Houston Rockets interview Spurs’ assistant Ettore Messina

The Houston Rockets are reportedly interviewing Spurs’ assistant coach Ettore Messina to be their next head coach.

The search for the new head coach of the Houston Rockets continues, as Marc Spears of ESPN reports San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Ettore Messina interviewed for the job.

After a slow start, the Rockets fired head coach Kevin McHale 11 games into last season.

J.B. Bickerstaff took over for the team as the interim head coach and displayed mixed results. Bickerstaff appears to be in the running to be named the full-time head coach, but the Rockets are also looking at many other options.

Messina is one of the more interesting names that has come up. Messina is a legendary European coach who had dominated the Euroleague for many years. Messina is considered to be one of the best European basketball coaches of all-time with a career Euroleague record of 279-98.

Messina has been on the bench for the Spurs for the past two seasons, becoming the primary assistant coach for Greg Popovich. Messina was also the head coach for the World Team in the 2016 Rising Stars Challenge over All-Star Weekend.

A veteran coach who has learned under the best in San Antonio, Messina is primed and ready to be a head coach in the NBA. The Rockets could do a lot worse than taking a chance on him.

Along with Messina and Bickerstaff, the Rockets have interviewed David Blatt, Sam Cassell, Chris Finch, Mike D’Antoni, Jeff Hornacek and Kenny Smith. While he was once looked at as the favorite for the job, former Rockets’ guard Smith has reportedly pulled himself out of the running.

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