French, Italian coaches to join Kenny Atkinson on Brooklyn Nets bench in Las Vegas

There's been no announcements, but basketball media in France and Italy report that two top Euroopean coaches will join the Nets bench in the Las Vegas summer league, which starts this weekend.

Julien Espinosa of the Antibes Sharks in France and Maurizio Buscaglia of Aquila Trento in Italy have been identified  in local media as coaches who will work with the Nets summer league team. The team will practice for three days in Brooklyn before leaving Thursday for Las Vegas. The Nets team opens vs. the Cavaliers summer league entry on Saturday.

It's not uncommon for NBA clubs to bring in international coaches for summer gigs.  The Spurs have done it for years.

Espinosa is considered one of the rising stars in European coaching, having sent four players to the NBA in recent years, including two players in this year's Draft, Timothe Luwawu and Isaia Cordinier.

"I think it will be a very rewarding experience for me and for the club of Antibes," Espinosa told Nice Matin . "I hope I can contribute to the proper preparation of their team. "

Buscaglia, on the other hand, has coached at the Italian team for 12 years. Two years ago, he was Italian coach of the year and this past year, he was named Eurocup coach of the year.

"Being able to be part of the coaching staff of the Brooklyn Nets is a huge honor as well as a wonderful opportunity to live from inside both as a high level, experience regarding the Summer League itself," said Buscaglia in an interview with La Gazzetta della Sport.

The Nets have a significant number of staff with international experience, including Atkinson, who played 14 years overseas.  The Nets have said they hoped to use that international cachet to bring in European free agents. So far, only one international player, Justin Hamilton, who played in Spain last season, has been reported as signed.