Former CSKA Head Coach Messina In Line for Nets Assistant's Job?
By Net Income Mar 7, 2011, 11:06am EST
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Cskabasket.com
A Spanish basketball writer tweets Ettore Messina, regarded as Europe's top coach--and a Mikhail Prokhorov favorite, is in line for an assistant's job with the Nets next season. Miguel Angel Paniagua writes: "New Jersey is going to offer Ettore Messina - if they haven't already - to be an assistant coach starting in 2011-12."
Messina resigned as head coach of Real Madrid Friday. The Italian coach arrived in the Spanish powerhouse in the summer of 2009 from CSKA Moscow but in one year and half did not achieve the desired results despite the big investments from the management. While at CSKA, Messina won two Euroleague championships. He is believed to be close to Sergei Kushchenko, the CSKA GM during the championship runs. Kushchenko is now Prokhorov's top sports adviser.
When there were rumors last spring that Messina might get the Nets' head coaching job, he said he would need some assistant coaching experience before he could be an NBA head coach. The Nets currently have seven assistant coaches.