Mighty Moke’s Free Agency Rankings (Version 7.0)

In all walks of life, in tragedy there is opportunity. So today, as we mourn the loss of innocent lives in Boston, we should all take a moment to send thoughts and prayers to those affected by the horrific events that unfolded yesterday.

We can use the tragedy as an opportunity to unite and come together.

On any level, sports is a unifying force that has helped bridge economic, social, geographical and political divisions among citizens of the world, and the NBA has become a melting pot and the epitome of this idea.

All acts of terror are obviously reprehensible, but that this particular attack occurred during an event that featured unification at its finest—and on a day when Boston celebrates the beginning of the American Revolution—was especially unnerving for me, personally.

Monday night, from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, I tweeted that one of the few cons to working in the professional sports industry, in any capacity, is that except in extreme circumstances, the show must go on.

As cogs in the entertainment machine, even with heavy hearts, it is important to do the job and do it well. Sometimes, reading a good column or watching a ballgame can help ease the anguish or pain that we feel when we are experiencing life’s trials and tribulations. So as we give you this week’s rankings, please know, our thoughts and prayers are not only with the people of Boston, but with all of those touched by the events that unfolded on Monday and those who fight for freedom, across the world.

And as difficult as it is to focus on pro sports and the NBA playoffs at this time, we do find solace in the fact that law enforcement officials are working around the clock to bring those responsible to justice.

Fortunately, the NBA was wise enough to cancel Tuesday night’s matchup between the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics. The NBA released a statement in which it made clear that the game was canceled and would not be rescheduled.

I confirmed with the league that both the Celtics and Pacers would have records that include just 81 games. This will be the first time since 1967—when the league expanded the schedule from 80 games to 81—that a team will play only 81 regular season games. So 20 years from now, when we see that the Celtics ended the season 42-39 (or 41-40), we will know why.

Outside of work stoppages, it will be the first time since the league has gone to an 82-game season that a game was canceled and not simply postponed.

Continuing with the theme of opportunity in tragedy, nobody knows that better than Dwight Howard. Kobe Bryant is down for the foreseeable future, and it is up to Howard to lead the Los Angeles Lakers not only into the playoffs, but also make them formidable against their first-round opponent. Amazingly, if the Lakers beat the Houston Rockets in their final game of the season, the Lakers will be the seventh seed. If they lose and the Utah Jazz win their final game against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Lakers will fail to make the playoffs for just the third time since 1977.

Sunday’s huge win over the San Antonio Spurs goes a long way for Superman, but even now, his team must defeat Houston or hope for Big Al Jefferson’s Utah Jazz to come up short at Memphis. The Grizzlies will also have something to play for—homecourt advantage over the Los Angeles Clippers in their first-round series. So, things will not be easy for our top two big guys.

Our top five features a new face. Nate Robinson and Tony Allen continue to rise, but it’s a player from New York’s other team that is the biggest gainer of the week. Teams are tanking and some of our players are getting less minutes, but we call it like we see it.

As usual, we do not rank players who are subjected to team or player options; only restricted and unrestricted free-agents. And as a reminder, we are not ranking what we expect players to be paid on the open market, but rather their performances over the past weeks.

On to the rankings.