#1 - Start Trey Burke the rest of the way. Finish games with him at the helm as well. Also play Frank enough too. IMPERATIVE to find out more about these two as we wind down the season. Burke/Frank at the point the rest of the way. NO MORE JACK.
#2 - Open up some roster spots -- trade O'Quinn and Lee to the highest bidders. Buy out Noah. No point with this guy now. Complete lost cause--he's not even with the team anymore. I mean would they rather keep paying him while occupying a roster spot OR pay him but at least have an open spot to evaluate another player? Resist stretching him which will only compound the problem (his salary) to future years. Turn the page as soon as possible. Cut Lance Thomas as well--any idea that Thomas is some keeper, a team captain and some necessity here is beyond laughable. Nice guy, he hustles but he's just not a good NBA player. To me, he's part of the problem, not the solution. Does not have a high enough impact on the court. I want a higher impact player there, doesn't matter to me one bit if the player's younger and less experienced.
#3 - Immediately call up Christian Wood and Brandon Ashley and insert them in the KOQ/LT roles for the rest of the year. Evaluate that closely. My bet is that would be two frontcourt upgrades on both sides of the ball and we'd uncover two players we'd more than want to bring back for next year and beyond. Huge shot in the arm for our frontcourt on both sides of the ball for next to nothing.
#4 - Play Dotson once Lee is traded. We need shooting, I agree. This kid's a shooter and part of the future, right? No brainer.
#5 - Look to execute a strategic low grade trade or 2 for talent upgrades:
Khem Birch/rights to Janis Timma from ORL?
Demetrius Jackson from the Sixers?
Antonio Blakeney from the Bulls?
Anything else might cost too much but these trades might be doable. These are only a couple of ideas I've considered for weeks now, I'm sure there are others.. The thinking here is we'd be able to get in on the ground floor on some afterthought players and cultivate them quickly into NBA rotation talent.
#6 - Tell Willy and his representation we don't want to trade him and that he's very much a part of the future here. Can't let a big man talent like this walk out the door for nothing because he's unhappy. Fix the problem -- start playing him if/when O'Quinn's traded.
#7 - Imperative to come up with a game plan and sit KP down and inform him what it is.
#8 - After these alterations are made and the season concludes, reassess this summer -- draft and FA. Baby steps.. No way we do anything stupid now by taking on bad salaries etc., but that doesn't mean we still can't do some things.