Los Angeles Lakers to interview Ettore Messina

Here's the way it works. When a team (like the Los Angeles Lakers) have a head coaching vacancy they need to fill (say, after the firing of Byron Scott) they look around the league to decide who they're interested in. When they identify a coach they like (for example, Ettore Messina), it's necessary to reach out to the team (in this case, the San Antonio Spurs) to obtain permission to conduct an interview.

All of the above has now happened.

When such a thing occurs, there's very often no additional news. You might even be forgiven for wondering whether the interview had even taken place or whether it will happen at some future date. But since they aren't publicized, unless one of the sides tweets out something like "Really good meeting with _____ today," then there's virtually no way of knowing when/if it has been completed.

The point is, the Lakers hiring group could be on Skype with Messina right now for all we know. And this doesn't please me.

First of all, Messina has a history with the Lakers, having consulted for then head coach Mike Brown in 2011-12. Second, ever since I read an article on him about seven years ago, I've had a huge coach crush on Messina, hoping beyond hope that he'd end up leading the Spurs some day. So when he showed up in San Antonio four years ago with little fanfare, I was incredibly excited. When nothing came of it, I held out hope. When he finally joined the team as an assistant, I was beside myself.

But now, if Messina's interested, then that dream probably dies. But seeing as Gregg Popovich has stuck around far longer than I ever let myself believe he would, if Messina heads west, I'll call it a net positive and wish him all the best.

Except when his team plays the Spurs, of course.