Mannix: Blazers Assistant Kaleb Canales Is A Head Coach In Waiting

Chris Mannix of SI.com includes includes Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach Kaleb Canales on a list of possible future NBA head coaches.

Kaleb Canales, Portland: The Blazers surprised everyone when they promoted Canales, 34, a former video coordinator, to the head-coaching job after firing McMillan last year. They surprised more people last summer when they hired Terry Stotts, and not Canales, as coach for this season. Like most video coordinators turned coaches (a group that includes Miami's Erik Spoelstra and Vogel) Canales is a maniacal worker -- McMillan once called him the hardest-working person in the Blazers' organization -- who led the Blazers to an 8-15 record last season. Portland would like to keep him, but Canales has a strong reputation around the league.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter