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im fine with this, i only respect manu for playing for his country.
Mike Monroe: Spurs sure Manu will play Beijing
LAS VEGAS — The official decision won’t come for another day or two, but the Spurs already know that guard Manu Ginobili will be suiting up for the defending Olympic champion Argentine basketball team in Beijing in August.
Spurs president of basketball operations and head coach Gregg Popovich — don’t make the mistake of calling him “Mr. President” if you don’t want to be yelled at — has been in daily cyber-communication with the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man Award winner. The e-mail he got from Ginobili on Wednesday left no doubt Ginobili will be playing in China.
“He played in his first full practice and said he had zero pain in the ankle afterwards,” Popovich said after watching the Spurs’ summer league team defeat the New York Knicks at Cox Pavilion here Wednesday afternoon. “So we know what the final decision is going to be. He’s playing.”
Ginobili’s jammed left ankle hampered him so severely during the Spurs’ playoff run, particularly in the Western Conference finals that Brent Barry, the former Spurs guard who will play next season for the Houston Rockets, quipped that the team had only “Ma” in the series, but not “Nu.”
An MRI test conducted by the Spurs medical staff on June 19, nearly three weeks after the Lakers eliminated the Spurs, revealed significant swelling remained in Ginobili’s left ankle.
After seeing those results, Popovich made it clear he would discourage Ginobili from playing in the Olympics unless the ankle improved significantly before the basketball compe ion in Beijing began.
The Spurs dispatched assistant trainer Chad Bergman to Argentina to supervise Ginobili’s workouts in advance of the Argentine team’s practices. Popovich trusts his ultra-compe ive guard to protect the Spurs’ investment in his talent.
But he also understands how badly Ginobili wants to participate in Argentina’s defense of the gold medal it won in Athens four years ago.
And when the Argentine Olympic Committee announced that Ginobili had been chosen to carry the Argentine flag in the opening ceremonies?
“I knew it was all over,” Popovich said. “I e-mailed Manu something like ‘I’m sure that’s not going to affect your decision at all.’?”
The Spurs’ head coach is encouraged by Ginobili’s e-mailed assurances that the ankle feels strong, but he will be watching Argentina’s games in Beijing holding his breath.
“He said the ankle has felt great in his one-on-one workouts and in his personal training,” Popovich said. “He’s out of shape and says his calves are hurting from all the running he’s been doing, but the important thing is that he says the ankle feels good.”
An Argentine newspaper reports that Ginobili plans to test the ankle in game conditions next week when Argentina plays Spain in what is known in international basketball circles as a “friendly” game that will match the defending Olympic champs against the reigning World champs.
It likely won’t matter if Ginobili intends to limit his playing time in that one. If the game is close, count on his national pride to kick in during crunch time.
New ref bosses? An NBA insider whispered Wednesday that the league soon will announce that former referees Bernie Fryar and Joe Borgia will replace Ronnie Nunn as supervisor of referees.
Nunn has had the job since 2003, when he replaced Ed T. Rush.
He is expected to be reassigned to other duties.
The league is in severe spin control mode about its referees in the wake of the Tim Donaghy gambling mess.
Feel free to consider Nunn a scapegoat for the embarrassment the Donaghy incident has brought David Stern.
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im fine with this, i only respect manu for playing for his country.
good since no spurs are suiting up for the US im rooting for Argentina
I hope he's healthy. Our season rides on his ankle.
Your American and your rooting for Argentina?
I sure hope his ankle is 100%
Yeah mainly cause i'm diehard Spurs fan and i hate the hype of players who have done nothing
Good! praying for Manu's faster recovery to tip-top shape. I do so pray to God that he's fine and that this determination would lead to something really worth it --- gold medal!
Supporting Manu.
Even if Manu was really hurting, he'd still play. He gave Pop some lip service but I highly doubt Ginobili ever considered not playing.
doesn't matter as long as Manu is healthy next April-May-June
too bad that argentina doesn't have the team they used to have
I would do the same if I was manu.
YES! there is a reason to watch the olympics
huh? I think they are just as good or better. but Spain + USA got much toughertoo bad that argentina doesn't have the team they used to have
I would do the same if I was manu.
are you sure Prigioni and Porta = Sanchez and Montechia?
im an american and i will be rooting for Argentina....
Patriotism does not depend on who you root for in the olympics....
some Pics today
No way the US loses. Kobe and Lebron on the same team will kill the rest of the world.
[QUOTE=Cherry;2669644]some Pics today
looks like manu is playing for the rockets summer league team.
MERRIAM-WEBSTER THINKS YOU'RE WRONG
pa·tri·ot·ism
Pronunciation: \ˈpā-trē-ə-ˌti-zəm, chiefly British ˈpa-\
Function: noun
Date: circa 1726
: love for or devotion to one's country
You can root for Argentina all you want, so long as you're not rooting for them against the United States. If you do that, then you are not patriotic. As an American, I will root for the United States. I have a love of and devotion to my country. You think if you rooted for the Russians against the USA hockey team in 1980 you could still be patriotic?
However, as a SPURS FAN, I will root AGAINST Argentina merely because I am selfish. The fewer games Argentina plays, the less likely it is for Manu to get injured. I'm selfish that way.
no
next contract from spurs should put a clause he can not play there only nba
do yourself a favor and don't waste your energy rooting for the USA... cheering for ya'll is almost like how it used ot be cheering for the USSR back in the 80's... don;t tell me you don;t like underdogs? and even more... how sure are you that Melo won;t go crazy and punch a guy and get suspended or a positive doping on Howard? get real...GO GREECE!
F the olympics
it depends on how you define the word "Love"
i dont think "Love" or "Devotion" pertains to basketball teams that you root for. Love and Devotion to ones country would be fighting in war or fighting for the consitution of the US.
it does not pertain to basketball
patriotism Team USA is filled with alot of me-shoot-first-players.
that is why pros should not be allowed to go
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