duncan228
03-25-2009, 11:56 PM
Ginobili returns, reports no ankle problems (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Ginobili_returns_reports_no_ankle_problems.html)
Mike Monroe
ATLANTA — Atlanta resident Kevin Willis, the longtime NBA center who earned a championship ring as a member of the 2002-03 Spurs, popped into the team's locker room after its 102-92 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday to renew acquaintances.
“How's it going, Manu?” Willis asked, as he approached the Spurs guard Manu Ginobili.
“It feels like I'm flying again,” Ginobili replied.
Grounded since Feb. 11 by a stress reaction in his right distal fibula, Ginobili played 14 minutes and two seconds. He made only 1 of 7 shots — a layin off an out-of-bounds play that beat the first-period buzzer — but nothing could dampen his enthusiasm on a night the Spurs scored a meaningful road victory over the Eastern Conference's No. 4 team.
“I was definitely rusty and slow,” Ginobili said, “but no (ankle) problems. Besides, I wasn't expecting to have a great game, either.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gave Ginobili's return a positive review.
“It's a good start, just to get him a couple of minutes,” Popovich said. “He can start to get his timing back. Obviously, he needs time to get back into the flow. It's important to us, because by playoff time he's got to be whole for us to win.”
Ginobili said he understands it is going to take him a while before he is back to being himself.
“It hurts a little,” he said, “because I'm not used to it anymore.
“It's been a while, but I just wanted to play. I insisted. I wanted to get 10 to 15 (minutes). I feel I am good. I just wanted to play. I'm not a player who can take a month off and then come back and is the same as always. I need to come back gradually to feel good. Hopefully, these (12) games are going to be enough.”
Losing argument: Spurs captain Tim Duncan said he lost a relatively brief debate with Popovich about suiting up.
As he had the last time the Spurs had back-to-back games, Popovich insisted Duncan get some rest for knees that have bothered him for weeks.
“We went back and forth,” Duncan said. “For a while there, I thought I was going to play. Then, he came back and said I wasn't. It went back and forth, back and forth.
“I'm just glad it worked out the way it did.”
Hairston assigned: With Ginobili returning to the active list, the Spurs on Wednesday assigned guard Malik Hairston to their Austin Toros franchise of the NBA's D-League.
It is Hairston's second assignment to Austin this season. He appeared in 15 games with the Spurs, where he averaged 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10.3 minutes. He was recalled by the Spurs from Austin on Jan. 31.
Mike Monroe
ATLANTA — Atlanta resident Kevin Willis, the longtime NBA center who earned a championship ring as a member of the 2002-03 Spurs, popped into the team's locker room after its 102-92 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday to renew acquaintances.
“How's it going, Manu?” Willis asked, as he approached the Spurs guard Manu Ginobili.
“It feels like I'm flying again,” Ginobili replied.
Grounded since Feb. 11 by a stress reaction in his right distal fibula, Ginobili played 14 minutes and two seconds. He made only 1 of 7 shots — a layin off an out-of-bounds play that beat the first-period buzzer — but nothing could dampen his enthusiasm on a night the Spurs scored a meaningful road victory over the Eastern Conference's No. 4 team.
“I was definitely rusty and slow,” Ginobili said, “but no (ankle) problems. Besides, I wasn't expecting to have a great game, either.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gave Ginobili's return a positive review.
“It's a good start, just to get him a couple of minutes,” Popovich said. “He can start to get his timing back. Obviously, he needs time to get back into the flow. It's important to us, because by playoff time he's got to be whole for us to win.”
Ginobili said he understands it is going to take him a while before he is back to being himself.
“It hurts a little,” he said, “because I'm not used to it anymore.
“It's been a while, but I just wanted to play. I insisted. I wanted to get 10 to 15 (minutes). I feel I am good. I just wanted to play. I'm not a player who can take a month off and then come back and is the same as always. I need to come back gradually to feel good. Hopefully, these (12) games are going to be enough.”
Losing argument: Spurs captain Tim Duncan said he lost a relatively brief debate with Popovich about suiting up.
As he had the last time the Spurs had back-to-back games, Popovich insisted Duncan get some rest for knees that have bothered him for weeks.
“We went back and forth,” Duncan said. “For a while there, I thought I was going to play. Then, he came back and said I wasn't. It went back and forth, back and forth.
“I'm just glad it worked out the way it did.”
Hairston assigned: With Ginobili returning to the active list, the Spurs on Wednesday assigned guard Malik Hairston to their Austin Toros franchise of the NBA's D-League.
It is Hairston's second assignment to Austin this season. He appeared in 15 games with the Spurs, where he averaged 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10.3 minutes. He was recalled by the Spurs from Austin on Jan. 31.