Hopefully the lockout is resolved before some or all of the season is lost. As far apart as both sides are today, there’s hope that at least 50 games are  played . . . if not all 82. Still, the possibility remains that won’t be a 2011/12 NBA Season.

If that’s the case, the free agent pool from this summer will join the 2012  class in what would be a tremendous class of available players.

A few players stand out as the best of 2011 but it’s not an overwhelming  group:  David West, Nene, Tyson Chandler, Jamal Crawford, Kris Humphries,  Andrei Kirilenko, J.J. Barea and Jason Richardson (among others).

The restricted free agents are solid but difficult (under the current rules) for  another team to acquire:  Marc Gasol, DeAndre Jordan, Jeff Green, Rodney  Stuckey, Aaron Brooks, etc.

In theory with a lost year, restricted players would likely remain as such in  the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) . . . although technically any  existing rule could go through major changes or be abandoned completely.

Add in the possibility that teams could be granted another amnesty clause to  waive a single undesired contract from their cap (although the player would  still get paid) would only add to the list in 2012.

The biggest name would be Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, who can opt out  of his deal and search for a better chance at a title elsewhere.  If the  lockout doesn’t end in time, he may have played his last game already for the  Magic.

Even before amnesty, it’s an impressive list, going position by position:

Point Guard
1) Derrick Rose (restricted) – The Chicago Bulls won’t let him go.  Rose, the league’s reigning MVP, would normally be discussing a maximum contract  extension this summer.
2) Chris Paul (early termination option) – Both Paul and Deron Williams can get  out of their contracts a year early.  Both are franchise point guards.
3) Deron Williams (early termination option)
4) Russell Westbrook (restricted) – The odds are high that Westbrook will stay  in Oklahoma City even if shot selection is a concern.
5) Steve Nash – He’s older, but in the right situation he could end up with a  ring like his former teammate Dirk Nowitzki.
6) Jason Kidd
7) Raymond Felton
8 ) Chauncey Billups
9) Andre Miller
10) J.J. Barea – Is he a shooting guard or a point?  Does it matter when he  cuts into the lane as quickly as he does?

Honorable mention:  Jameer Nelson (opt out), Aaron Brooks (restricted),  Kirk Hinrich, Rodney Stuckey (a restricted combo guard), D.J. Augustin  (restricted), Mario Chalmers (restricted), Nate Robinson (also an undersized  shooting guard), T.J. Ford and Mike Bibby.

Shooting Guard
1) Eric Gordon (restricted) – one of the best young shooting guards in the league.
2) Jason Terry – Jet rewrote the book on his game by helping the Dallas  Mavericks win their first NBA title.
3) Ray Allen – Ray is deep into his career but he’ll be hitting  jumpers for years to come.
4) Jamal Crawford – Instant scoring.
5) Jason Richardson – He’s been talking about playing for less to win a title.
6) Arron Afflalo (restricted) – One of the better young two-way players in the  league.
7) O.J. Mayo (restricted)
8) Nick Young (restricted) – He’s got a little Ricky Davis to his game which  isn’t a knock.
9) Rudy Fernandez (restricted)
10) Courtney Lee (restricted)

Honorable mention: J.R. Smith, Landry Fields, Marco Belinelli (restricted), Jodie Meeks (restricted), Vince  Carter, Mickael Pietrus, C.J. Miles, Shannon Brown, Leandro Barbosa, George Hill (restricted, also can play the point), Marcus Thornton (restricted), Jerryd Bayless (restricted), Randy Foye, Delonte West, Brandon Rush (restricted), Josh Howard (also plays small forward) and Michael Redd.

Small Forward
1) Nicolas Batum (restricted) – A very underrated player who can  defend, hit outside shots and understands what kind of dirty work it takes to  win games.
2) Danilo Gallinari (restricted) – Gallinari may be overrated her or underrated here.  There’s a lot of potential in the Italian.
3) Thaddeus Young (restricted) – Young can play either forward position.
4) Jeff Green (restricted) – The Celtics traded away Kendrick Perkins for Green.   It doesn’t make sense to just let him go, even if he’s not the absolute best at  what he does.
5) Tayshaun Prince – Prince is well past his prime but still a capable defender  and versatile scorer.
6) Caron Butler – Caron was the forgotten man during the NBA Finals but he can  still play when healthy.
7) Andrei Kirilenko – Versatile and capable of playing up to power forward if  needed.
8) Grant Hill
9) Wilson Chandler (restricted)
10) Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (restricted) – Beyond under the radar but one of the  better defenders out there.

Honorable mention: Shane Battier, Matt Barnes, Carlos Delfino, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Tracy  McGrady

Power Forward
1) Kevin Love (restricted) – The Wolves have to do everything they can  to keep him but Love is one of the brightest young fours in the league.
2) David West – David needs to get healthy after an ACL injury.  The extra  time off may do him wonders.
3) Kevin Garnett – Older but still a major problem for teams to deal with.
4) Tim Duncan – The mileage should drop him on this list – but it’s Tim Duncan.
5) Kris Humphries – Rebounding and youth gives him a slight edge over Odom.
6) Lamar Odom ($2 million of $8.2 million guaranteed) – Lamar is getting up in  years but he’s still one of the most versatile players in the league.
7) Michael Beasley (restricted) – He’s not the easiest player to manage but he  is extremely talented.
8 ) Glen Davis
9) J.J. Hickson (restricted)
10) Darrell Arthur (restricted) – Another underrated player.

Honorable mention: Carl Landry, Antawn Jamison (age is the only reason he’s off  the top 10), Reggie Evans (instant rebounding, minimal scoring), Ersan Ilyasova,  Kenyon Martin, Brandon Bass (opt out), Jason Thompson (restricted), Anthony  Randolph (restricted), Craig Smith, Antonio McDyess, Ronny Turiaf, Anthony  Tolliver, Marresse Speights (restricted), Jermaine O’Neal, Troy Murphy and Yi  Jianlian.

Center
1) Dwight Howard (opt out) – Dwight will have a long, long list of  suitors come 2012.
2) Nene – One of the most efficient big men in the game.
3) Brook Lopez (restricted) – If only he could rebound as well as he can score.
4) Marc Gasol (restricted) – Underrated . . .
5) Tyson Chandler – Tyson is aging but one of the best defensive role-playing  centers in the league.
6) DeAndre Jordan (restricted)
7) JaVale McGee (restricted)
8 ) Chris Kaman
9) Roy Hibbert (restricted)
10) Marcus Camby – If he doesn’t decide to retire.

Honorable mention: Chuck Hayes (undersized but a surprisingly capable  defender), Samuel Dalembert, Spencer Hawes (restricted), Greg Oden (restricted  and if he ever gets healthy, much higher on the list), Robin Lopez (restricted),  Joel Przybilla, Mehmet Okur, Brad Miller (partial guarantee) and Kwame Brown.

In theory the Lakers can opt out of Andrew Bynum’s contract which would shake up the top five.

Ideally this list will become superfluous the moment a new CBA is reached, but  if compromise cannot be reached the summer of 2012 may be a momentous offseason  for the NBA.