The Magic will be replacing both GM Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy this summer, and there's a fair chance the Blazers will have a new GM and coach when next season tips off as well. So, let's look at teams that recently changed coaches and player personnel executives in rapid succession and see how they fared. In each instance below, the executive is listed first and the coach second, unless the same man occupied both jobs.
Knicks, 2008: Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni replace Isiah Thomas: Walsh and D'Antoni may not have led the team back into the title hunt in their time together, but they deserve credit for cleaning up the mess made by Thomas, who went 56-108 coaching his handpicked roster for two seasons in New York.
Nets, 2010: Billy King and Avery Johnson replace Rod Thorn and Kiki Vandeweghe: King and Johnson inherited a scorched-earth situation, having gone 12-70 in 2009/10. King pulled off the Deron Williams trade in his first year, and if he can convince him to re-sign this summer, the franchise will keep its positive momentum going.
Sixers, 2010: Rod Thorn and Doug Collins replace Ed Stefanski and Eddie Jordan: The Sixers have been in the playoffs in both years under the new regime, and this year they're in the second round for the first time since 2003.
Bucks, 2008: John Hammond and Scott Skiles replace Larry Harris and Larry Krystkowiak: Aside from a seven-game challenge of the Hawks in the 2010 first round, the current Bucks leadership hasn't done much to improve over the former. Owner Herb Kohl said earlier this month he has no plans to extend either Hammond or Skiles as both enter the final year of their contracts.
Cavs, 2010: Chris Grant and Byron Scott replace Danny Ferry and Mike Brown: It was a rough initiation to the GM seat for Grant, who had been on the job for just a month when LeBron James skipped town. Still, Grant swung a deal in his first season for what turned out to be 2011 No. 1 pick Kyrie Irving, and under Scott's tutelage, Irving won Rookie of the Year.
Timberwolves, 2009: David Kahn and Kurt Rambis replace Jim Stack and Randy Wittman: The play of Ricky Rubio this year helped soften criticism of Kahn's point guard heavy draft in 2009, but that's little solace for Rambis, who won 28 games in two full seasons and was out of his job before Rubio ever played a game in the NBA.
Clippers, 2010: Neil Olshey and Vinny Del Negro replace Mike Dunleavy and Kim Hughes: Dunleavy lost his GM job a month after his coaching job was given to Kim Hughes on an interim basis. That cleared the way for the current regime that has overseen the emergence of Blake Griffin, the Chris Paul trade and the renaissance of the franchise.
Hornets, 2010: Dell Demps and Monty Williams replace Jeff Bower: The Hornets made the defending champion Lakers sweat in a 2010 first-round series, but the past year has not been as much fun for Demps and Williams. Still, there's optimism now that league ownership is out of the way and new owner Tom Benson, who has committed to keeping both coach and player, is in place.