Coaching Notes: Messina, Hornets, K. Smith, Knicks

As we relayed last weekend, the Hornets have been granted permission to interview Spurs assistant Ettore Messina for their open head coaching position. With Messina’s Spurs still alive in the postseason – and Gregg Popovich away from the team to be with his family following the death of his wife – the veteran assistant isn’t currently available for that interview. But he may be soon.

As Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes, the Hornets intend to move quickly to meet with Messina once the Spurs’ season is over. With San Antonio trailing Golden State 3-0, that series could end as early as Sunday. And according to Bonnell, the meeting between the Hornets and Messina is currently on track to take place in the middle of next week, unless the Spurs can win a couple games against the Warriors and extend the series.

Here are a few more coaching-related updates and items from around the NBA:

• Kenny Smith confirmed on TNT on Thursday night that he will indeed be interviewing with the Knicks for their head coaching job on Friday. As Marc Berman of The New York Post relays, his fellow TNT broadcasters gave him a few friendly pieces of advice, including making sure that he knows how to pronounce “Kristaps Porzingis.”
• In a terrific – and in-depth – piece for ESPN.com, Kevin Arnovitz takes a wide-ranging look at the head coaching landscape, identifying most of the candidates who will receive consideration for the open jobs this spring.
• Magic veteran Marreese Speights says his preference is to play for a head coach who has experience as an NBA player himself. With that in mind, John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com explores whether former players have a leg up in NBA head coaching searches, speaking to other players – and Magic president Jeff Weltman – about the subject.
• To follow the latest updates on the NBA’s current head coaching searches, be sure to keep an eye on our tracker, which we’re updating daily.