NBA commissioner Adam Silver made headlines earlier this week when he said he hoped that "sooner rather than later" a woman coach will be hired in the NBA.

His pronouncement came only a few hours after Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon turned down a lucrative offer to become the head women's basketball coach at Florida, traditionally one of the college athletic programs in the nation.

Hammon's decision to remain in the NBA came as it appears her chance to someday coach in the NBA appears bright -- if she is patient.

In the Spurs' pecking order, she is still considered behind Gregg Popovich's front-row assistants in Ettore Messina and James Borrego.

In an interesting story by's Kevin Arnovitz, both Spurs' assistants are prominently mentioned among his list of five top potential coaching candidates in the league to watch. Interestingly, Hammon does not make his list.

Arnovitz rates Messina as the top coaching candidate in the league. Here's what he had to say about him:

"Placing Messina on a list of rising stars in the coaching field feels sacrilegious. At 57, he is one of international basketball's most distinguished coaches in history, a winner of four Euroleague championships and a slew of league titles in Italy and Russia. Messina has coached in just about every basketball context imaginable, which makes him a top candidate in an era when diversity of experience is considered a prime attribute for a future head coach.

"After his career in Europe, Messina came stateside to join Mike Brown's staff in Los Angeles as a consultant before returning to Moscow for a couple of seasons. While in Moscow in 2012-13, he employed Quin Snyder as an assistant; Messina is godfather to Snyder's infant son. In 2014, Messina took his lifetime of experience into the crucible that is the San Antonio Spurs.

"Messina is intense, but the Spurs also have a way of smoothing off rough edges in a personality. In Europe, player development occurs primarily at the youth level, but in San Antonio, Messina has been exposed to its importance in the NBA, further filling out his education. Tactically, Messina fashioned in Europe an intelligent brand of inside-out ball that forces defenses to move. He has amassed a canon of basketball knowledge and commands respect from professionals, young and old.

"Those who know Messina say he'd more likely gravitate toward a team with a veteran roster, but given the breadth of his portfolio, any team looking for a serious, dedicated leader might very well have Messina on its target list.

So it appears to be only a matter of time before Popovich will be shuffling his staff to replace Messina, likely relatively soon. Such a move would potentially open a place on the front row for Hammon.

One potential candidate could be the Spurs' No. 2 assistant Borrego, who is also ranked at the top of Arnovitz's list of candidates who has served in roles other than a non-interim basis. Another on the list is Brent Barry, a former Spurs player who now is an analyst for Turner.

Here's what Arnovitz had to say about Messina:

"After serving as the interim head coach in Orlando following the firing of Jacque Vaughn in 2015, Borrego returned to Gregg Popovich's staff in San Antonio. Memphis was deeply impressed when interviewing Borrego for its opening last spring."

Popovich has replaced other assistants who have received shots at NBA head-coaching jobs like Mike Budenholzer, Jacque Vaughn and Brett Brown over the years.

Don't be surprised if he's sorting through resumes and making background calls this summer to fill another opening.

Twitter: @TimGriffinBig12