More Rankings: 11-20
| NBA Player Power Rankings |
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14 |
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Gasol's Grizzlies are hopeless, but he continues to work his tail off and throw out great numbers for a squad that really doesn't want to be mentioned or thought of until mid-May. Gasol has no earthly reason for being out on the court in late-March (beyond that multi-million dollar contract, but we're beyond that at this point, aren't we?) but the hirsute Spaniard is playing more than 38 minutes a night for Memphis, averaging 23.6 points and 10.6 rebounds on the month. |
| 12 |
18 |
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We don't know when the Miami Heat are going to fall back to earth, probably when the team's heaps of poorly conceived 25-footers stop falling through the goal, but we are enjoying the renaissance of this senior set. For the first time since last spring, veterans like O'Neal, Antoine Walker, Jason Williams and Eddie Jones actually believe in themselves -- and while the results (seriously, these guys take some bad shots ... and they go in) aren't much to look at, the wins are piling up. O'Neal's presence down low provides spacing, strong interior play (20 points, 7.5 rebounds in just 28.8 minutes per game in March); most important, his presence inspires confidence in this well-compensated crew of "defending champions." |
| 13 |
12 |
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Gilbert was almost comically bad in his team's loss to the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, shooting 4 of 16 from the floor (one of the "makes" came off a Travis Outlaw goaltend on a floater that had no chance of going in) and badly whiffing on a potential game-winning shot as the buzzer sounded. Of course, 24 hours later, Agent Zero couldn't help but down the SuperSonics with a buzzer-beating drive. Arenas has made more game-winners than he's missed this year, and Washington is still holding off the Heat in the Southeast despite a host of season-long injury concerns. |
| 14 |
11 |
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Yes, it was the tail end of a back-to-back, and the final game of a six-game road trip that saw the Clippers take three contests, but no team with Brand and Corey Maggette should be barely beating (by one) a Bucks team without three of its projected season-starters (Andrew Bogut, Charlie Villanueva, Bobby Simmons). And while the Clipper players have underwhelmed season-long, we've got to question some of the decisions made by the men in suits. For starters, why is Brand afforded just 56 shots (making 33, 59 percent) over the road trip's last four games? And why is Quinton Ross (four points in 33 minutes against Milwaukee) still playing as many minutes as Maggette (22 points, five assists in 32 minutes, same game)? |
| 15 |
20 |
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Boozer's minutes have been increasing consistently since his return from a fractured left tibia, and he's back to giving the Jazz regular double-doubles with the occasional nifty pass from the high post thrown in. This month, he's average 17.8 points and 12.2 rebounds in just 33.6 minutes; Boozer even had the energy to register four blocks between March 5 and St. Patrick's Day, after going more than 2-1/2 months without a defensive rejection. |
| 16 |
9 |
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A bum week for Ginobili, who missed 20 of 25 shots from the floor (including 12 of 14 from long range) over his last three games, while averaging just 9.3 points and 4.7 assists in nearly 30 minutes a contest. The Spurs lost two of three, rebounding with an 18-point win over the Pacers on Wednesday after losses to the Bucks (ouch) and Celtics (seriously? They'll spot you 12 points). Ginobili was owed the week off -- his sterling play in limited minutes has been a driving force behind the 47-20 record. |
| 17 |
15 |
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The Suns are still winning -- big shock -- and Marion's defense is still as good as it has been all year, but he has offered a rather mediocre March offensively, averaging 11.8 points despite playing over 36 minutes a night, as his three-point and free-throw shooting percentages have fallen off considerably. He's still rebounding well (20 a game) and blocking more shots (2.1 a contest this month), but the Suns can't afford to have a moody Marion unsure of his perimeter game as they enter the postseason. |
| 18 |
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Iverson (and, to a lesser extent, Carmelo Anthony) are playing better, but the real impetus behind Denver's little hot streak (winners in five of its last six games) is increased production from the also-rans that dot the Nugget roster. Linas Kleiza, for instance, has been spoon-fed open looks from long range since November, through various Nugget roster permutations. He's just now decided to start nailing shots -- 48 percent from behind the three-point arc in March, after languishing in the low-30s for the season's first four months.
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| 19 |
17 |
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Denver's biggest issue, if you don't mind the extended discussion over the course of two player rankings, might just be getting coach George Karl to the offseason he so richly deserves. It's been a next-to impossible year for Karl on the court, with the suspensions and injuries and the massive roster upheaval -- and that's not even taking into consideration the significant off-court worry. This all seemed to come to a head in Thursday's loss to Chicago, as coaches on both sides looked like they wanted to strangle the nearest diminutive guard they could get their hands around. With Anthony producing an embarrassing effort on the boards (just two rebounds in 39 minutes), Karl's pointed benching his young star for the bulk of the early fourth quarter probably didn't make much of an impact. |
| 20 |
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After an uneasy return to action following the All-Star break, including a six-game losing streak that nearly knocked the Hornets out of the playoff hunt in the West, Paul has taken the offensive reins and currently has his outfit just a game out of the playoff bracket. New Orleans/Oklahoma City has won three of its last five, with Paul averaging 20.8 points (on 53 percent shooting), and the second-year guard has averaged nearly nine assists and two steals over the run. And yet, a hellish six-day run waits: three home games against the Lakers, Rockets, and Mavericks, followed by a trip to San Antonio on the tail end of a back-to-back. |
On the cusp: Zach Randolph, Dwight Howard, Michael Redd
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