Fort Lauderdale, Fla. ? The outcomes of several series could directly affect the league’s coaching carousel.

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Silas’ swan song: Paul Silas’ contractual contretemps with Hornets management have been well chronicled. Barring an extended postseason run by New Orleans, expect Silas to head elsewhere upon the expiration of his contract.

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Karl’s kalamaties: George Karl sneaked into the postseason at the 11th hour, after a collapse kept his Bucks out of the playoffs last season. Yet a first-round ouster only will continue the doubts about a coach whose season began after humiliation as U.S. coach at the World Championships.

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Nervous Nellie: Since his arrival in Dallas Jan. 4, 2000, Mark Cuban has been viewed as the perfect owner. We’ll see if Don Nelson sees it that way when his Mavericks are eliminated. Cuban has yet to address Nelson’s coaching future, which could be down to a scant few weeks.

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Not Scott free: It would have been easier to discount midseason reports of a rift between Byron Scott and his Nets had New Jersey gotten back on track. Now, with the Nets’ desperate need to retain Jason Kidd as a free agent, the question becomes whether management scapegoats Scott for anything short of a repeat Eastern Conference championship.

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Sloan into the sunset: If Karl Malone and John Stockton depart and a dramatic overhaul becomes necessary, Jerry Sloan easily could ride off into the sunset on one of his tractors, his longevity deserving of a reprieve from a massive rebuilding project.

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Follow the bouncing Brown: The North Carolina opportunity is gone, but other challenges await, ones that come without Allen Iverson-initiated headaches.

Larry Brown has been in the same place for six seasons, reason enough to ponder the possibilities of an early-round exit prompting a departure from the Philadelphia 76ers.