Amuseddaysleeper
12-13-2008, 02:44 AM
(The "Greatest Player" part was added in for dramatic flair)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-081213-14
Five questions with Spurs guard Manu Ginobili:
Q: Can you give us a status report on your comeback after eight games?
A: Getting better slowly. I'm trying to get back in rhythm, get my shooting back, slashing, stuff like that. I was a little hesitant at the beginning, but the last few games my ankle has actually responded pretty well.
Q: There's a theory out there that you'll actually benefit at the end of the season because you were forced to sit on the side at the beginning. Is it realistic to expect that you'll be pretty close to 100 percent by the time we get to the playoffs?
A: If I'm not, I better either get another surgeon, another training staff or another body ... one of the three. My expectation is to be 100 percent by the end of the month probably. It's not that I'm hurting or limping or anything like that. I'm just out of shape. I'm not used to being three months away from ball.
Q: Are you willing to admit now that you were hurt more in the series against the Lakers than you ever let on?
A: I didn't want to [make] any excuses. I had to play with what I had.
Q: You guys seem to be attracting even less media attention than usual because of all the pub that the Celtics, Cavs and Lakers are getting. Don't suppose it's reached a point where you guys can get some motivation from that, has it?
A: We're not a team that really relies a lot on what people say or reads a lot or talks about what people say. We really don't care. We know who we are. We know what we've accomplished in the past and what we can still accomplish. We feel good about ourselves with this team.
Q: So you think this team can be as good as any of the recent Spurs teams?
A: I think it is. It probably is a little deeper with the addition of these two guys [guards Roger Mason and rookie George Hill]. We're going to be fine. The thing is that the other teams are getting better, so that's what makes it tough. But I think we have the same possibilities.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-081213-14
Five questions with Spurs guard Manu Ginobili:
Q: Can you give us a status report on your comeback after eight games?
A: Getting better slowly. I'm trying to get back in rhythm, get my shooting back, slashing, stuff like that. I was a little hesitant at the beginning, but the last few games my ankle has actually responded pretty well.
Q: There's a theory out there that you'll actually benefit at the end of the season because you were forced to sit on the side at the beginning. Is it realistic to expect that you'll be pretty close to 100 percent by the time we get to the playoffs?
A: If I'm not, I better either get another surgeon, another training staff or another body ... one of the three. My expectation is to be 100 percent by the end of the month probably. It's not that I'm hurting or limping or anything like that. I'm just out of shape. I'm not used to being three months away from ball.
Q: Are you willing to admit now that you were hurt more in the series against the Lakers than you ever let on?
A: I didn't want to [make] any excuses. I had to play with what I had.
Q: You guys seem to be attracting even less media attention than usual because of all the pub that the Celtics, Cavs and Lakers are getting. Don't suppose it's reached a point where you guys can get some motivation from that, has it?
A: We're not a team that really relies a lot on what people say or reads a lot or talks about what people say. We really don't care. We know who we are. We know what we've accomplished in the past and what we can still accomplish. We feel good about ourselves with this team.
Q: So you think this team can be as good as any of the recent Spurs teams?
A: I think it is. It probably is a little deeper with the addition of these two guys [guards Roger Mason and rookie George Hill]. We're going to be fine. The thing is that the other teams are getting better, so that's what makes it tough. But I think we have the same possibilities.