Assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs Ettore Messina, who stepped in after Gregg Popovich took a leave to tend to family matters, got good reviews from his players.
To recall, Messina filled in the head coaching post for the Spurs after the death of Popovich's wife, Erin. Messina coached the last three games against the Golden State Warriors in their first-round series. In these three games, Messina guided the Spurs to a 1-2 record. An impressive feat, considering that they were up against the Warriors.
As reported by Tom Osborn of the San Antonio News-Express, Gasol praised Messina for a job well done:
“He handled it very well, with great composure,” Spurs center Pau Gasol said of Messina. “He handled the adversity and also the opportunity really well. He sent the right message to the team coaching the right way. He was always sharp and in control of the situation. He did a good job.”
Manu Ginobili, for his part, believed that it's time to promote Messina to head coach.
“I think the time has come,” Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. “For sure, he’s very capable and experienced.”
Gasol concurred with Ginobili's thoughts:
“It would be a great step, kind of like when the first European players came to the NBA and proved they could play and make a difference and handle themselves well.”
In fact, the Charlotte Hornets have scheduled an interview with Messina. Further details have not been revealed.
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