European Hoops Notebook: Who Will Be the Next David Blatt to Descend on the NBA?

June 12th, 2015 by David Pick Leave a reply »

Despite his matriculation to the NBA, David Blatt is not the European coach.

That distinction belongs to The King, Serbian coach Zeljko Obradovic—the European Phil Jackson, winner of eight Euroleague titles.

Blatt's not next on the list, either. That'd be current Spurs assistant Ettore Messina. Then another Serbian, Dusan Ivkovic.

Blatt swam in the same pool as those coaches, but it's not like he was in the deep end by himself. Before the Cleveland Cavaliers hired him in June 2014, accolades and medals from European club teams and the Russian national team highlighted his resume. Perhaps his most notable achievement was coaching Maccabi Tel Aviv to a Cinderella run to the Euroleague Championship in 2014.  



However, all that is about to change. If Blatt wins an NBA championship, he'll be hailed as Europe's greatest coach of all time.

Whether that's fair or not, it will be the perception—and it could be a big step for overseas coaches. The attention and credibility Blatt is bringing to European basketball could support the NBA's dreams of future elite European h ...

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