Manu's new in La Nacion

[yagozev]

Spurs people:

Today the argentinian newspaper La Nacion published an article wrote by Manu. Here's the link:
http://www.lanacion.com.ar/nota.asp?nota_id=1062003

He's working hard in his rehabilitation! :downspin:

[tp2021]

"Me parece bien que se apueste por la continuidad del técnico"
Por Manu Ginóbili
Para LA NACION

Miércoles 22 de octubre de 2008 | Publicado en edición impresa


Estoy para ir a los Juegos Olímpicos de bicicleta fija o de abdominales... La verdad es que esto es muy aburrido. Desde abril, cuando empezó a molestarme el tobillo, que me la paso en los gimnasios haciendo ejercicios recuperatorios. Tratando de elongar y fortalecer la zona afectada. Ya soy un especialista de los trabajos en el gimnasio...

Anduve una semana con dos muletas; después, con una; luego, apoyando el pie despacio, renqueando, haciendo bici, caminando en una cinta dentro de una piscina; después, pesas, trotando y, por suerte, anteayer volví a pisar la cancha otra vez. Caminé, troté y corrí despacio unas 10 veces. De ahí me fui a una especie de montaña artificial construida al lado del centro de entrenamiento para hacer ascenso caminado con una inclinación de 45°. Esos ejercicios los filmé y en unos días subiré el video a mi página de Internet así se puede ver de qué se trata eso.

La montaña es una estructura de metal que parece una rampa alta. En total debo de haber trabajado unas dos horas y media. Los especialistas dicen que todo marcha muy bien, que no hubo problemas ni pasos hacia atrás en la recuperación, pero me recalcan a cada rato que tenga paciencia, que no me apure. ¡Me conocen bien! Saben que soy medio ansioso, aunque esta vez estoy sorprendido de mi serenidad. Nadie puede creerlo.

Siempre pienso que no hay mal que por bien no venga. La operación me obligó a descansar y a hacer un trabajo físico de base que me servirá para estar más fuerte esta temporada.

Algunos me preguntan si voy a sentirme mejor que antes tras esta operación. Según me explicaron los médicos, hay atletas que pueden tener toda su vida un engrosamiento de ligamento como el que tuve yo y no sentir nada. A mí no me limitaba, pero había un movimiento, cuando frenaba bruscamente sobre el pie, que me provocaba un pinchazo muy fuerte. Eso fue lo que me pasó en la semifinal de los Juegos contra Estados Unidos. No pisé a nadie. Fue al caer y frenar sobre ese tobillo.

¿Cuánto me queda para volver a jugar? No lo sé, realmente. Dijeron que eran de 8 a 12 semanas, es decir para mediados de diciembre. ¡Yo espero que no pase de 10!

Respecto de la pretemporada y el plantel, en este momento somos 20 jugadores, pero hay muchos chicos que vienen a probarse; al final, cuando empiece la competencia, sólo puede haber 15. Así que ya se vienen los cortes. Los que supongo van a quedar son Roger Mason, un base, escolta o alero, de 1,96 metro, que viene de Washington, y Anthony Tolliver, una ala-pivote que junto con Matt Bonner van a cubrir el lugar de Robert Horry, que quería seguir un añito más pero no consiguió un equipo que le interesara. El que sí está seguro es Pop (El DT Gregg Popovich); lo digo porque por ahí con el nuevo look no lo conocen. Tiene una larga barba blanca. No hablé del tema con él, pero seguro que no es una promesa.

Hay que hablar de la selección un poco, ¿no? Sigue Sergio (Hernández). Me parece bien que se apueste por la continuidad del técnico; consiguió muy buenos resultados en los últimos tres campeonatos. Era de esperar que después de una medalla olímpica le ofrecieran quedarse. Me alegra por él y espero que sigan los éxitos. Por suerte, ?Oveja? aceptó la continuidad y no caímos en el rollo ése de opinar sobre quién debe ser el DT. Todo se hizo más fácil. Seguramente en este nuevo proceso se empezará a probar jugadores nuevos. Es mucho más fácil adaptar chicos cuando todavía hay jugadores con trayectoria. Así el cambio no es tan brusco. Es lo que se debería hacer.

Otro tema que seguramente les interesará saber es el de la crisis financiera que se vive en Estados Unidos. Un asunto sobre el que todos los que residimos en este país estamos muy atentos y que ya se refleja en lo cotidiano. Por ahí nosotros, los jugadores, no sentimos la crisis porque vivimos en un mundo especial, separado de la realidad. Igual ya se veía que la economía no venía bien, aunque debo aceptar que me sorprendió que la crisis fuera tan profunda. Creo que la NBA la va a sufrir, no tanto en los contratos, la TV y los abonos, porque son cosas que ya estaban pautadas con anterioridad, pero sí en la venta de tickets diarios, en las cervezas, los tacos y las hamburguesas o en la venta de camisetas, que la gente consumía mucho. Si esto sigue así, por ahí se va a notar más en la próxima temporada. Igual hay que ver cómo deriva todo.

Y para cerrar, muchos se asombran porque los medios periodísticos nos dan como candidatos para esta temporada. No es la primera vez; ya ocurrió, incluso, en los años en que fuimos campeones, así que no es algo que preocupe. Los Spurs no viven del qué dirán. No nos influye, así que tenemos las mismas chances de siempre. Nuestro estilo de juego no va a cambiar, seremos viejos cuando perdamos y un equipo con experiencia cuando ganemos. Lo importante es que tenemos una estructura de juego que nos beneficia porque mientras otros buscan su forma de juego, nosotros nos fijamos en los detalles que tenemos que mejorar.

www.manuginobili.com

[Argiebabe]

Ok, I suck @ translating... but I believe this paragraph is the most important part of Manu's article:

"Respecto de la pretemporada y el plantel, en este momento somos 20 jugadores, pero hay muchos chicos que vienen a probarse; al final, cuando empiece la competencia, sólo puede haber 15. Así que ya se vienen los cortes. Los que supongo van a quedar son Roger Mason, un base, escolta o alero, de 1,96 metro, que viene de Washington, y Anthony Tolliver, una ala-pivote que junto con Matt Bonner van a cubrir el lugar de Robert Horry, que quería seguir un añito más pero no consiguió un equipo que le interesara. El que sí está seguro es Pop (El DT Gregg Popovich); lo digo porque por ahí con el nuevo look no lo conocen. Tiene una larga barba blanca. No hablé del tema con él, pero seguro que no es una promesa."

Meaning: "Talking about the season and the team, right now we are 20 players, but there are a lot of kids that came for trials; in the end when the season starts there can only be 15 of us. So, some of them will be dismissed. The ones I suppouse will stay with the team are Roger Mason, a shooting guard, 6 ft 5 in that comes from Washington and Anthony Tolliver a power foward that along with Matt Bonner will cover Horry's position, who by the way intended to play for one more year but couldn't get a team he liked to play for.
The one that will stay for sure is pop, I am telling you this because you may not recognize him with his new look, the long white beard. I haven't spoken about that with him, but it sure ain't a promise or something"

and...

"Y para cerrar, muchos se asombran porque los medios periodísticos nos dan como candidatos para esta temporada. No es la primera vez; ya ocurrió, incluso, en los años en que fuimos campeones, así que no es algo que preocupe. Los Spurs no viven del qué dirán. No nos influye, así que tenemos las mismas chances de siempre. Nuestro estilo de juego no va a cambiar, seremos viejos cuando perdamos y un equipo con experiencia cuando ganemos. Lo importante es que tenemos una estructura de juego que nos beneficia porque mientras otros buscan su forma de juego, nosotros nos fijamos en los detalles que tenemos que mejorar."

"Last but not least, some are surprised because the media says we have our chances to win this season. It ain't the first time, it has happened even on the years we won the championship. The Spurs are not worried about what everyone else has to say. We don't care, so we have the same chances we always did. Our style is not going to change, for them we will be the old guys when we loose and the most experienced team when we win.
The important thing here is that we already have a game structure that is a benefit because while others try to find theirs, we just have to adjust the details we believe are not right"

The rest of the article talks about the financial crisis, the Argie national team and Manu being sick of having to exersice, he is pretty anxious and wants to start playing as soon as possible.

I tried my best with the translation, maybe Uru can provide a better one!

[tp2021]

Thanks, babe.
Argie, that is.




Talking about the season and the team, right now we are 20 players, but there are a lot of kids that came for trials; in the end when the season starts there can only be 15 of us. So, some of them will be dismissed. The ones I suppouse will stay with the team are Roger Mason, a shooting guard, 6 ft 5 in that comes from Washington and Anthony Tolliver a power foward that along with Matt Bonner will cover Horry's position, who by the way intended to play for one more year but couldn't get a team he liked to play for. Hmm...But what about God? :stirpot:

[ElNono]

Translated by yours truly:

I'm ready to go to the sit-ups or stationary bike Olympic Games... The truth is I'm very bored. Since April, when the ankle started to bother me, I've been in the gym doing rehab exercises. Trying to exercise and strengthen the affected area. I'm already a specialist in gym workouts...

I walked a week with two crutches; then with one; then, stepping on the foot slowly, limping, working on the bike, walking on a treadmill inside a pool; the, weightlifting, running slowly, and, luckily, yesterday I stepped on the court again. I walked and ran slowly about 10 times. From there I went to an artificial mountain built right next to the training gym to do walking on a 45 degree angle. I recorded those exercises and I'll upload the video in a few days to my web page so everyone can see what's that about.

The mountain is a metal structure that looks like a tall ramp. I must have worked about two hours and a half. The doctors tell me that everything is going very well, that there were no problems or setbacks in the rehab, but they keep on telling me all the time that I have to be patient, that I should not hurry. They know me well! They know I'm an anxious guy, although this time around I'm actually surprised how calm I am. Nobody can believe it.

I always think that there's a positive to the negative. The surgery made me rest and do a base workout that will be useful to be stronger during the season.

Some people ask me if I'm going to come back even better than before the surgery. According to what the doctors told me, there are athletes that can have the ligament stretched, like I had, all their life and don't feel anything. To me, it didn't really limit me, but there was a movement, when I stopped suddenly with the weight on my feet, that provoked a very strong pinch. That was what happened to me in the semifinal game against the US. I didn't step on anybody. It was when falling down over that ankle.

How long I have left until I can play again? I don't really know. I was told 8 to 12 weeks, basically mid-December. I hope it's no longer than 10 weeks!

With respect to the training camp and the roster, we're 20 players at this time, but there's a bunch of guys that are here trying to earn a spot; at the end, when the season starts, there can only be 15. So the cuts are coming. The players I suppose will stay are Roger Mason, a PG or SG, that's 1,96 meters tall that comes from Washington, and Anthony Tolliver, a SF that along with Bonner are going to play on Robert Horry's position, that wanted to play one more year but could not find a team that he liked. The one that will be there for sure is Pop (Coach Popovich); I'm just saying because with his new look you might not recognize him. He's now sporting a long white beard. I didn't talk to him about it, but I'm pretty sure it's not a lucky charm.

We gotta talk about the national team, right? Sergio (Hernandez) will continue as the coach. I think it's good that they decided on giving the same coach continuity. He achieved good results in the last 3 tournaments. It was expected that he would be offered to stay after obtaining an Olympic medal. I'm happy for him and I hope that the success can continue. Thankfully, 'Oveja' accepted to continue and we didn't fall in that old story of having to opine who should be the coach. Everything got easier. He will probably start checking out new players in this new period as a coach. Es a lot easier to adapt young talent when you still have experienced players. That way, the change is not that abrupt. It's the right thing to do.

Another topic you're probably interested about is the financial crisis currently underway in the US. It's an issue that everyone that resides in the country follows closely and that it's reflected in everyday life. Maybe us, the players, don't feel the crisis because we live in a special world, separated from reality. Nevertheless, you could tell that the economy was not on the right track, although I have to confess that I was surprised that the crisis was so severe. I don't think the NBA is going to suffer much, at least on the contracts, the TV and the season ticket holders, because those are things that were arranged prior to the crisis, but it's probably going to be felt on the single game ticket sales, beer, tacos and burgers or the shirt sales, that people use to consume a lot. If the economy continues as is, maybe it will be felt more in the next season. Anyways, we'll see how things develop.

And to conclude, a lot of people are amazed that a lot of the media are pointing at us as the candidates to win it all this season. It's not the first time; It even happen before in years when we ended up being champions, so it's not something new. The Spurs don't live life based on what the media says. It does not affect us, so we have as good changes as always. Our playing style will not change, we will be older than dirt when we lose and an experienced team when we win. The important thing is that we have a game plan that is beneficial because while other teams are still trying to figure out how they're going to play, we work on the little details that we need to improve on.

[duncan228]

Thanks for the translation.

[m33p0]

No "God" question? phew.

[timvp]

Very nice translation, ElNono. Thanks.

Interesting that Manu sees Tolliver as a lock. Also good to see Manu go out on a limb and predict RMJ to make the team :)

[urunobili]

nice Elnono! whottt will be proud of you! :lol

[amy020]

sounds great. looking forward to the video. get well soon Manu

[MoSpur]

I also see Tolliver as a lock. The guy hustles. He goes after loose balls, dives, and can shoot. He isn't shooting like he did in Summer League, but he has a good J.

[Solid D]

Thanks for the translations Argiebabe and ElNono. One thing I noticed regarding Tolliver is Manu called him a "ala-pivote", which is actually wing-pivot, correct? That's probably a more accurate description of what he is..a combo wing/post player.

[ElNono]

Thanks for the translations Argiebabe and ElNono. One thing I noticed regarding Tolliver is Manu called him a "ala-pivote", which is actually wing-pivot, correct? That's probably a more accurate description of what he is..a combo wing/post player.

Yes, he did call him wing-pivot.

[AnotherArgie]

Thanks for the translations Argiebabe and ElNono. One thing I noticed regarding Tolliver is Manu called him a "ala-pivote", which is actually wing-pivot, correct? That's probably a more accurate description of what he is..a combo wing/post player.

Ala-pivot is how we call the 4 position, your power-forward, no matter if it's a real wing-pivot or some 4/5 like Duncan.

We use:

PG=Base
SG=Escolta or ayuda-base (escort or base-helper) :lol
SF=Alero (wing)
PF=Ala-pivot (wing-pivot)
C=Pivot

[tp2021]

Ala-pivot is how we call the 4 position, your power-forward, no matter if it's a real wing-pivot or some 4/5 like Duncan.

We use:

PG=Base
SG=Escolta or ayuda-base (escort or base-helper) :lol
SF=Alero (wing)
PF=Ala-pivot (wing-pivot)
C=Pivot

Cool. I Might use this now.

[Solid D]

Ala-pivot is how we call the 4 position, your power-forward, no matter if it's a real wing-pivot or some 4/5 like Duncan.

We use:

PG=Base
SG=Escolta or ayuda-base (escort or base-helper) :lol
SF=Alero (wing)
PF=Ala-pivot (wing-pivot)
C=Pivot

Thanks for the clarification.