Old School Power Rankings Weeks 5-6

It’s not yet Christmas and this is already looking like a one-man show.

But as we’ve learned from the past, don’t ever count out a certain Spaniard, or a certain German once he gets healthy.

We’ve also learned that two-week stints are necessary to give these guys enough time to accumulate some decent games and stats. So we’ll continue to give you the OSPR every other week.

Notes: Season statistics are through games of Dec. 8

Any player who turns 33 during regular season can be added to rankings.

1. Dwyane Wade (34), Chicago Bulls

Last week’s rank: 1

Last week’s stats: 6 games, 23.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.7 apg

Season stats: 19.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.3 apg

Wade is firing on all cylinders, scoring 17 or more points in 10 straight games. He also booked his first 30-point effort since Nov. 4. But he’s doing more than just scoring, chipping in at least four assists in five straight and five or more boards in four of his last eight.

http://www.nba.com/video/2016/11/11/20161110heat-pay-tribute-wade/

2. Pau Gasol (36), San Antonio Spurs

Last week’s rank: 3

Last week’s stats: 7 games, 10.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.0 apg

Season stats: 11.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.5 apg

Shooting from the field wasn’t bad (46.9). Shooting from beyond the arc was solid (46.2). Shooting from the free-throw line was, well, uh, see for yourself (46.2). Granted, that was “helped” by a 2-for-8 effort on Dec. 2, but for the season, Gasol is at just 58.7.

3. Zach Randolph (35), Memphis Grizzlies

Last week’s rank: 2

Last week’s stats: 2 games, 9.5 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 1.5 apg

Season stats: 14.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.0 apg

Playing just two games over a two-week span usually gets you bumped down much further, but we have a heart. After all, Randolph was dealing with the loss of a family member. But in those two games, despite shooting just 26.9 from the field, Randolph showed he still has a knack for rebounds.

4. Jamal Crawford (36), LA Clippers

Last week’s rank: 8

Last week’s stats: 7 games, 15.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 2.1 apg

Season stats: 12.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.1 apg

The key for Crawford may be not to have one day of rest. When he didn’t have a day off for rest, he averaged 21.0 points on 60 percent shooting. When he had one day of rest, he averaged 12.6 on 36.2 shooting. When he had two days of rest, he averaged 21.0 on 41.2 shooting.

5. Jameer Nelson (34), Denver Nuggets

Last week’s rank: NA

Last week’s stats: 8 games, 13.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 6.3 apg

Season stats: 9.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.4 apg

It was an impressive two-week stint for Nelson, who proved to be more effective as a starter. In four games as a starter, he averaged 17.3 points, 8.0 assists and 49.1 from the field. In four games off the bench, Nelson averaged 9.8 points, 4.5 assists and 42.5 from the field.

6. Tyson Chandler (33), Phoenix Suns

Last week’s rank: NA

Last week’s stats: 6 games, 7.3 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 1.0 apg

Season stats: 7.2 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 0.7 apg

Like Randolph, Chandler had been dealing with a personal matter, missing eight of the previous nine games. But he’s come back relatively strong, shooting 71.4 from the field and securing nine or more rebounds in four of the six games.

7. Tony Allen (34), Memphis Grizzlies

Last week’s rank: Just missed

Last week’s stats: 9 games, 10.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.2 apg

Season stats: 8.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 0.9 apg

Mr. Do A Little Of Everything was just that over the last two weeks. But he might be turning into a better road than home player. In six home games, Allen averaged 9.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 48 percent from the field. In three road games, he averaged 14.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 54.8 shooting.

8. Kyle Korver (35), Atlanta Hawks

Last week’s rank: 4

Last week’s stats: 8 games, 7.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.8 apg

Season stats: 8.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.0 apg

This is the part of the list where guys should feel fortunate to still see their name on here. Korver is no exception. He’s been pushed to the bench, but that might not be a bad thing. In six games as a starter, Korver averaged 5.3 points on 30.6 shooting. In two games off the bench, he averaged 12.0 points and 44.4 shooting.

9. Matt Barnes (36), Sacramento Kings

Last week’s rank: 9

Last week’s stats: 6 games, 6.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.5 apg

Season stats: 7.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.8 apg

If not for one game (12 points, 16 rebounds on Dec. 2), there’s no way Barnes would still be on the list. Over the two-week period, he shot just 31.1 from the field and 18.2 from beyond the arc. Making matters worse, if you exclude that 16-rebound performance, Barnes failed to grab more than four rebounds in any game.

10. Manu Ginobili (39), San Antonio Spurs

Last week’s rank: Just missed

Last week’s stats: 5 games, 7.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.0 apg

Season stats: 7.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.5 apg

We weren’t feeling as bad about this inclusion … until Thursday’s 0-for-9 for 0 points in 18 minutes effort. In fact, we were feeling halfway decent after he went for double-digit scoring in back-to-back games (13 on Nov. 29 and 13 on Dec. 2).

Just missed the cut: Channing Frye, Joe Johnson, Tony Parker, Boris Diaw

Will turn 33 this season: Andre Iguodala (Jan. 28), Zaza Pachulia (Feb. 10), Marcin Gortat (Feb. 17), Sasha Vujacic (March 8), Chris Bosh (March 24), C.J. Watson (April 17)

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.