It is a somewhat age-old truism in the NBA that teams will often hire the opposite of their previous coach.
If you had a defensive-minded taskmaster, the next coach is an offensive-focused player's coach. And so on.
The important part of that pattern in the NBA is that a coaching move means just that: Change.
Teams do not dismiss coaches without wanting to mix something up. There is a reason they want to move in a different direction.
For the Orlando Magic, that answer is clear.
After extending so many of their key players and pushing all in to add Desmond Bane, the team fell well short of its expectations. And then it collapsed in the Playoffs with a 3-1 series lead. That is how a coach gets fired.
The Magic made their change on Monday, announcing they had dismissed Jamahl Mosley after five seasons.
Orlando enters this coaching search in a good spot. The team has a strong defensive foundation and culture. It has two potential All-Stars in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, and a high-level shooter in Desmond Bane.
The Magic's expectations this season were warranted. Orlando is struggling to find out why the team's coach could not unlock it more easily -- even with Wagner missing so much time.
The first task for the Magic will be to find a new coach. And the number one question for that coach will be how he or she plans to maximize the players already on the roster.
As Orlando begins to formulate its list of coaches, there are some clear traits the team needs to find that Mosey did not have. The Magic are looking for someone who can build on what Mosley built but take the team further.
Here are the traits that are on the checklist for the Magic.
1. Playoff Experience
One of the more poignant statements Paolo Banchero made after the Game 7 loss on Sunday was that he was not sure the team had enough to get beyond the first round. The kind thing to say would be to say that they do based on talent. But the team has failed to reach that level.
The Orlando Magic remain one of the youngest teams in the league. And while they have a lot of playoff experience togheter, they do not have much experience beyond the first round -- just Desmond Bane and Jevon Carter have won playoff series.
If the team is not going to have veteran players on the roster, the Magic should be searching for a coach who has been where they want to go. That could be an easy way to get gravitas and buy belief.
There are just not many coaches with experience available anymore.
Michael Malone was a favorite among fans throughout the season when it was clear the team would move on from Jamahl Mosley. But he took the North Carolina job before the Magic job could open up.
Steve Kerr's future with the Golden State Warriors is up in the air. But he seems unlikely to take another coaching job if he leaves the Warriors.
Doc Rivers is available. But after flaming out with the Milwaukee Bucks, it is hard to imagine him jumping back into the coaching ranks.
Tom Thibodeau, who has been linked to the Magic job as it became clear it would open up, has taken both the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks deep into the playoffs and has had success at several levels.
There is not a lot of experience out there.
2. Offensive Creativity
The biggest complaint that seemed to be the undercurrent to a coaching change was the Orlando Magic's lack of offensive creativity.
Jamahl Mosley hired Joe Prunty in the offseason to try to spruce up the offense, and the team tried to focus on playing faster and in transition to get easier baskets off their defense. It worked to some degree -- the Magic finished 18th in offensive rating.
But there were far too many moments where the offense stalled out and the pieces looked ill fitting. Nothing was easy offensively. And when push came to shove, the Magic scored 19 points in the second half of an elimination Game 6 to lose a 22-point halftime lead. That was the extreme version of problems throughout the season -- and really throughout the last decade-plus.
The Magic did not seem able to maximize the offensive talent they had with Desmond Bane shooting his fewest 3-point attempts per game since his rookie year. Paolo Banchero was forced to be the team's only perimeter creator for much of the season, leading to his inefficiency.
Orlando is a unique offensive team with two ball-handling 6-foot-10 forwards. That should be plenty of space for a coach to get creative and find a way to make the most of them.
Some available coaches have offensive flexibility -- coaches who will tailor their system to their roster -- and teams who can get creative about where to put players.
You never really know who the geniuses are. Mosley ran an offense similar to what the Oklahoma City Thunder or Golden State Warriors run, but it just did not fit their roster and personnel.
A pair of college coaches got some attention for being creative offensively. Todd Golden at Florida turned the Gators into a juggernaut. But he has already committed to returning to Florida.
Marc Stein reported the Magic are interested in Michigan coach Dusty May (yes, another Michigan man). But it is unclear if May would leave the Wolverines after winning a national championship and putting together another star-studded roster.
It is hard to imagine the Magic going to a college coach knowing they want the experience to go deeper in the Playoffs.
3. Accountability
Jamahl Mosley was an excellent motivator. That was one of his big attractors. And that was necessary during the rebuild phase for this team. It made them a much better team and got them a lot of the way there.
But as the team started competing more for Playoff positioning, motivation was not enough. The team was seeking something a bit more.
They wanted accountability, essentially. They wanted a team that was not going to stomach mistakes. That is a big part of what Paolo Banchero said after Sunday's loss. The team needs to be held more closely to a standard.
Mosley built trusting relationships with everyone on the roster. But it did not always feel like he was the one to hold the team's feet to the fire. If he did, they did not respond to it.
Those relationships to challenge and push players needs to get built over time. But Orlando likely will welcome someone who can hold players accountable and have some tough conversations.
Former Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan comes to mind on that front. He has had a long career with both Florida, Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls. He has always gotten a lot out of his rosters, even if limited.
Donovan has probably been linked to the Magic more than any coach.
While I do not think the Magic would look to assistant coaches because the team wants experience to push this team to the next stage, they could look to Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori. He is a connector and relationship coach who took on the head coaching duties when Chris Finch injured his leg during the playoffs a few years ago.
There are good coaches who can be connectors and build relationships while still being demanding.
4. Commitment to Defense
One thing is not changing about this Orlando Magic team. They are still going to be committed to defense.
That is a principle that Jeff Weltman believes in with his roster construction. Orlando is not going to stop being a defensive team all of a sudden.
And so the Magic want a coach that has some new offensive ideas and can unlock this team on that end. But they also need someone who will be committed to the defensive end. The Magic do not want to lose that identity they have built during the last five years.
That might be where someone like former Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer comes in. With both the Bucks and Hawks, he established elite offensive teams while still maintaining a strong defense. That is the kind of balance the Magic should want.
That will be the tricky thing for this team. There are very few coaches who can check off all of these boxes. The team will need to make some compromises and hope that they do not lose something in the process.
But the search is now on for the next coach of the Magic.
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