Silver Lining of Manu's Injury

[timvp]

We were all hoping that the Clippers would somehow manage to lose to a tanking Grizzlies club so that the Spurs could take on the Hornets. But now following Manu's elbow injury, the matchup may actually work in San Antonio's favor.

Against New Orleans, the Spurs would have needed Manu to carry the load. The Hornets are a good defensive team, however their main flaw on that end is the lack of a quality defender at the shooting guard position. The Spurs gameplan would have been to get the ball to Manu and let him tear apart the Hornets via pick-and-roll sets and isolation plays. As we saw in 2008, Manu led the way offensively even though he was playing on one leg.

A Manu-centric offensive gameplan against the Grizzlies was never going to work -- no matter the health of Ginobili's elbow. Tony Allen has been the best defender in basketball over the last few months and Memphis will [Note: The usage of the future tense was accompanied by a knock on wood as we await the MRI results] undoubtedly sic him on Manu for as many of the 48 minutes as possible. Sam Young, their other starting swingman, has capably defended Manu at times. Off the bench, Shane Battier is another elite perimeter defender.

Depending too much on Manu would have been a mistake -- so if you are a glass-half-full type of person, that is the silver lining you can point to without totally lying to yourself. Add that to the fact that the Spurs don't play a road game in this series for ten days and you might be able to go rest your head on a pillow for a few hours until we all click refresh a million times tomorrow awaiting The Results.

Silver Lining Runner-up: Shooting guard is the team's deepest position. Hill and Neal combined should allow Manu enough slack to work his way back to 100%. Especially at home in the first two games, it's plausible to get somewhat comparable production in the short term.

Silver Lining Second Runner-up: Hold a gun to my head and tell me to pick a Big 3 appendage to hyperextend and Manu's right arm would be atop that list. Considering how he rarely uses it for anything that requires finesse, he'll still be a big help even if it takes a week or two for his right arm to totally heal.







P.S.

If Manu's injury ends up being serious, you have my permission to jump off the Tower of the Americas.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

As long as Manu's ready soon enough for the 3rd or 4th game against Memphis, I don't think the Spurs would suffer too much. Hill and Neal are good enough to fill the void. It'd also give him a couple of games to shake off the rust before the ( eventual ) 2nd round series where his presence would be essential.

[toki9]

Bring Manu off the bench for the first few games of his return...

[temujin]

Little pause.
Finally, finally, the fun starts, I think.
Connect to ST.
Read this.
81 irrelevant games.
On the 82nd, this happens.
Why on earth he was even on the floor, it's beyond me.

Memphis is a tough team.
It will be dogfight.
You don't want to get into a dogfight without your fearless warrior.

[Man In Black]

The right hand is huge for when Manu goes, "El Latigo." He can't do the move without it.
rtJXEJ8pfyM

[Man In Black]

Little pause.
Finally, finally, the fun starts, I think.
Connect to ST.
Read this.
81 irrelevant games.
On the 82nd, this happens.
Why on earth he was even on the floor, it's beyond me.

Memphis is a tough team.
It will be dogfight.
You don't want to get into a dogfight without your fearless warrior.

He was on the floor because the Spurs were set for kill mode to take down PHX and have a shot a #1 overall. HAD he not been hurt, then mostly everyone, including you probably, would have said that him resting last night and playing against PHX was a good move.

[temujin]

He was on the floor because the Spurs were set for kill mode to take down PHX and have a shot a #1 overall. HAD he not been hurt, then mostly everyone, including you probably, would have said that him resting last night and playing against PHX was a good move.

Not at all.
#1 overall is irrelevant and, in fact, it would have been MUCH better to be #2 in the West right now, for that matter.
If it was for me, the three would have played 1 or max 2 games per week over the last 40 days.

[Bruno]

No Manu will allow Grizzlies to cross match-ups and put Allen on Parker while Conley will defend on Neal/Hill. That would be huge for them.

[4>0rings]

After your Bonner take... no.

[kuato]

This is an opportunity for the bench and for Pop to spice up the rotation players

[chazley]

Uhhh Timvp I think you're way off here... All that would mean is Tony Allen shuts down Parker and our offense would all of a sudden become a massive dosage of Duncan with Hill/Neal/RJ/Tony becoming secondary options. I'm not sure Duncan can handle that kind of load.

This team has to have 3 viable #1 options at all times with secondary options not involving any of our big 3. We don't have any superstars on the level of Kobe/Lebron/Dwight.

We have to have Manu Ginobili.

[chazley]

Bring Manu off the bench for the first few games of his return...

Leave please.

[greyforest]

Although the original post is all cheerful and optimistic, I instead just welcome the thought of sacking up. If the Spurs can't beat the fucking Grizzlies in a 7 game HCA series without Ginobili then they don't have any chance at a ring.

[rascal]

There is no silver lining to any injuries.

[rmt]

So it'll be TP that Tony Allen shuts down. I agree that of the big 3 (because of Hill and Neal), Manu is the most expendable. Hopefully Hill and Neal will be enough since the first 2 games are at home. That gives Manu 1 1/2 weeks before game 3. It's going to get ugly offensively as Manu is the glue that holds the 2nd unit together.

The big 3 shouldn't have been on the floor. What for? A chance to flip a coin if both SA and CHI happen to make it to the Finals. Another of Pop's costly mistakes.

[Capt Bringdown]

Where's the silver lining again?
Those elite perimeter defenders you mentioned aren't going to be taking the night off because Manu isn't there.

[TMTTRIO]

The way the injury looked and knowing that Manu's usually a slow healer it'll be a while before we see him if not in the next round (if we make it). I agree that Hill, Neal, RJ, and Anderson can do a good job of replacing Manu and get past the Grizzlies in the first round without Manu.

[mexicanjunior]

There is no silver lining to any injuries.

Yep...

[Brazil]

No Manu will allow Grizzlies to cross match-ups and put Allen on Parker while Conley will defend on Neal/Hill. That would be huge for them.

The thing is Allen is a tough defender but he is not quick enough to D correctly TP. On the other hand I do like Conley defending Hill, Hill would be confortable with Conley on his back.

[Silver&Black]

WTF Silver Lining??? :bang:pctoss

[NRHector]

There's no Silver Lining when any of the Big 3 gets hurt, when Timmy got hurt some people were expecting for Tiago to take his place and we all saw what happened, Bonner played major min.

[hater]

LOL at the title of this thread

[DPG21920]

Is this trolling or is this just the newest member of the burn the tape crew?

[hater]

Silver Lining Second Runner-up: Hold a gun to my head and tell me to pick a Big 3 appendage to hyperextend and Manu's right arm would be atop that list. Considering how he rarely uses it for anything that requires finesse, he'll still be a big help even if it takes a week or two for his right arm to totally heal.

R u kidding me? Manu doesn't use his right arm to push off on the defender EVERY time he goes to the basket???

:lmao

Manu without his right arm would get schooled at the YMCA. His right arm and having enough strength on it to push off the defender everytime is a must.

[Giuseppe]

:reading :lmao

[peacemaker885]

Right on Timvp! Great to have a positive take on this. Nothing we can do but to think positive. If you think negatively, then you have already lost even before it even started. This is exactly what the enemy wants. GO Spurs GO!

[George Gervin's Afro]

I like the way the first round schedule has played out. Of course if he is out for the playoffs then the scheduling won't matter.

[Das Texan]

Guess its time to take the training wheels off #21 for the season.

[peacemaker885]

Remember that we beat the mighty Dallas team last year with Tony not 100%. I know Tony isn't Manu...but Marc Gasol isn't Dirk either.

[Mugen]

There is no silver lining to any injury to any of the Big 3. Maybe if it was Bonner, but not Manu.

Lingering injuries have been problematic for this team the last years in the playoffs and it would have been nice just for once to go into them completely healthy.

With all this talk from Pop about being healthy for the playoffs as the most important thing, he really screwed our chances with his stupid decision to play them, especially if it ends up being serious.

[yaicu2]

Although the original post is all cheerful and optimistic, I instead just welcome the thought of sacking up. If the Spurs can't beat the fucking Grizzlies in a 7 game HCA series without Ginobili then they don't have any chance at a ring.

:ihit:ihit

I completely agree. Manu is a big part of the game, but wouldn't mind him resting and getting healthy for 2nd round.

[wunderkindepiphany]

The man's nose was completely displaced, last playoffs, and he just shrugged it off and came back for seconds. Manu's latino, baby, he thrives off of pain and adversity. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but its gonna take a lot to keep Manu out of the playoffs. Its in our creator's hands now.

[DesignatedT]

It's been like 4 years since Manu has been healthy through a playoff run.

[Rummpd]

There is no silver lining as spurs lose their mvp potentially in a game pop did not want to win anyway and then also grizz tanked like the pussies they are to avoid lal.

Moreover spurs in big trouble with bonner and blair as the second big rotation despite pop.

[timvp]

1. The knowledge of the definition of "silver lining" is severely lacking in this thread. Obviously Manu getting hurt is a horrible thing. We know this. But everything in life has a silver lining. If timvp dropped dead tomorrow, I'm sure a silver lining or two could be found.

2. Tony Allen on Tony Parker isn't too worrisome. If Allen has a defensive weakness, it's against speed (especially since he tore up his knee). His main strengths are to bully wings and play the passing lanes. Those strength are minimized versus TP. And by putting a point guard on a shooter (for example, Conley on Neal), that will allow for cleaner looks off of penetration.

[Bill_Brasky]

:reading :lmao

My thoughts exactly.

It's the fuckin grizzlies. People need to stop freaking out and just wait on the MRI results. Then we can go from there.

[Man In Black]

There is no silver lining to any injury to any of the Big 3. Maybe if it was Bonner, but not Manu.

Lingering injuries have been problematic for this team the last years in the playoffs and it would have been nice just for once to go into them completely healthy.

With all this talk from Pop about being healthy for the playoffs as the most important thing, he really screwed our chances with his stupid decision to play them, especially if it ends up being serious.


C'mon RPD. If Manu scored 25 and was resting by the 3rd qtr..admit it, you'd have been elated. The
Problem with all the what if statements make it seem as if Pop's omniscient. He isn't and the truth is No one is.

[TVI]

No Manu will allow Grizzlies to cross match-ups and put Allen on Parker while Conley will defend on Neal/Hill. That would be huge for them.

I don't think so. Parker's too fast for Allen. Allen has the wingspan to guard the 2 or 3 spots (MEM put him on Durant IIRC), but I really don't think he can stay in front of Parker.

[Cane]

Yea the silver lining is that Manu will at least be able to rest any other nagging injuries he's got....

But when it comes to the Grizz I don't see how that team is going to be a tougher out than last year's Mavs who had a much better player in Dirk. And the Spurs had poor floor spacing/3 point shooting and an almost empty jersey in Richard Jefferson - they were the first team to win a playoffs game without making a single 3 pointer in several years.The Grizzlies lack the floor spacing, scorers, and playmakers to be considered a legit playoffs threat.



Fans underestimate just how different a team the Spurs are in the playoffs imo, at least for the first round anyway. They always amp up their play, especially Duncan whose been playing great since his injury. The Grizz just don't have the offense to compete. However they do have 2 good/great defenders in Tony Allen and Battier but imo Conley's defense is whats going to be even more important since he'll likely be matched up against Parker.

[Dex]

Nothing that we don't really know here. Just news off the RotoWire:


Manu Ginobili: (Elbow) MRI Lined Up - 4/14/2011 6:33:24 AM

Update:
Ginobili suffered a hyperextended right elbow during the first quarter of Wednesday's regular season finale, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

Recommendation:
Ginobili will undergo an MRI on his elbow on Thursday, though x-rays were negative. This should not be considered a serious injury, but Manu could miss the beginning of the team's opening round series against Memphis.


http://www.rotowire.com/Emmanuel-Ginobili-googid144457-spnba.htm

[Mugen]

C'mon RPD. If Manu scored 25 and was resting by the 3rd qtr..admit it, you'd have been elated. The
Problem with all the what if statements make it seem as if Pop's omniscient. He isn't and the truth is No one is.

That would have been great, but again pretty unlikely. I just thought the risk far outweighed the reward in playing them in that game.

I thought it was dumb move by Pop to play them before the game and that ended up being confirmed as soon as Manu went down.

I just don't get why you spend the whole season micromanaging minutes and talking about health as the most important thing in the playoffs only to risk it all in a relatively meaningless game.

[Man In Black]

The issue here is that what you think is meaningless is based on the reaction after the fact. It's not meaningless to go for the overall #1.

Again, none of the what if people would be saying shit had Manu had a rythym game and the Spurs won easily.

None of us are omniscient or all-knowing like GOD.

[Cry Havoc]

Allen won't be able to stay with Tony. That's a mismatch, despite how well Allen defends.

[Mugen]

The issue here is that what you think is meaningless is based on the reaction after the fact. It's not meaningless to go for the overall #1.

Again, none of the what if people would be saying shit had Manu had a rythym game and the Spurs won easily.

None of us are omniscient or all-knowing like GOD.

I'm not really sure why you think that I came to these conclusions after the fact. Before the game, I thought Pop should rest them because to me it was pretty much a meaningless game. For this game to have had meaning, all of the following would have had to happen:

-Spurs beat a Suns team on their home floor
-Spurs win a coin toss with the Bulls
-Spurs and Bulls both advance to the NBA Finals when neither team is really considered a favorite to do so.
-Everybody comes out healthy and they look sharp from the opening tip of Game 1

I thought all of those things happening were pretty much a longshot so i considered it a toss-away game and thought Pop should just err on the side of caution as he had done all season long. Obviously, you thought otherwise which is understandable. Hence the term "relatively".

I agree that there's no sense in arguing about it now since it's done and just gotta hope that Manu will be okay.

[angelbelow]

1. The knowledge of the definition of "silver lining" is severely lacking in this thread. Obviously Manu getting hurt is a horrible thing. We know this. But everything in life has a silver lining. If timvp dropped dead tomorrow, I'm sure a silver lining or two could be found.

2. Tony Allen on Tony Parker isn't too worrisome. If Allen has a defensive weakness, it's against speed (especially since he tore up his knee). His main strengths are to bully wings and play the passing lanes. Those strength are minimized versus TP. And by putting a point guard on a shooter (for example, Conley on Neal), that will allow for cleaner looks off of penetration.

Good points. He really becomes ineffective vs smaller/faster players as well as the bigger and stronger ones.

[phxspurfan]

The man's nose was completely displaced, last playoffs, and he just shrugged it off and came back for seconds.

Actually IIRC Manu was never completely the same after Dirk did that to him. And we lost in embarassing fashion to the Suns thereafter.

[Bruno]

The thing is Allen is a tough defender but he is not quick enough to D correctly TP. On the other hand I do like Conley defending Hill, Hill would be confortable with Conley on his back.

Allen will compensate a part of his lack of quickness by his length. Allen surely match up better with Manu but if Manu is out, Allen can certainly do a better job on Parker Than Conley. If Neal or Hill takes fire, you can always put back Ginobili on him.

[timvp]

Allen will compensate a part of his lack of quickness by his length. Allen surely match up better with Manu but if Manu is out, Allen can certainly do a better job on Parker Than Conley.

Allen is 6-foot-4. TP is susceptible to length ... but I wouldn't call Allen "long".

And when TP was going for 37 and 9 against Memphis earlier this year, I didn't see Allen switch off onto TP. I didn't see it either in the other game where Manu got hurt and was out for most of the second half.

That could obviously change with Memphis having more time to prepare for the Spurs but, if I had to guess, Memphis will hesitate to put Allen on TP. They'll want him causing havoc off the ball instead of trying to stay in front of TP, IMO.

[jjktkk]

There is no silver lining to any injury to any of the Big 3. Maybe if it was Bonner, but not Manu.

Lingering injuries have been problematic for this team the last years in the playoffs and it would have been nice just for once to go into them completely healthy.

With all this talk from Pop about being healthy for the playoffs as the most important thing, he really screwed our chances with his stupid decision to play them, especially if it ends up being serious.

A fluke injury and the Pop's an idiot chants begin, you armchair NBA coaches are brilliant. :toast

[Manufan909]

There's no Silver Lining when any of the Big 3 gets hurt, when Timmy got hurt some people were expecting for Tiago to take his place and we all saw what happened, Bonner played major min.

Tiago started 4 straight games, wtf are you smoking?:ihit

[Bruno]

Allen is 6-foot-4. TP is susceptible to length ... but I wouldn't call Allen "long".

And when TP was going for 37 and 9 against Memphis earlier this year, I didn't see Allen switch off onto TP. I didn't see it either in the other game where Manu got hurt and was out for most of the second half.

That could obviously change with Memphis having more time to prepare for the Spurs but, if I had to guess, Memphis will hesitate to put Allen on TP. They'll want him causing havoc off the ball instead of trying to stay in front of TP, IMO.

Allen is 6'4" but he also has a 6'9" wingspan.

Putting biggest players on Parker when the opposite PG couldn't defend him has been sometimes used against Parker with mostly good results. I do agree with you that they will try at first Conley on Parker but if it doesn't work, they should go with Allen on him.

Hopefully, Manu will be able to play Sunday and all this will be moot.

[Mugen]

A fluke injury and the Pop's an idiot chants begin, you armchair NBA coaches are brilliant. :toast

In my defense, I was chanting Pop's an idiot way before the fluke injury. :toast

[jjktkk]

In my defense, I was chanting Pop's an idiot way before the fluke injury. :toast

Which should cement your legacy on here tbh. :toast

[temujin]

The issue here is that what you think is meaningless is based on the reaction after the fact. It's not meaningless to go for the overall #1.

Again, none of the what if people would be saying shit had Manu had a rythym game and the Spurs won easily.

None of us are omniscient or all-knowing like GOD.

The issue is that four players did not play against the lakers.
For a cause.
Then they played againt a lottery team.
For no cause.

The Gods of baketball don't like stupidity.

[Mugen]

Which should cement your legacy on here tbh. :toast

Thank God. :flag:

[DAF86]

Silver Lining of Manu's Injury? He may have to wear one of those badass elbow pads.