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Chron: Day nearing for foreign-born NBA coach

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by lancet, May 29, 2003.

  1. lancet

    lancet Contributing Member

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    May 28, 2003, 10:02PM

    Day nearing for foreign-born NBA coach
    By DALE ROBERTSON
    Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle
    The front-burner issue is, of course, hiring the right coach. All the other decisions the Rockets make in this most seminal of offseasons, from uniform designs to the corporate logo on the wall of their new gym, pale by comparison.

    Whom they hire will make a statement about what they want to be and where they intend to go as a basketball team. The good news is the market happens to be flooded with A-list candidates, and the list might grow if Don Nelson and/or Pat Riley were also to suddenly turn up as free agents. Leslie Alexander couldn't have chosen a much more bountiful moment to search for Rudy Tomjanovich's successor.

    Alexander's list of potential hires is a virtual embarrassment of riches. There's no need to gamble, no reason to take any kind of out-of-the-box flier. That would be foolish. So one place Les won't be looking for his man -- besides the assistant coaching ranks, his own included -- is overseas. And neither will any of the other five to eight owners involved in the looming high-stakes game of coaching musical chairs.

    Not yet. But soon maybe?

    Although one-fifth of the NBA's players are now foreign-born, with 16 European countries represented by players on 17 of the 29 teams' rosters in 2002-03, the league appears to be nowhere near ready to reel in a coach from a distant shore. It's strange, though, when you think about it. One of the reasons the European players in particular have become so popular is because their fundamentals, particularly shooting and passing, are said to be superior to those of the young Americans, certainly those leaping straight from high school.

    And the pride of Shanghai, Yao Ming, arrived on our doorstep as a blessed 7-5 bundle of joy, clearly well-schooled in the classical nuances of the sport, lacking only a feel for its modern brutish elements.

    This would seem to reflect to some degree, even a large degree, on the competence of the coaching the imports are receiving. The evidence overwhelmingly suggests foreign coaches have sufficient technical expertise and demand disciplined play from their charges. What makes Yao such a compelling beacon for Larry Brown, Mike Dunleavy and the others is his "coachability," in tandem with his being as tall as a lighthouse.

    Spurs coach Gregg Popovich raves about Tony Parker (France) and Manu Ginobili (Argentina) for how well they digest instruction and tolerate criticism. The Mavericks' Nelson, an internationalist of the first order, loves Dirk Nowitzki for the same reasons, because Dirk has plenty of wits about him. Again, the coaches they had during their formative years must have done something right.

    The Denver Nuggets, beyond desperate for a new direction, are out front on the idea of broadening the NBA's coaching horizons, having recently arranged for Ettore Messina to take the reins of their entry in the Los Angeles summer league. Messina is the highly respected coach of Benetton Treviso, the Euroleague champion twice in the last five seasons.

    According to Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe, who took the initiative to bring over Messina, the urbane 44-year-old Italian has an NBA style about him. He loves for his teams to run, yet he thinks defense matters, too. His patient mentoring helped prepare Ginobili and the Clippers' Marko Jaric for their NBA careers.

    It also helps that Messina is fluent in English. It's unlikely anybody will hire a coach who needs to be followed around by a Colin Pine, considering how difficult imparting instructions can be when everyone in the huddle ostensibly speaks the same language.

    Messina is playing down the significance of the experiment, having told Sports Illustrated: "It would be really stupid for me to say I am aiming to become a head coach in the NBA."

    But, he added: "Ten years ago nobody would have predicted there would be so many international players doing so well in the NBA. I look at this as a way for me to make a little first step into the big world and say to the guys, `I am here. Let me introduce myself.' "

    Perhaps when the time comes to replace Rudy T's replacement, the Rockets will stand front and center as pioneers in contemplating candidates of every nationality. Of all the NBA's franchises, they should be the most inclined to keep an open mind. In their 36 seasons, they've had more players from other countries on their roster than they've had Houstonians.

    Most importantly, they rode the Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon to three Finals appearances and two NBA championships. If they are to win again any time soon, a large bloke from China will lead the way. With Hakeem and Yao, the Rockets are the league's only team to twice choose a non-native son with the first pick in the entire draft. Hakeem was a long-running dream; Yao will wow us as well many times over before he's done.

    Despite our hard-to-squash reputation as a city overpopulated by beer-belly Bubbas weaned on barbecue, Houston ranks among the NBA's most cosmopolitan of cities with people of myriad colors and tongues contributing to our economic and cultural vitality. It's something the Rockets must exploit, because the planet will only keep getting smaller, vile terrorists and ham-handed Washington diplomacy notwithstanding.

    With Yao for a centerpiece, the Rockets can become the world's team. Therefore, somewhere down the road, they should consider scouring the world for a coach.

    But not now. Let's keep it simple and get this thing fixed first.
     
  2. gr8-1

    gr8-1 Contributing Member

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    Waiting for the day this happens so that Jesse will cry foul.
     
  3. DavidS

    DavidS Contributing Member

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    Heh heh...
     

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