Bjorkgren brings two new assistants to Pacers, retains Bayno
New head coach Nate Bjorkgren’s staff began to take shape Friday with the announcement that the Indiana Pacers have hired Kaleb Canales and Greg Foster as assistant coaches and retained Bill Bayno from former coach Nate McMillan’s staff.
Canales, a 12-year assistant in the NBA, spent the last two seasons with the New York Knicks. He was with the Dallas Mavericks for five seasons after beginning his NBA career with the Portland Trail Blazers. He was interim head coach with Portland in the 2011-12 season, making him the first Mexican-American head coach in NBA history. He was elected into the National Hispanic Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.
Foster has been an assistant with the Atlanta Hawks (2018-20) and Milwaukee Bucks (2014-18). Prior to that he was a player development coach with the Philadelphia 76ers and an assistant at Texas-El Paso, his alma mater. Foster played in the NBA for 13 seasons with Washington, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Chicago, Minnesota, Utah, Seattle, Toronto and the Lakers.
Bayno is entering his fifth season as a Pacers assistant. Gone from last year’s staff are Dan Burke and Popeye Jones, both of whom joined new coach Doc Rivers’ staff in Philadelphia.
