Ettore Messina, Mikhail Prokhorov's coach at CSKA Moscow, was interviewed Saturday on the official website of the ACB, Spain's national basketball league. The following is a rough machine translation of an excerpt, in which he speaks about his relationship with Prokhorov and his NBA ambitions. Messina was rumored as a possible replacement for Lawrence Frank even before Prokhorov agreed to buy the Nets.
ACB: The owner of the CSKA, Mikhail Prokhorov, bought the Nets, becoming the first one non-Yankee owner of an NBA franchise He was your president. What's he like?
Messina: A 43-year-old uncle who measures two meters tall. They say that he's a business genius, with a sixth sense of when to buy and sell, an expert in the relationships, allowing you to get people to work very well at his side. I was surprised that when a situation arose, he answered that he had signed those he considered the best to make the decisions. he interfered with nothing and I think he can do well. It will also be an interesting experience for Americans.
ACB: Will Messina sooner or later be the first non-Yankee coach in the NBA?
Messina: I see that as very difficult. The system is not open to that possibility. (A European coach) would need time to adapt, be an assistant one or two years. It is very difficult to hope for a head coach job immediately. I'm not that crazy, though.