The hirings of Derek Fisher and Steve Kerr may have dominated the headlines this summer, but Cleveland’s hiring of David Blatt and San Antonio’s hiring of Ettore Messina as an assistant could make a larger impact.
The recent trend of NBA franchises tapping players straight out of retirement to be head coaches has been both polarizing and heavily disputed. While Mark Jackson and Steve Kerr spent a few years in broadcasting before becoming the two most recent coaches for Golden State, they, like Jason Kidd and Derek Fisher (who went straight from playing to coaching), were all hired without any previous coaching experience. It’s a risky practice, but none of the above has experienced the colossal failure needed for NBA teams to shy away from hiring such a candidate. As long as Jackson, Kerr, Kidd, and Fisher have (or continue to have) success, it seems likely franchises will continue to seek out veteran players looking to make the transition from player to head coach.
This practice isn’t necessarily new, but it is interesting that franchises are so easily willing to hire coaches with virtually no coaching experience, while making them some of the higher-paid coaches in the league (both Kerr and Fisher have a higher annual salary than Erik Spoelstra).
Lack of experience aside, these four recent hires were high-profile players in their day, which suggests that franchises are willing to take chances on them because they were so successful and well known as individual players. This is one reason why Derek Fisher can get a head coaching job the day after he retires, while his former teammate Tyronn Lue is only now landing a top assistant job in Cleveland after six years as an assistant under Doc Rivers.
This a gamble teams continue to make, because these coaches generate excitement from fan bases and are well-known representatives of the league. There’s a level of familiarity that comes with these coaches because they’ve been part of basketball in the United States for so long. This is one reason top collegiate coaches continue to be linked with head coaching vacancies even though history shows that even the most successful college coaches can fail at the NBA level. And even after they fail, many continue to be linked with high-profile jobs (think John Calipari, who went 3-17 his last season in the NBA before New Jersey fired him). While not going so far to say this practice is unfair to lesser known candidates, it is surprising to see certain coaches go so long before landing a head coaching job.
However, another possible trend may be emerging that banks on experience outside of basketball in the United States – hiring coaches from Europe. The hirings of Derek Fisher and Steve Kerr may have dominated the headlines this summer, but it is Cleveland’s hiring of David Blatt, and to a lesser extent San Antonio’s hiring of Ettore Messina as an assistant, that could have a larger impact on the league.
Both Blatt’s and Messina’s resumes are extensive. Blatt has coached for some of the biggest teams in Europe – namely Maccabi Tel Aviv and Dynamo Moscow – and has coached the Israeli and Russian national teams. He won Israeli League five times, won its Coach of the Year award on four occasions, won the Italian league in 2006, and most recently won the Euroleague (Europe’s highest basketball competition) with Maccabi in 2014.
Messina is an Italian basketball legend, winning the Euroleague four times, twice with Virtus Bologna and twice with CSKA Moscow. He came close to winning his fifth Euroleague title this year, but lost to Blatt’s Maccabi by one point in the final. He’s won the Italian League four times and the Russian League five, and served as head coach for the Italian national team from 1993-1997.
Blatt and Messina have had more success in Europe than many of the current NBA coaches have had in the Association, yet have only seen their names linked to the NBA in recent years, with Messina serving as a consultant for the Los Angeles Lakers under Mike Brown. It is possible both men kept themselves out of the running for NBA positions until recently, preferring to coach at the highest ranks in Europe, but there does seem to have been some level of hesitation to hire head coaches with long lists of international experience. Blatt is, after all, the first European head coach to lead an NBA team.
It is slightly puzzling that Blatt, Messina, or another international coach weren’t hired sooner considering the international aspects of basketball that have found their way into the NBA. International players have increasingly entered the league since the 80s, and more recently teams have adopted styles of play enhanced by the international game (horn sets, for example), along with different modes of player development. Considering how long and often teams have gambled on high-profile international players, it is a little odd teams are only now considering high-profile international coaches.
The hypothetical success of David Blatt could be the start of more high-profile European coaches finding work in the NBA. If there is a reluctance to hire international coaches, that could all change if Blatt leads Cleveland deep into the playoffs or wins a championship (with Lebron, anything is possible). Messina, on the other hand, could be joining San Antonio’s staff as a potential successor to Gregg Popovich, or at the very least, could be using his time with the Spurs to learn the workings of the NBA before putting his name into consideration for future vacancies around the league.
The possibility of more international coaches joining the NBA could shape various aspects of the NBA. International players may find it easier to adjust if they’re guided by an international coach, and more innovations from overseas could find their way affecting teams’ styles of play stateside. As the game continues to globalize, hiring more coaches like Blatt and Messina in the NBA could be another way to increase interest in other countries. Their success will largely shape the league’s willingness to do so, however, which makes their hires not just important for the Cavaliers and the Spurs, but for the entire league.
EDIT: As pointed out by EitanShamir, Blatt was not head coach of the Israeli national team but did serve as an assistant. Blatt’s Maccabi Tel Aviv beat Messina’s CSKA Moscow in the semi-finals, not the finals. Also, Mike D’Antoni did coach in Italy before coaching in the United States, though Blatt is the first to go from head coaching in Europe directly to head coaching in the NBA.
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