RUS - Searching for Blatt's replacement

DENVER (EuroBasket/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - David Blatt decided to call time on his long stint as coach of Russia's national team several days ago.

Now the country's basketball federation has to name a replacement and hopes to keep the winning momentum going because in the last two years, Blatt has led the Russians to bronze medals.

They finished third at EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania and again this summer at the London Games.

When considering that he steered the Russians to gold at EuroBasket 2007 and into two straight Olympic Games, the coach that does take over will have big shoes to fill.

A player that figures to be in the Russia set-up for a long time, one of three in the NBA, is Denver Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov.

He believes the decision-makers need to appoint one of their own.

"To find an adequate substitute will be difficult," Mozgov said to Sport Express.

"If you invite another foreigner, it would take at least two or three years in order to understand the situation, to make contact with the players.

"Therefore, I believe that it is better to entrust this position to some young local expert."

Among the names that have been bandied about in Russia are CSKA Moscow boss Ettore Messina, an Italian.

One of Messina's former assistants at CSKA during his first stint as coach, Evgeny Pashutin, is another possibility.

The national team point guard at the Sydney Olympics, Pashutin has done well at the helm of CSKA as Messina's replacement, UNICS Kazan and now Lokomotiv Kuban.

He said after the Olympics he would be interested if Blatt left the post.

In September, he was asked about the coaching situation.

"I think that if the team has done well with Blatt - why do we need a change?" Pashutin said at the time.

"For me the most important thing is that our national team played well (in London).

"Well, if for some reason, David will not be able to continue to work in our team and I am asked to lead it ... Well, I'm always ready."

Another former point guard of the national team, Vasily Karasev, is in his first full season as the coach of Triumph Lyubertsy, and has coped well.

Karasev coach a Russia 'B' team this summer.

His son, 19-year-old Sergey Karasev, is a player at Triumph who earned a spot in Russia's Olympic squad in London.

"I wish Blatt all the best," Mozgov said.

"The Russian team was very lucky to have him as coach. On the other hand, we knew how tired David was."

Mozgov added that Blatt, as a teacher and coach, had a "thankless" job and that it is understandable that he wanted to leave and take some time off in the summer to be with his family.

Blatt is also the coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv.

FIBA