Kentucky Wildcats: Could They Be a Playoff Team in the NBA Down the Road?

It all started off with a bizarre hypothetical that I posed in a Facebook status after watching the Kentucky Wildcats dismantle the 11th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks: "Hypothetically, if this Kentucky team stayed together for the next four years (let's just assume Terrence Jones and the rest of the sophomores/upperclassmen maintained eligibility), could they make the playoffs in the NBA?"

I'll admit that at first I was just being facetious. But as I thought more and more about the question, I realized that I actually thought this Kentucky Wildcats team was talented enough to be a playoff team in the NBA in that four-year time frame. 

My thoughts were confirmed when a friend by the name of Jacob Newcomer (you may recognize him from his participation in our All-Time NBA 12-Man Lineup Mock Draft) commented on the status with what I can only assume was the equivalent of him yelling at me in real life, "DEFINITELY NOT."

Two minutes later though, I got another notification and checked the status again. Lo and behold, Jacob had changed his comment to "PROBABLY NOT," going for the irony of the caps-lock typography mixed with a hesitant sentiment. But there's still more to the story. 

I went back to whatever I was doing, in all likelihood watching more college basketball, and checked back to see if anyone had expressed their opinion about five minutes later. Jacob's comment was entirely gone. 

He, as I did and many of you probably will as you think about it, realized that these Wildcats actually are talented enough to give an affirmative to the original hypothetical. 

Let's break it down. 

For the sake of the argument, we're going to have to make a huge leap of faith and assume that the entire Kentucky team somehow, through a ridiculous combination of drafting and trade-making, winds up playing together in the NBA and the entire roster is emptied of all current players.

Since the Charlotte Bobcats are the most irrelevant team in the Eastern Conference (although Kemba Walker may soon change that), let's say that Michael Jordan guts the roster and forms a professional version of the Kentucky Wildcats. At least the Wildcats get to remain felines.

It is important to note that I chose the Eastern Conference because I want to show that these guys can make the playoffs and it requires a far less impressive record to make the postseason in the East. For confirmation, see the Indiana Pacers' 37-45 record last year, the Chicago Bulls' 41-41 record the year before, or the Detroit Pistons' 39-43 mark in 2009. 

In the NBA, it's possible to make the playoffs with a seven-man rotation as long as the remaining five players can all provide minutes off the bench. One player must be a superstar or the top few must all contribute to the cause quite a bit. In the case of the Kentucky Wildcats, both of the aforementioned scenarios are within the attainable realm of possibilities. 

So, who would the star be? Fortunately, the possibilities are numerous. 

Option one is a lefty forward who was not only the preseason favorite for SEC Player of the Year but also a preseason First-Team All-American: Terrence Jones. Jones made a surprising decision to return to the Wildcats, spurning a potential lottery selection for one more year of play at the collegiate level. 

A 6'9" small forward, Jones undoubtedly has the size necessary to succeed. He's a high-upside player who already has a terrific all-around game that will only get better when he adds moves to offensive arsenal that involve an initial move to the right. 

Option two is Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, a high-energy, high-impact freshman capable of impacting the game in a multitude of ways. Even though the term is a bit overused nowadays, "stat-sheet stuffer" is the best way to describe the 6'6" swingman. 

His upside may not be as high as Jones', but MKG is going to be a special player. 

Option three is Marquis Teague, the younger brother of former Wake Forest standout and current Atlanta Hawks point guard Jeff Teague. Marquis has one of the fastest first steps you'll see and an Allen Iverson-esque crossover. At the same time though, he's a great distributor. 

As soon as Teague learns how to play under control and understands that he doesn't have to make every play by himself, he's going to live up to his massive potential. 

Option four is perhaps the most appealing option of the bunch: Anthony Davis. No player on the team has the ability to affect the game on both ends of the court like the talented freshman power forward/center. 

Proudly sporting his unibrow, the 6'10" stud is blessed with both size and length to go along with his great defensive instincts. He needs to fill out a bit, but with four years to do so, that shouldn't be a problem. 

Just to put all of this in perspective, all four of these players are projected to be lottery picks in the 2012 NBA Draft by NBADraft.net. The site has Davis going at No. 2, Teague at No. 7, Kidd-Gilchrist at No. 12 and Jones at No. 13. As for me, I have the players ranked as follows in my most recent look at the top 50 prospects in college basketball: Davis at No. 1, Teague at No. 5, Kidd-Gilchrist at No. 7 and Jones at No. 16.   

At the end of our hypothetical scenario, these new-look Charlotte Bobcats would have three lottery picks according to my rankings in their third year amongst the pros. Even if one or two of them was a bit of a bust, they'd have an incredible nucleus.

But how would the rest of the team look?

Well, you don't have to go much further down either my rankings or NBADraft.net's to find the Kentucky Wildcats' fifth starter. Coming in at No. 22 for me and No. 14 for NBADraft.net is shooting guard Doron Lamb. For those of you keeping track at home, that means that the Wildcats could potentially have each and every one of their starters drafted in the lottery of the next draft. And remember, this is shaping up to be one of the most stacked draft classes in NBA history. 

Amazingly enough, this isn't where Kentucky just simply runs out of good players. They still have Darius Miller (projected by NBADraft.net to go at No. 60) and Kyle Wiltjer coming off the bench as the primary backup guard and forward, respectively. And there you have your seven-man rotation.

The thing about John Calipari teams though is that he doesn't just build them to be dominant college basketball teams. I often refer to his program as the preeminent one-and-done system in the NCAA because he recruits players who are undoubtedly going to jump to the pros early and have success.

As good as this team has looked during their first few games of the 2011-2012 season, just imagine how good they're going to look when March Madness rolls around.

Now, hypothetically of course, just imagine how good they'll look with four years of experience playing together.

You can't help but picture a playoff team.