Willie Green has seen many changes in his five years with the 76ers.

He’s been through four coaches and numerous teammates. Through it all, however, Billy King was the president and GM of the team.

That changed late Monday night when King was fired and replaced with Ed Stefanski, who had been the GM of the New Jersey Nets.

A message left on King’s voice mail was not returned.

“It was definitely a surprise,” said Green, who found out Tuesday morning. “I had a brief conversation with Billy on my way over here and we just talked about knowing what it is to be in this business, anything can happen. I just thanked him for the opportunities he gave me. He drafted me and gave me all the opportunities that I had with his organization. It’s a tough situation. I just wished him well. I’m pretty sure we’ll talk later or another time.”

Korver, like Green, was a second round pick in the 2003 draft. He was taken by New Jersey for the Sixers in return for cash.

Monday night, as King was leaving the Wachovia Center, he told Korver to call him. On his way home from the game, Korver did and that’s when he found out King had been let go.

“I was definitely caught off guard,” Korver said. “I didn’t see that coming. Billy definitely did a lot for me. He brought me in as a second-round pick, bought the pick for almost nothing and brought me in. …I owe him a lot so to see him go is tough for me, but the more I’m here the more I learn this is a business and every year something happens where you see that more and more. You take it for what it is and focus on what you can control.”

That’s the approach that Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks is taking as well. Cheeks is in the final year of his contract with the Sixers, and has received no assurances from Stefanski that he’ll finish out the year, although Stefanski said he’ll do evaluations top to bottom before making any moves.

“What I do is try to go out every day and control what I can control and that’s try and get our team better,” Cheeks said. “That’s basically all I can do. Certainly we all look at the things that happened and we try to control the things we can control and get our basketball team better.”

On a personal level, Cheeks said, it was harder.

“I’m pretty sad about it because Billy brought me here and done a lot of good for me,” Cheeks said. “He was very supportive of me and the things I was trying to do. It’s a sad day. I’m sensitive to anyone losing their job because it’s a sensitive business and anytime anyone loses their job it’s a tough situation.”

Still, some in the organization recognize that Stefanski brings certain qualities to the table. Senior vice president and assistant GM Tony DiLeo has known Stefanski for years, dating back to their playing days at La Salle and Penn, respectively.

“Mixed emotions,” DiLeo said. “I’ve been with Billy for 10-plus years so it’s a tough time there. On the other side I know Ed Stefanski and I think he’ll do a great job and I’m optimistic for our future.”