NBA. It’s more an issue of whether anybody in the NBA is interested in taking a chance with a foreign coach—just like the first NBA teams that were interested in taking a chance on foreign players 10 or 15 years ago.’‘

I like his approach.

“Messina breaks things down in a different way,’’ Gherardini said. “He understands how to teach the game and how to put the right emphasis on the teaching points. The guys under him, they’re always awake when he’s talking. The guys cannot relax one second. They have to be awake because he is so detailed, demanding, critical, you need to be awake to do things the way he tells you to do them.’‘

His defensive coaching fits our need.

Messina’s representative, Kenny Grant, believes an NBA team would realize immediate benefits by hiring Messina to improve its defense.

I don’t care that he signed a contract. If he is a fit there always is a buyout. Coach of the Bulls – Ettore Messina. This is the best suggestion we have heard in quite a while. Thanks chibullsareback!!!

by chgobr on May 20, 2008 10:14 AM CDT reply actions

I started thinking

about this guy when they dropped the ball on D’Antoni. IIRC, he was rumored in TOR from about the time Colangelo brought Gherardini with him, when Mitchell was immediately (unfairly?) placed upon the hot seat.

I’d imagine they’re very different coaches, but perhaps some of the D’Antoni good would be there with less of the bad?

Joakim Noah for player/coach!

by marionette on May 20, 2008 2:19 PM CDT reply actions

No no no and no.....

You know what these players need… someone they can look up to maybe somone who theyve idolized as a child…. maybe a former player who was a genius and a great leader on the floor…. maybe a hall a famer on the top 50….. oh I got an idea GO AND HIRE SCOTTIE PIPPEN!!!!!! Not only would these players listen to everything he would say but Scottie would do it for cheap…. I mean the guy is in the negatives were still paying Skiles. WTF! Whats the worst thing that could happen picking in the top 5 next year?

by TRiCioNeRo on May 20, 2008 8:49 PM CDT reply actions