Originally Posted by
Pelicanidae
I understand the desire for Messina, absolutely. He's probably one of the most accomplished coaches alive who hasn't been an NBA head coach at some point.
In case anyone isn't familiar with his accomplishments:
- 4x Euroleague Champion
- 2x Euroleague Coach of the Year
- 6x Italian League Champion
- 7x Italian Cup Winner
- 6x Russian League Champion
- 4x Russian League Coach of the Year
Also spent 5 years as an NBA Assistant coach with the Spurs, coached in the 2016 All-star Game.
The issue you mention as well is age; he's already 60. I preferably want a coach under 50. This is at least partly because in a perfect world you want the next coaching hire to be the perfect fit, who can hang around for the next 10 years. If a coach is already 60+, that's even more unlikely than it usually is, and it's not like teams keep coaches that long often anyway.