Manu Ginobli News: Pro Sports Daily

After bat, shots for Ginobili aren't just aimed at hoop

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November 3

San Antonio Express-News

"Spurs guard Manu Ginobili has been placed on a precautionary regimen of rabies vaccinations after his now-famous run-in with a flying bat during a game Halloween night. The shots are purely preventative. Because the bat could not be found after the game for testing — team officials say it survived and flew away — doctors recommended that anyone who came in contact with it be vaccinated. Ginobili took four shots Monday in the hip and arm, and he is scheduled for four more such sessions over the next month. "It was pretty funny at the time," Ginobili said Monday, two days after his bat encounter. "Now it's not. I got like a million shots for rabies." According to the federal Centers for ..."

Ginobili drives 'em batty in San Antonio

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November 2

Chicago Tribune

"For Spurs fans, Halloween 2009 will be remembered for Manu Ginobili's heroic and hilarious bat slap. The flying mammal that had interrupted play twice and spooked players, coaches and officials at the AT&T Center in San Antonio learned the hard way that the Argentine exterminator takes no guano. Late in the first quarter of an eventual 113-94 rout of the Kings, Ginobili tracked the bat with his eyes and let loose an open-palmed left hook that netted the creature and slammed it to the floor. "That was amazing," teammate Tony Parker said. "The legend continues with Manu. Unbelievable. ... He's always doing crazy stuff.""

Ginobili: 'I've still got things to work on'

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October 23

San Antonio Express-News

"Ordinarily, a seven-year NBA veteran such as Manu Ginobili would approach the final game of the preseason as a relief. This time, Ginobili would be happy for a few more exhibition games. "I think I've still got things to work on," Ginobili said after Thursday's practice before catching a flight for today's preseason finale with the Indiana Pacers. "The years before, I felt like I was ready and didn't need the preseason. This year, I did need it, and playing 20 or 25 minutes, like last game (22:55 Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder) was really useful for me. "I really do need this next game so I start feeling better, start making more decisions and get to play with the ones that are ..."

Beasley makes his power play in Heat loss

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October 12

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

"The experiment was put on hold Sunday. Michael Beasley was back at power forward for the Miami Heat, back at the spot where he built his lottery reputation at Kansas State, back where he earned first-team All-Rookie last season. The move certainly wasn't a definitive switch. Nothing can be definitive when Dwyane Wade, Jermaine O'Neal, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili all are held out of the same game, which was the case with the 95-93 exhibition loss to the San Antonio Spurs at AmericanAirlines Arena. But by playing Udonis Haslem off the bench, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra gave himself the chance to look at Plan B, which many considered Plan A when Beasley was taken with the No. 2 pick in the 2008 ..."

Ginobili predicts complete recovery

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June 8

San Antonio Express-News

"Manu Ginobili boarded a flight to Argentina late Sunday afternoon, headed home for the first time in nearly a year. This time, he planned to stay awhile, using his vacation to relax with friends and family and do all the things that a wandering son and brother does when he finally gets a chance to return home. "I've got almost everything packed up and ready to go," Ginobili said from his San Antonio home a few hours before leaving for the airport. "There was a lot to pack." Ginobili could be bringing everything but the kitchen sink back with him to Buenos Aires. It still wouldn't match the baggage he carried the last time he made the trip home. Last summer, the Spurs guard boarded a ..."

Ginobili offers laptop to fuming airman

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April 23

San Antonio Express-News

"Air Force Maj. Tobin Griffeth was fuming this week that the Spurs' Manu Ginobili "took my computer!" But there'll be a happy ending to the major's thwarted quest for a laptop he can use to teleconference with his wife and two boys while in Afghanistan for six months - his first lengthy deployment. The Best Buy at the Forum, where he was promised an Asus Eee PC Netbook, has vowed to find a similar laptop. If it can't, Ginobili said through a spokesman that he'll return his, so Griffeth can have it. Michelle Griffeth was happy to learn Ginobili didn't know she and her husband had dibs on the Asus when the Spurs guard and Time Warner pitchman bought it. "I was hoping that was the case. He's ..."

Pop says to get over Ginobili

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April 19

San Antonio Express-News

"Though Manu Ginobili remains a supportive presence in the locker room and cheers for his teammates from behind the bench during the games, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has admonished his players to eliminate Ginobili from their thinking during the Spurs' playoff run. "We have to be of the mind-set that Manu Ginobili is almost not part of the team, in a crazy sort of way," Popovich said before Game 1 of the Spurs' first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks. "If we spent any time thinking about Manu, it's going to take away from our group-think, and what we have to do. "We can't have him in our minds at all. At this point, unfortunately, he has nothing to do with this except ..."

Mason's scoring up with Ginobili down

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April 15

San Antonio Express-News

"It isn't the way he would have planned it, but Roger Mason Jr. has rediscovered his scoring role since Manu Ginobili's season-ending injury. In five games without Ginobili, the team's offensive sparkplug, Mason has slid back into the starting shooting guard role and fired away. His field goal attempts have gone up to 13.6 per game. He is shooting 45.5 percent from the field, and averaging 16.6 points. "We all have to kind of pick our games up," said Mason, who averaged 18 points on the Spurs' two-game road trip to Sacramento and Golden State. "Obviously, when Manu was here, there was less responsibility for me. With him out, you try to do a little bit more." With Ginobili shelved, Mason ..."

Ginobili offers his solution: Pump it up

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April 2

San Antonio Express-News

"Spurs coach Gregg Popovich believes improved play by a "couple" of players is required to get his team out of a month-long funk. One of his key players believes the coach is understating the team's problems. "I think it's more than a couple," guard Manu Ginobili said after losing to Oklahoma City on Tuesday. "A couple is not going to be enough. We've all really got to play better, and we've got to support each other more. We've got to hustle more, and we've got to be tougher." Ginobili wants to see all the Spurs, himself included, be better teammates in the eight games that remain in the regular season. "Sometimes, when we are struggling," he said, "we go to a timeout and we just stay. And ..."

Ginobili now closer to a friend than ever

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March 30

San Antonio Express-News

"There was a time when Sean Marks carried the Spurs. Then, after Game 7 against Detroit, Marks held Manu Ginobili by the waist as Ginobili kicked his legs in midair in a lasting, comedic image of celebration. But Marks is finished with that job. He blocked one of Ginobili's shots Sunday night, and he had a quasi-dunk, and he once stood in Ginobili's path trying to draw a charge. Ginobili got the call, then turned to his former teammate. "Are you trying to hurt me?" Ginobili playfully asked. As two friends got closer in the standings, on a night that could have passed for last May, the answer was, well, yes. No one was really hurt, and for the Hornets that's rare news. When they aren't ..."

Manu's comeback pressed for time

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March 29

San Antonio Express-News

"For more than a month, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili has spent most of his waking hours on a stationary bike. Or on a treadmill. Or kicking away in a swimming pool. Now that he's back on the basketball court, the real work begins. Two games into his second comeback from a sore ankle, Ginobili knows he still has a long way to go before he feels like himself again. "I know this is going to be slow," Ginobili said. "I've got to be patient. I've just got to worry about winning games and building confidence." It was easier to be patient earlier in the year, when Ginobili missed the first 16 games of the season while recovering from offseason surgery on his left ankle. With 10 games left, and with ..."

Ginobili will play, Duncan will sit for Spurs

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March 25

San Antonio Express-News

"For the first time since Feb. 11, Manu Ginobili was in uniform for the Spurs on Wednesday night. For the second time in eight days, Tim Duncan was not, sitting out the second game of the Spurs' back-to-back games against the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich made the pronouncement on Ginobili in his pre-game meeting with reporters before the Spurs-Hawks game at Philips Arena here Wednesday. Ginobili has been out with a stress reaction in his right distal fibula. Cleared by the team's medical staff, Ginobili will be on a regimen of limited minutes until his conditioning returns to NBA game level. Popovich, seeking to keep Duncan fresh and healthy for the ..."

Spurs' Finley picking up Ginobili's slack

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March 16

San Antonio Express-News

"When Tony Parker looks at Michael Finley these days, he sees a bit of Argentine in him. "It's like Manu is there," Parker said. Parker doesn't want to compare Finley to Manu Ginobili, the league's reigning Sixth Man of the Year. With Ginobili sidelined with a sore ankle, however, Finley has begun to provide a statistical approximation of him. In eight games this month, Finley is shooting 49.3 percent from the field, including a scorching 57.1 percent from beyond the arc. In the past two, Finley has averaged 21 points and made 10 of 13 on 3-pointers. In Saturday's victory over the Rockets, Finley even made a shot Ginobili might have attempted in a H-O-R-S-E game, a 45-foot half-court banker ..."

Popovich moving closer to worrying about Ginobili

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March 15

San Antonio Express-News

"Spurs coach Gregg Popovich says he isn't yet concerned at the relatively slow nature of Manu Ginobili's rehabilitation from his latest ankle injury. Popovich, however, does have a timetable for becoming concerned. "This coming Thursday will be four weeks since he's off the crutches," Popovich said before Saturday's game against the Rockets. "At that point, we hope that he's on the floor working out. If he's not, we'll be concerned." Ginobili, battling a stress reaction in his right ankle, missed his 14th consecutive game Saturday. He watched from behind the bench as the Spurs outlasted Houston 88-85. Popovich says Ginobili should return "in a week or two." He is aware that is the same ..."

Ginobili takes another step toward returning

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March 12

San Antonio Express-News

"The cautious process of getting Spurs guard Manu Ginobili back took another incremental step Wednesday at the team's practice facility. The All-Star guard and reigning NBA Sixth Man Award winner has not played since Feb. 11 because of a stress reaction in his right ankle. On Wednesday, he was allowed to shoot on the move for the first time since his injury was diagnosed. The Spurs even allowed the media to watch as Ginobili took passes from assistant coach Brett Brown and went around the 3-point arc taking, and mostly making, long-distance shots. "This is the first day he's had any movement on the court," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He's been on the court before, stationary, to do ..."

Ginobili to miss 2-3 weeks with leg injury

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February 19

USA Today

"San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili has a stress reaction of his lower right leg, which means a weakening of the fibula bone that can lead to a fracture, and he will be out two to three weeks. Ginobili had been complaining of soreness in his right ankle since a Feb. 2 game at the Golden State Warriors. He had offseason surgery on his left ankle that forced him to miss the first 12 games of the season."

Ginobili out tonight, possibly longer

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February 17

San Antonio Express-News

"Spurs guard Manu Ginobili did not travel with the team to New York for tonight's game against the Knicks, opting instead to remain behind in San Antonio for testing on a sore right ankle that had been bothering him since before the All-Star break. Ginobili will undergo those tests today. If the results are negative and the soreness subsides, it is possible he could rejoin the team in the midst of their three-game road trip, which continues at Detroit on Thursday and Washington on Saturday. The good news for the Spurs, and for Ginobili, is that the soreness is not in the same ankle he had surgically repaired over the offseason."

Mason's three, Ginobili's steal seal rally in Boston

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February 9

San Antonio Express-News

"Gregg Popovich said he didn't see the play that ultimately sealed the Spurs' biggest victory of the season Sunday afternoon. Nor did Tim Duncan or Roger Mason Jr. Nor, really, did Manu Ginobili - and he was the man that made it. In the aftermath of the Spurs' 105-99 sucker punch of the Boston Celtics at TD Banknorth Garden, all anyone seemed to know about the game's most critical moment was this: One second the ball was in Ray Allen's hands. The next moment, it was in Ginobili's. And the defending champions were toast. "I guess when they saw me running with the ball," Ginobili said, "everybody was surprised." Surprised? Allen couldn't have been more surprised than if someone had just told ..."

Ginobili's foul shots flow freely

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February 7

San Antonio Express-News

"The NBA will be missing out on a showcase opportunity if it decides to leave Manu Ginobili out of its new H-O-R-S-E competition at All-Star Weekend later this month. Few players in the world possess the trick-shot arsenal Ginobili often unveils at the end of any given Spurs practice. Underhanded from halfcourt? Sure. Lying on his back out of bounds? Why not? Bounced off his head, soccer style? No problem. But there is one shot in the game Ginobili enjoys more than any other. It comes from 15 feet away, wide open, and by rule can never be blocked. Ginobili loves free throws. And the Spurs love for Ginobili to shoot them. "When he's being aggressive going to the basket, he gets to the ..."

'Legitimately banged-up' Ginobili sits

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February 4

San Antonio Express-News

"Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has not often been accused of coddling his players. Popovich, however, does admit to worrying often about Manu Ginobili's health. "We're not going to go very far without him," Popovich said. "So it's important to protect him to some degree." Popovich was all about protection Tuesday, when he opted to give Ginobili the night off in a 104-96 loss to the Denver Nuggets. Popovich also chose to rest All-Stars Tim Duncan and Tony Parker and veteran Michael Finley, providing them a break after Monday's energy-sapping victory at Golden State went to overtime. Ginobili is the only one of those four Popovich described as "legitimately banged-up." El Contusion, it seems, ..."

Ginobili struggling to gain consistency

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January 28

San Antonio Express-News

"The subject was consistency, so when Manu Ginobili began to speak about his 31 games that preceded Tuesday's game against the Jazz at Energy Solutions Arena, he felt compelled to offer a clarification. "Consistency," he said, "or the lack of?" Case in point: Ginobili's showing against the Lakers on Sunday afternoon - nine points, on 4-for-11 shooting, and a lone assist - stood in stark contrast to his 9-for-15, 27-point production in the Spurs' 112-111 victory over the Lakers just 11 days earlier. After scoring in double figures in nine straight games in late December and early January, during which he averaged 17.0 points, he scored only 17 in the two games that preceded Tuesday's ..."

Ginobili irked about lack of fight

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January 26

San Antonio Express-News

"It wasn't the Spurs' 99-85 loss to the Lakers that had ultra-competitive Manu Ginobili seething as he headed out of the Staples Center on Sunday afternoon. What burned Ginobili was his belief the Spurs stopped competing after the Lakers built a double-digit lead early in the third quarter. "At halftime we were six down," Ginobili said, "and then they had a great start of the third with two threes and went up 12, and then everything was uphill. That's when they made their break." The Spurs have come back from larger deficits this season, and Ginobili was not happy with his team's response. "It's going to happen," he said. "The thing is, we can't allow ourselves to think that just because ..."

Manu holds the answer to 'how'

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January 26

San Antonio Express-News

columnist Buck Harvey

"Manu Ginobili is back, all right. Back to last spring. He walked out of the Staples Center on Sunday with the kind of single-digit game he had a year ago here in the Western Conference finals. But he also wasn't all the way back. This time he didn't have a limp or an excuse. This time he was just another guy caught in the wave of the new-age Showtime. This time he wasn't being asked about his four turnovers, or if he can become what he once was, but about the Lakers. Are they better than any team the Spurs have beaten on their way to championships? Ginobili shrugged nicely. This is what he does when he's asked something he doesn't agree with. Maybe, he said. Make no mistake. The Lakers ..."

Ginobili making every step matter on road to recovery

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January 21

San Antonio Express-News

"There was contact, just like there always is with El Contusión, then a whistle. But Manu Ginobili kept barreling toward the rim, and after he'd seemingly covered the length of an inauguration processional, the ball landed softly in the net. The basket came so long after the foul, hardly anyone in the AT&T Center even cheered. But then an official motioned to the scorer’s table to count the two points, giving Ginobili one of the most generous “and-it-counts” benefits of the doubt in the history of the NBA’s continuation rule. Not that he would admit it later. “I think,” Ginobili said, “I was on my first step.” Turns out, he was doing a lot of that Tuesday night. The Spurs reached the ..."

Ginobili's grimace, ankle grab momentarily alarm Popovich

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December 24

San Antonio Express-News

"Watching Manu Ginobili grimace as he reached down to grab his surgically repaired left ankle in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's game at the AT&T Center gave Spurs coach Gregg Popovich a momentary Beijing flashback. This time, it appears the pain Ginobili felt with just less than five minutes left in the Spurs' 99-93 victory over Minnesota also was momentary. Popovich pulled his star guard at the first opportunity, but when Ginobili got to the bench, he waved off head trainer Will Sevening, insisting he was all right. Ginobili returned to the game with 2:16 left and played until just 15 seconds remained and the Spurs' victory was in hand. Popovich acknowledged fearing the worst. The last ..."

Ginobili golden against Hawks

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December 11

San Antonio Express-News

"Spurs coach Gregg Popovich summoned Manu Ginobili into his office early Wednesday evening, and Ginobili knew what was coming next. Popovich, all powerful in the Spurs' universe, was about to unilaterally decree an end to forever. Five games after Popovich announced Ginobili would be a starter "in perpetuity," the league's reigning Sixth Man of the Year would be headed back to the bench against Atlanta. Ginobili accepted that familiar news with a familiar shrug, and a familiar sound bite. "Whatever is best for the team," he said. "Sometimes I prefer coming off the bench." Returned to his old role, Ginobili also returned to being himself. In his ninth game since returning from ankle ..."

Ginobili finds his legs not quite up to back-to-backs

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December 2

San Antonio Express-News

"Though thrilled to be back in uniform after missing the first 12 games of the season, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili on Saturday re-discovered the rigors of back-to-back games. Ginobili played 21 minutes in Friday's victory over Memphis, making 6 of 10 shots and scoring 14 points. In 22 minutes against the Rockets on Saturday, he found he was a little flat, making only 2 of 6 shots while committing five turnovers. "After being out all those games, I wanted to do too much in small chunks of time," said Ginobili, who had surgery in September to repair an impingement in his left ankle. "I have to learn to be as patient as the first two games. Let the game come to me, and don't force the issue as ..."

Manu comes back to find new blessings

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November 25

San Antonio Express-News

columnist Buck Harvey

"One blessing in disguise is actually not in disguise. Corey Maggette simply wears a Golden State uniform. Just last summer, Maggette was the Spurs' free-agent dream. He could score, and he was athletic, and the Spurs offered him a lot of money. Maggette found more, a $50 million package, with the Warriors. He can still score, and he's still athletic. But Maggette has never been much of a teammate, and he doesn't pass, and he has as many 3-pointers this season (5) as Roger Mason Jr. had Monday night. Had the Spurs gotten their dream last summer, they wouldn't have Mason. There's another blessing in disguise, and Manu Ginobili likes to talk about this one. He argues his chronically sore ..."

Popovich 'not sure' when Ginobili will debut

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November 24

San Antonio Express-News

"Injured Spurs guard Manu Ginobili successfully endured another practice Sunday, hours before the team's charter plane departed for Memphis. Yet he appears no closer to realizing what has become a pipe dream of making his season debut tonight against the Grizzlies. Asked about Ginobili's availability after the workout, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich repeated more or less the same line he'd given two days earlier. "He's getting more and more ready every day," Popovich said. "Exactly when he plays, I'm not sure." Ginobili, who has yet to play this season while recovering from offseason surgery on his left ankle, said earlier this week he would lobby Popovich to let him suit up against Memphis. ..."

Spurs' Ginobili resumes shooting

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October 24

San Antonio Express-News

"Spurs guard Manu Ginobili has added some light shooting to his rehabilitation regimen as he works his way back from offseason ankle surgery. The emphasis is on the word "light." "He's on the court shooting, just stationary shooting," coach Gregg Popovich said. "He's not moving or crossing over or pulling up or anything like that. At this moment, he's not really close to contact or anything like that." The timetable on Ginobili's return remains the same - sometime in December. That's not to say Ginobili can't find a way to wow a crowd now. Amid Thursday's shooting session, Ginobili was walking from one Spurs' practice court to another. When he got to a spot roughly where the P.A. announcer ..."

Ginobili out until December

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September 30

San Antonio Express-News

"In a sense, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili unwittingly spent the last month of his offseason in medical school. The unfortunate topic: How to perform arthroscopic surgery on a left ankle. "(Doctors) taught me how they drill through the different holes (in the bone), how they clean it," he said Monday. "They were showing me all the tendons, all the ligaments, what was going on. It was a learning experience." Given that Ginobili provided the ligaments for the real-life version of this game of "Operation," it was an experience he could have done without. On Sept. 3, Ginobili underwent surgery to repair a ligament impingement in his left ankle, first injured in the NBA playoffs and aggravated in ..."

Ginobili undergoes successful operation

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September 4

San Antonio Express-News

"Spurs star Manu Ginobili had successful surgery on his left ankle and heel Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles. The procedure, conducted by Dr. Richard Ferkel, repaired a posterior impingement that bothered Ginobili during the 2007-08 season, particularly during the Spurs' Western Conference finals series against the Los Angeles Lakers. Ginobili is to return to San Antonio today. He will be in a splint and on crutches for three weeks, after which he will be re-evaluated and begin a rehabilitation regimen. The recovery and rehabilitation process is expected to last two to three months, meaning Ginobili will miss training camp, preseason and the first weeks of the regular season, scheduled to ..."

Surgery costs Ginobili months, not weeks

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August 30

San Antonio Express-News

"Spurs star Manu Ginobili will have surgery next week on his left ankle and heel to repair ligament damage that has hampered his game for many months. Though Ginobili on Thursday told an Argentine newspaper he expected to return to action six to eight weeks after the operation, sources familiar with the procedure say it is much more likely he will be out for two to three months. That makes it unlikely he can be ready for action when the Spurs open the regular season Oct. 29 in a game at the AT&T Center against the Phoenix Suns. Ginobili, the reigning NBA Sixth Man Award winner, is almost certain to miss all of the team's training camp and preseason. Camp begins Oct. 1, with the first ..."

Ginobili to seek treatment in U.S. after Olympics injury

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August 24

Houston Chronicle

"Manu Ginobili did not suit up for Argentina’s bronze-medal game against Lithuania at the Olympics on Sunday and said after the 87-75 victory that he was headed for San Antonio for more tests on the strained ligament in his left foot. It is the same injury that hobbled him at the end of the Spurs’ season. He re-injured it during the first half of Friday’s 101-81 loss to the United States in the semifinals. “It’s a little messed up, but it will be fine,” he said after the game. Ginobili tried several treatments on Saturday — which he called “a very long day” — but nothing worked. “I had some pain in it this morning, and icing it didn’t help,” he said. “I tried to run, but I still ..."

Spurs: Ginobili might still play in Olympics

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July 12

San Antonio Express-News

"appears Manu Ginobili could be leaning toward playing in the Olympic Games after all. After struggling all summer with a jammed left ankle that cast his availability for Argentina's national team in doubt, Ginobili told reporters in his home country he was optimistic he would be able to play next month in Beijing."

Ginobili to carry flag at opening ceremony

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July 2

San Antonio Express-News

"The Spurs' Manu Ginobili has been elected the flagbearer for Argentina at the opening ceremonies at the Olympics next month in Beijing. The country's 19-member Olympic Committee chose Ginobili, whose status for playing in the Games is still in doubt, over four other athletes. The country's only gold medal at the 2004 Olympics came in men's basketball, led by Ginobili."

Pop wants Ginobili to consider missing Olympics

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June 19

San Antonio Express-News

"In less than two months, Argentina's national basketball team will convene in Beijing with hopes of defending the Olympic gold medal it claimed in Athens in 2004. For the first time, there are serious doubts as to whether Manu Ginobili will be healthy enough to play. Acknowledging that the sore ankle that hobbled him during last month's Western Conference finals has not improved in the three weeks since the Spurs' season ended, Ginobili told reporters in Argentina on Wednesday he might be forced to skip the Olympics."

Ginobili might miss Olympics with ankle injury

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June 19

San Antonio Express-News

"Ginobili, who was hobbled by a jammed ankle during the Spurs' playoff ouster against the Lakers in the Western Conference finals last month, has not seen much improvement in the joint since the season ended three weeks ago. For that reason, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Wednesday he hopes Ginobili will give serious thought to sitting out the Summer Games. "My concern is that it's going to get worse," Popovich said. "He's got to seriously consider his health." Speaking to media in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, Ginobili acknowledged the injury was worse than previously believed, casting his ability to play in Beijing in doubt. "I believe this puts in danger my chances at playing in ..."

Spurs players head to summer 'vacation'

June 1

San Antonio Express-News

"Freshly shaven and wearing a ball cap pulled low over his eyes, Manu Ginobili could have passed for 21 years old when he showed up at Spurs headquarters Saturday afternoon. Coming off a Western Conference finals series in which he often looked about 51, this was a good sign for the Spurs' guard. An even better sign will be if he emerges from the offseason looking no older than 31, which will be his birth-certificate age when the team reconvenes for training camp in October. After limping to the season's finish line on a jammed ankle that severely limited his production in the playoffs, Ginobili is set to help Argentina defend its gold medal in this summer's Beijing Olympics."

Spurs: Five Burning Questions

June 1

San Antonio Express-News

"Who is most likely to return? The Spurs, who have five players set to become free agents, have definite interest in re-signing Kurt Thomas, and that interest has only risen since Tiago Splitter's apparent decision to spend the next two seasons in Spain. They will also discuss re-upping with Michael Finley, though this runs counter to their need to get younger on the wing. Robert Horry, despite his protestations to the contrary, will probably wind up retired. Damon Stoudamire isn't expected back. The Spurs probably won't re-sign DerMarr Johnson, either, but it wouldn't be surprising to see them give him a shot in training camp."

Half Manu means no chance: The snapshot

May 30

San Antonio Express-News

columnist Buck Harvey

"Things have to go right. And Ginobili, coming off his best regular season, getting his own MVP mention for the first time, wasn’t right. Some days he said he hurt, and some days he said it didn’t matter. Doctors shrugged, and coaches didn’t dwell on the chronic soreness in his left ankle. But after Thursday, one coach guessed Ginobili had been about half of what he has been in the past. Or, as Brent Barry said, “We had ‘Ma.’ We were missing ‘Nu.’?”"

It'll take Ginobili's best to spur a San Antonio comeback

May 29

Dallas Morning News

columnist David Moore

"Tony Parker has been held to less than 20 points twice in the series. Michael Finley has scored 16 points total, and has failed to score in two games. But the one player who must step up for San Antonio to have a chance is Manu Ginobili. When the Spurs play an elite team hitting on all cylinders ? a description that applies to the Lakers these days ? they don't have enough firepower to win unless Ginobili is at his creative best. Popovich tried to give his player cover Wednesday. "Manu just happens to be the one who hasn't had as many good games in this series," Popovich said. "If it was Tony, you'd say him or if it was Tim [Duncan], you'd say him. "It just happens that Manu ..."

Vujacic has battled Ginobili before

May 27

L.A. Daily News

"Sunday night wasn't the first time Sasha Vujacic has chased Manu Ginobili around a basketball court in a futile attempt to stop him. They first met in Italy, in Vujacic's first season as a pro and Ginobili's last in Europe before leaving for the NBA. Vujacic was a raw teenager playing for Snaidero Udine and Ginobili was a cagey veteran playing for Kinder Bologna. They were strangers in a foreign land. Vujacic hailed from Slovenia; Ginobili from Argentina. "It was my first year. I was 17 or 18," Vujacic recalled Monday morning. "I think it was one of my first games I was able to play for the senior team and I got the opportunity to play (against Ginobili).""

Manu's confidence pushes envelope

May 27

San Antonio Express-News

"The Spurs’ Tony Parker got a kick out of teammate Manu Ginobili’s shot selection in Game.3, pointing out that the NBA’s Sixth Man Award winner was playing with so much confidence, he even dared to shoot some fast-break 3-point attempts. “The favorite Popovich shot,” Parker said with a laugh, referring to coach Gregg Popovich."

Spurs look right at home in Game 3

May 26

Orange County Register

columnist Mark Whicker

"Kobe Bryant is probably the major source of the NBA's self-proclaimed amazement. Game 3 was his turn to be the amazee. "He hit a lot of big shots, he hit one shot that made me laugh," Bryant said. "It was right in Sasha's (Vujacic) face, and it was great defense. He had a phenomenal night. And with a nasty-looking fingernail, too." Yes, Manu Ginobili was where amusing happened, with a defiant 30-point night built on five 3-pointers. "Must have been those Argentina flags that made him feel at home," Bryant said."

Ginobili bounces back at right time for Spurs

May 26

Los Angeles Times

"Left reeling from two frustrating Western Conference finals games, San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili started performing as he had done throughout the regular season by wheeling and dealing. He scored eight points in the second half. Not much of a footnote as the Spurs had already pulled away by then in Sunday's Game 3. It was the first half in which Ginobili, who has taken on a bigger scoring load for the Spurs this season, did his real damage. With one three-point basket after another. Ginobili made five three-pointers en route to 22 points in the first half before finishing with 30 points."

Mess with Manu? Force of nature

May 26

San Antonio Express-News

columnist Buck Harvey

"Chip Engelland rebuilt Tony Parker's shooting stroke, and he's made Fab Oberto and others serviceable. But the Spurs assistant coach should have first looked at Manu Ginobili. The Spurs' staff jokes about Ginobili's form, after all. When he shoots free throws they paraphrase from the movie 'JFK.' Back and to the right. Back and to the right. But Engelland hasn't touched Ginobili because, he said, "Why mess with Manu?" That's the franchise stance. Gregg Popovich lets him loose without much detailed instruction because, well, why mess with Manu?"

Spurs back with a vengeance

May 26

San Antonio Express-News

"Manu Ginobili had his best game of the series, Tim Duncan had a 20-20 night, and the Spurs finally found an offensive efficiency to match their defensive tenacity, waxing the Lakers 103-84 in an all-important Game 3 of the Western Conference finals Sunday night at the AT&T Center."

Fisher, Ginobili deal with injuries

May 25

L.A. Daily News

"One guard needs months of rest and recovery before his ailing foot is sound. The other guard also looks as if he could use a long layoff to rest a bum ankle. Derek Fisher has helped direct the Lakers to a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference finals despite playing with a partially torn tendon in his right foot. Manu Ginobili has struggled because of a sprained left ankle, becoming the poster boy for the San Antonio Spurs' troubles the first two games. Fisher said Saturday he has no intention of sitting out."