Spurs notebook: Ginobili's left index finger 'in bad shape'

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Spurs notebook: Ginobili's left index finger 'in bad shape'

Web Posted: 12/23/2007 12:41 AM CST

Mike Monroe
Express-News

The frivolity of a victory over the Los Angeles Clippers and the retirement of Avery Johnson's No. 6 was dulled for the Spurs on Saturday when shooting guard Manu Ginobili suffered a recurrence of the sprained left index finger that has bothered him for nearly three weeks.
Ginobili re-injured the digit when he swiped at the ball as Clippers point guard Brevin Knight drove to the basket with 4:27 remaining in the second quarter.

Ginobili left the court and was examined by team medical personnel, who diagnosed the injury as another sprain. X-rays taken at the arena were negative, but Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Ginobili's finger was "in bad shape."

"It's like having a sprained thumb," Popovich said. "You keep hitting it and hitting it, and it never gets healed. He's having a hard time grasping the ball, holding the ball, shooting the ball, that sort of thing.

"We were hoping that he was turning the corner. He was playing through it, and he really got whacked hard tonight. So now he's back to square one, and we'll just wait and see how he feels."

Ginobili has not missed any games since first suffering the injury.

Rare miss: Spurs guard Brent Barry missed his first free throw of the season, after 14-straight makes, with 4:09 remaining in the first period.

Barry has not attempted enough free throws to qualify among the league leaders.

Not yet: Spurs backup center Francisco Elson said before tipoff he thought he would suit up against the Clippers, but he sat out his third-straight game. Elson said he practiced without incident on Friday but acknowledged his sprained left midfoot remained sore.

Buzzard luck: No team has been hit with more injuries than the Clippers. Already missing All-Star power forward Elton Brand (torn Achilles tendon) and point guard Shaun Livingston (knee surgery), both out for the season, the Clippers began Saturday's game without forward Paul Davis, who recently suffered a torn ligament in his right knee, and small forward Corey Maggette, whose right knee was too sore to allow him to suit up. They lost forward Tim Thomas to a sprained right knee with 6:38 remaining in the first quarter. Thomas appeared to step on a teammate's foot as he positioned for a rebound.

[porscha]

[url] Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Ginobili's finger was "in bad shape."

"It's like having a sprained thumb," Popovich said. "You keep hitting it and hitting it, and it never gets healed. He's having a hard time grasping the ball, holding the ball, shooting the ball, that sort of thing.

"We were hoping that he was turning the corner. He was playing through it, and he really got whacked hard tonight. So now he's back to square one, and we'll just wait and see how he feels."

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don't know why pop kept let manu 'hitting it and hitting it' and not making him sat out the game tonight
:madrun :madrun

[ArgSpursFan.]

don't know why pop kept let manu 'hitting it and hitting it' and not making him sat out the game tonight
:madrun :madrun

If Ducan first and TP after weren't injuried He probably would've taken some time off to rest it.
But now it's time for Manu to rest for a least 1 week.

[Fabbs]

don't know why pop kept let manu 'hitting it and hitting it' and not making him sat out the game tonight
:madrun :madrun
macho-stupid.
At least this time Manu will get proper rest.

[SAGambler]

He's having a hard time grasping the ball, holding the ball, shooting the ball, that sort of thing.

Thus the games that were "un-Manu" like games.

Hopefully he will sit at least until after the first of the year and give that thing time to heal.

As long and Tim and Tony are healthy, I see no problem winning the next few games with Manu resting. And the sivler lining is that Ime will get a lot more minutes to "learn" the system. He looked good last night. Hopefully he will come along so that should Manu or Bruce go down, we can have a competent back up.

[peskypesky]

Anyone know if the finger was taped during the game? Should have been...

[greens]

don't know why pop kept let manu 'hitting it and hitting it' and not making him sat out the game tonight
:madrun :madrun


I definitely agree that he should have sat out the Clippers game...Both Tony and Tim were playing, so Manu could have easily sat out...However, all the prior games, it sounds like Manu insisted on playing even through the pain...that's the competitor nature in him that we all know and love... So I wouldn't blame Pop too much though for letting him play the prior games...However, Pop also recently admitted that he should have sat out Tony way earlier than he did since his ankles got worse...and now with Manu it seems to be similar(the finger getting worse)...so perhaps Pop does need to pay closer attention before injuries catch up...Even if the players insist on playing...like Manu did and Tony too most likely...

in the below old articles, it seems that Manu "hounded" Pop to play...


Popovich said he rarely relents on such decisions, but he did allow Manu Ginobili to play against Dallas and Utah despite a swollen left (shooting) hand.

“If a player hounds me, I tend to go his way,” Popovich said. “But I need to be hounded first. That really tells me that person is really ready to play and not happy with my decision to not have him play. Manu did that, with his hand.


source:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA121207_SpursNotes.en.9220b0c.html


and another old article:

Manu Ginobili's availability was considered a game-time decision for the Spurs tonight against Dallas. That decision has come down.

Ginobili is in.

The Spurs' super sub had been nursing a sore left index finger that kept him out of Tuesday's practice, but he will play tonight. His team can certainly use him, with Tim Duncan already poised to sit with a sprained ankle.

"He was very adamant," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Ginobili. "When a player is that adamant, he's probably ready to go."

At least Ginobili is being smart with his injury. When he was using his Blackberry to send a text message from the locker room before the game, he let his right index finger do the talking.

source:
http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/archives/2007/12/jeff_mcdonald_g_4.html