Manu Ginobili

[Pentagruel]

Manu Ginobili is an interesting topic of late, for Spurs fans and NBA fans in general. After fighting a number of injuries for about two seasons now it was easy to forget how great a player he really is. But with his recent phenomenal (and consistent) play it hasn’t taken me long to remember.

With Tony Parker out and injured and Tim Duncan becoming less consistent as the season drags on Manu has the opportunity to really run the team by himself and showcase all of his talents on the court, perhaps more so then any other time in his NBA career (as he’s always been overshadowed by Timmy and to a lesser extent Tony Parker). This has me wondering how he would be perceived if he’d been a starter and 38 minutes per game type player for the entirety of his NBA career. Spurs fans can recognize his talent and see what he does for the team because they watch him play on a day to day basis. Many other NBA fans don’t give Manu a great deal of respect, in large part because the numbers don’t back him up due to his 6th man role and less minutes then other Superstars like Kobe, Wade or Roy.

So my question is, how good would Manu be if he’d had more playing time and a bigger role on an NBA team? Would people perceive him to be comparable to Kobe or Wade? Personally I think Manu is better then Wade and its really no contest between a player like Brandon Roy or Joe Johnson. I would only place Kobe above Manu in this generation of SG’s. Have the Spurs to some degree wasted Manu’s incredible talents and will his legacy be underappreciated and underrated once he retires?

[DAF86]

I definitely think that Manu (at his prime) is better than Johnson and Roy, I would have to see him leading a team during a whole NBA season first (something that won't ever happen) to decide if he's better than Wade, right now I don't think he is and he's definitely not better than Kobe.

I think Manu in his prime and as a number one option of an NBA team would have been a perennial all-star and his teams would have been good (not championship contenders but winning teams at least).

[alchemist]

Could Manu play 40mpg+ on an 82 game schedule as the main guy? I just don't see it. I think the minutes he's given maximizes his gifts and talents. If he had played for the NT and 40mpg+ for 82 games he'd be dead by now.

[mingus]

manu has the total package. if he could play 40+ minutes a night and not have to worry about a season-ending inury he'd be a top 5 player in the league, or it would be arguable at least. he doesn't have the ability to play superstar mintues though, so it's stupid to even debate. it's like any other question where you go, "if (insert player name here) had (insert skill here) how good would they be?" well, they don't so does it really matter?

Manu can't play forty minutes a night. it's a high risk situation right now with him playing so many minutes with Parker out.

[Pentagruel]

manu has the total package. if he could play 40+ minutes a night and not have to worry about a season-ending inury he'd be a top 5 player in the league, or it would be arguable at least. he doesn't have the ability to play superstar mintues though, so it's stupid to even debate. it's like any other question where you go, "if (insert player name here) had (insert skill here) how good would they be?" well, they don't so does it really matter?

Manu can't play forty minutes a night. it's a high risk situation right now with him playing so many minutes with Parker out.


Maybe not now but when he was closer to his prime he might have been able to play 40 minutes a night. I certainly think he has the skills to have been a superstar level player some years ago.

[DAF86]

Manu's endurance problems were never an issue untill he got to the NBA, I know that the NBA has a much more pressed and demanding schedulle than any other BB season but I think he could easily play 35 minutes per game (specially during his younger years), and that IMO should be enough minutes for a number one option to make an impact.

Besides, resting is good for a player's health and energy but is also true that a guy's body accomodates to the minutes of demands that is used to get. The more you play the better your endurance gets in the long run.

Endurance can be improved by a 1000 %.

[temujin]

One of the greatest and most fun to watch players to ever play the game.

Who are Roy and Johnson compared to Manu Ginobili?

Just a bunch of nonames piling up stats playing with irrelevant teams that have no business competing and will win zero titles.
Their names will be forgotten well before they retire.

They cannot even kill a bat.

[diego]

minute issue is being overblown. usage is much more important, and manu usually does use a lot of possessions for the time he is on the court.

there are 2 players in the whole league that play 40+. and only another 11 that play 38+.

and I think most players play without worrying about injury, regardless of the minutes they play. IMO Manu could play an extra 4-5 mpg, in fact he often does in the POs and when the team is struggling. But since pop never has done it for an entire season, who knows how his body would hold up?

[TJastal]

Maybe not now but when he was closer to his prime he might have been able to play 40 minutes a night. I certainly think he has the skills to have been a superstar level player some years ago.

Why are we even discussing these 'alternate reality' threads. C'mon get with the times, buddy..

[anakha]

Why are we even discussing these 'alternate reality' threads. C'mon get with the times, buddy..


I think its fair to say that plugging Salmons in for Bogans and Thomas in for Bonner would have vaulted the spurs right up into the top of the league.


Pot, kettle, black.

[8FOR!3]

Fact is, if he was playing in the NBA since he was 18 and had been the #1-2 guy on his team his entire career, the guy would be THE premier player in the NBA. Look at his foreign credentials, Manu is a scary guy.

[Pentagruel]

Why are we even discussing these 'alternate reality' threads. C'mon get with the times, buddy..

Whats wrong with a thread querying if people believe Manu would be recognized as a talent equal to about D. Wade or similar caliber if he had played both more minutes and been the centerpiece of a team? Is this forum not to discuss all aspects of the Spurs?

[kaji157]

Not sure how good, but we all have to agree that by watching what Jefferson does here, and what he has done on bad teams, we could extrapolate how good Manu would have been on a not contending team.
I think a 22 ppg 6 ass 4 ropg player would be quite accurate. Probably even a couple more allstars and all-nba selections.

[Deimosfobos]

Manu is a blast to watch, an example of a person, and a true winner and team player.

We will never know for sure how good he would had been with a team of his own in his prime, but lucky for us, we know how good he was and is for the Spurs.

[Manu-of-steel]

Manu is a blast to watch, an example of a person, and a true winner and team player.

We will never know for sure how good he would had been with a team of his own in his prime, but lucky for us, we know how good he was and is for the Spurs.
Agree!

[MB20]

Manu as a 1st option?
I think he would have been something like Joe Johnson in Atlanta.
But I don´t think he could have played more than 32/33 mpg for 82 games, so his numbers would not be THAT good.

[mingus]

90% of 1st options in the NBA are actually 2nd options on championship teams. Manu belongs in the Joe Johnson category. in order to put him in that type of situation he wouldn't have an opportunity to win a championship, which is all he cares aboout.

[Pentagruel]

I think he is a better player then Joe Johnson personally. Being a clear #1 option but still with a solid team around him I would think he would have been able to win a championship with some luck.

I also think he would have no problem playing 36 minutes per game for 82 games. He didnt really have a reputation for injury earlier in his career.

[Spursox]

Manu can not stay healthy year after year anymore.. He would be more like a Tracy McGrady if he was with another team.

Both are deadly when healthy..

[kuato]

Manu can not stay healthy year after year anymore.. He would be more like a Tracy McGrady if he was with another team.

Both are deadly when healthy.. Too much speculation, Manu is not that inujy prone, the problem was that 2 big injuries came together in a short lapse and one was not related to NBA play.