Could the fact that newly appointed Portland GM Neil Olshey shares an agent with interim head coach Kaleb Canales mean the former is all but guaranteed being given the permanent job? Or could it be that Canales was so impressive in compiling an 8-15 record, Olshey can’t possibly identify a single other qualified candidate? The Oregonian’s Jason Quick observes, “apparently, shagging basketballs at a Tim Grgurich camp forms tight bonds. ”
Olshey all but drooled on Canales while he was on the podium. He called him “my guy” and the “in-house favorite.” He added that “I don’t see anyone bringing more to the table than Kaleb Canales.” This was moments after Olshey paused a meet-and-greet with employees to make a bee-line at Canales to give him a bear hug.
Later in his news conference, Olshey twice brought up Canales unsolicited. He said Canales does not need to interview for the coaching vacancy. “His work speaks for itself.”
And when talking about his vision for the franchise, Olshey apparently isn’t far-sighted, as he again zeroed in on Canales, saying “he has already proven he has the ability to execute that vision. So, what you have to weigh is the risk/reward of, if you go outside the organization and someone tells you what you want to hear in the interview, then runs off and works contrary to what we are trying to accomplish. You are setting yourself back instead of moving forward. So, like I said, Kaleb has set the bar high for anybody who would like to compete for the coaching job.”
Can you imagine anybody wanting to apply for the job after they heard this?