Kaleb Canales
In 2005, Canales was hired as a video intern for the Portland Trail Blazers, and was eventually hired as the team's video coordinator. In 2009, he was promoted to an assistant coach for the team. In 2010, Canales served as the Blazers' head coach during the NBA Summer League. He was promoted to interim head coach of the Trail Blazers after head coach Nate McMillan was dismissed on March 15, 2012. Canales became the youngest active head coach in the NBA and the first Mexican-American coach in NBA history.
2012–13 Portland Trail Blazers season
The 2012–13 Portland Trail Blazers season was the 43rd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The offseason saw the team draft a pair of first round draft picks, future All-Star Damian Lillard was taken 6th overall and Meyers Leonard was taken 11th overall. Despite the team finishing with a mediocre 33–49 record including a 13-game losing streak to finish, Lillard enjoyed a stellar rookie season, winning Rookie of the Year honors for his efforts.On December 5, 2012, Damian Lillard was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for November, making him the third rookie in Blazers history to earn the honor, following Arvydas Sabonis (1994) and Brandon Roy (2007). When asked about the honor, Lillard stated "I’m happy that I can get it, but I think all that it says is that I played good for one month. My mind has been focused on being consistent for the whole season, so ... it's a big deal to win the award, but it's not a big deal for the season. I’ll be happy about it and then it’ll be gone. It's a new month already."