I know we’re a good three months away from the official debut of the 2009-2010 Kentucky Wildcats at Big Blue Madness, but I think I speak for a lot of UK fans when I say that I can’t stop thinking about basketball. Football is great and I love UK football and I’m looking forward to covering it, but it’s just not basketball.

Lately, one topic that has been on mind a bunch is how John Calipari is going to distribute playing time. I posted an article last week about what I thought UK’s rotation would look like, so check that out if you haven’t already.

All the talent that John Calipari has brought in his first months will give John Calipari something UK never had last year: flexibility. John Calipari is going to be able to bend and stretch his rotation to play about any kind of lineup you could ever want to play and do it with some serious, high level talent. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some lineups that we could see next year and some of the strengths and weaknesses of each:

The Starters

John Wall
Eric Bledsoe
Darius Miller
Patrick Patterson
DeMarcus Cousins

Wall, Miller, and Patterson are all but set to start in my mind, but I think this group of five is the most likely to take the floor against Morehead State in mid-November. It’s a bit non-traditional in that there are two point guards on the floor, but John Wall’s size and athleticism and Bledsoe’s build and athleticism allow each to guard a 1 or 2 if necessary.

The obvious strengths here are ball handling and passing. With how sketch the ball handling in the backcourt was for so much of last season, the upgrade is tremendous. Miller was arguably the best ball handler by the end of last year and he’s the tertiary ball handler in this lineup. Also, DeMarcus Cousins is very good on the dribble and as a passer for a big man, so it’s hard to see this group making many turnovers.

These five could also be a terror in a full court press. Wall and Bledsoe are about as quick as they come and Darius Miller’s length and athleticism would present some serious problems.

The only clear weakness you can point to is shooting. Miller is the best option from the perimeter and he was not consistent until the end of last season. I’ve said it before, but expect this kind of lineup to see zones over and over and over until Wall or Bledsoe shows an outside shot.

The Traditional

John Wall
Darnell Dodson
Darius Miller
Patrick Patterson
DeMarcus Cousins

This lineup features the traditional mold of two wing players with one point and presumably would not struggle as much against a zone (assuming Dodson can stroke it like he reportedly can). It could potentially be exposed by an opponent with two penetrating guards since Dodson and Miller could struggle against a smaller player.

If the starting lineup I offered earlier turns out to struggle due to lack of shooting in some games, this kind of lineup (with Wall and Bledsoe interchanging and Patterson, Cousins, and Daniel Orton splitting time) could be the one that becomes the default.

The Dribble-Drive Special

John Wall
Eric Bledsoe
Darnell Dodson
Darius Miller
Patrick Patterson

Darius Miller showed in New Zealand that he can play some post defense on a 4 man and John Calipari’s 4’s are typically called on to play more like 3’s. I think this is a lineup you will definitely see next year, especially with how many SEC teams play smaller, three guard lineups.

The rare team that has a traditional post up 4 man would be difficult to deal with for this lineup, but I think this group would play well together.

The Humvee

John Wall
Darius Miller
Patrick Patterson
DeMarcus Cousins
Daniel Orton

The dribble drive isn’t made for this kind of lineup, but if John Calipari wants to absolutely clean the glass, he could go with this group. Patterson will be called on to develop his ball skills and I’m sure Calipari will want him to be able to play like a 3 by the end of the year, so it’s not stretch to think he may be put in that spot. Besides, can you imagine Patterson posting up a small forward?

The weaknesses here are shooting and defensive matchups. Patterson would likely have some trouble playing his guy straight up on the dribble and Miller may struggle with a 2.

The Freshmen

John Wall
Eric Bledsoe
Jon Hood
DeMarcus Cousins
Daniel Orton

OK, you probably won’t see this lineup often, if ever, but I just wanted to remind you how good the freshman class is.

Veteran Presence

John Wall
Darius Miller
Ramon Harris
Patrick Patterson
Perry Stevenson

I haven’t included Stevenson or Harris in a lineup yet and I think we can expect Harris and Stevenson to get some time (especially Harris).

The Victory Lap

DeAndre Liggins
Jon Hood
Ramon Harris
Perry Stevenson
Josh Harrellson

Hopefully we’ll be seeing this group a bunch with 20+ point leads, with a little Dwight Perry or Mark Krebs sprinkled in.

The Billy G

Michael Porter
Jon Hood
Ramon Harris
Perry Stevenson
Daniel Orton

Ladies and gentleman, your starting lineup for the 2009-2010 Kentucky Wildcats had Billy Gillispie kept his job. I don’t even know, what’s the name of the tournament that teams that miss the NIT play in?  The CBI or something?

I just threw up in my mouth looking at that.