If there's finally going to be a European head coach in the NBA, the choice should come down to former Lakers assistant Ettore Messina of Italy and Boston-born Israeli David Blatt, according to the votes of 45 players currently competing in Europe.
Blatt and Messina, who has been mentioned as a candidate for jobs in Utah and L.A., combined for 33 first-place votes in a poll in which HoopsHype asked players – 14 of them with pro experience in the States – which Euro coaches would do best as No. 1 guys on an NBA bench.
Serbian legend Zeljko Obradovic, the winningest Euroleague coach ever with eight titles, came a distant third behind Blatt and Messina, with many players citing his brash style as something that wouldn't fly at all in the NBA.
"I don't see Obradovic there," a Euroleague center said. "Players would strike after two weeks. Too much yelling and b*tching. NBA is a players' league."
Check full results of the poll below.
| COACHES | FIRST-PLACE VOTES | SECOND-PLACE VOTES | THIRD-PLACE VOTES |
| 1. Ettore Messina (CSKA Moscow) | 16 | 17 | 5 |
| 2. David Blatt (Maccabi Tel Aviv) | 17 | 14 | 6 |
| 3. Zeljko Obradovic (Fenerbahce) | 6 | 4 | 10 |
| 4. Xavi Pascual (FC Barcelona) | 3 | 2 | |
| 5. Pablo Laso (Real Madrid) | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 6. Luca Banchi (Olimpia Milano) | 2 | 3 | |
| 7. Simone Pianigiani (Italy) | 1 | 1 | |
| 8. Dusan Ivkovic (Serbia) | 2 | 1 | |
| 9. Chris Fleming (Bamberg) | 1 | 1 | |
| 10. Ainars Bagatskis (Budivelnyk) | 1 | ||
| 11. Svetislav Pesic (Bayern Munich) | 2 | ||
| 11. Andrea Trinchieri (Unics Kazan) | 2 | ||
| 13. Zan Tabak | 1 | ||
| 13. Neven Spahija | 1 | ||
| 13. Moncho Fernandez (Obradoiro) | 1 | ||
| 16. Mathias Fischer (Telekom Baskets Bonn) | 1 | ||
| 16. Igor Kokoskov (Cleveland) | 1 | ||
| 16. Dusko Ivanovic (Bosnia-Herzegovina) | 1 | ||
| 16. Jasmin Repesa (Cedevita Zagreb) | 1 | ||
| 16. Evgeniy Pashutin (Lokomotiv Kuban) | 1 | ||
| 16. Vincent Collet (Strasbourg) | 1 | ||
| 16. Pini Gershon | 1 | ||
| 16. Giorgios Bartzokas (Olympiakos) | 1 | ||
| 16. Slaven Rimac (Cibona Zagreb) | 1 | ||
