Just heard manu playing tonight...

[exstatic]

he'll average 10 min for the next two weeks don;t be over protective...

If they were only going to play him ten minutes for the next two weeks, they wouldn't activate him. Ten minutes per half is probably more like it. Playing your way into shape actually involves playing.

[polandprzem]

I would held him longer too

Damn Pop

[exstatic]

huh? Ahearn could prolly beat Duncan at HORSE too, I'm not sure if that child's game is such a good barometer of playing ability...

SFIE has a sense of humor much like the Sahara. You just got caught in a sand storm.

[duncan228]

SFIE has a sense of humor much like the Sahara.

SFIE and Chopper are at the top of the lol-inducing posters list.

[timvp]

Do you start Manu? Usually with ankle and knee injuries, it's best to start the player so that the joint doesn't tighten up while sitting on the bench waiting to get in.

Then again, having him guard Mayo, Conley or Gay right off the bat may be asking for trouble.

[polandprzem]

For how long manu was playing 5-5?

A week time?

and it is still far away from game situations

If he will be back now - I do not get it

[polandprzem]

Well I do get it, but It;s not March or April

[polandprzem]

So I don;'t get it

[tp2021]

Do you start Manu? Usually with ankle and knee injuries, it's best to start the player so that the joint doesn't tighten up while sitting on the bench waiting to get in.

Then again, having him guard Mayo, Conley or Gay right off the bat may be asking for trouble.

We don't need him getting his ankles broke again.

[duncan228]

"and a twirl of cotton candy".

Manu Ginobili Will Play Tonight
by Ryne Nelson

Yes, it’s true–the Spurs are getting their Manu back. The fact that the Spurs were able go 6-6 with only Tim Duncan, George Hill and a twirl of cotton candy speaks volumes about their potential to rebound as the team gets healthy.

Manu had long targeted tonight’s game against the Grizzlies to return from his offseason ankle surgery. He’s been in full-contact scrimmages for the past week. From Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News:

Even Spurs coach Gregg Popovich agrees: Manu Ginobili is ready to play.

The Spurs guard, who missed the team’s first 12 games while recovering from September ankle surgery, will make his season debut tonight at Memphis, Popovich confirmed after this morning’s shootaround.

The southpaw Argentinean must have shown dramatic improvement over the past week. As McDonald writes, Popovich all but denied Ginobili’s request to play as recent as last week.

Manu’s not going to play significant minutes, but if Popovich signs off on letting his star play, all must be safe. And with Tony Parker returning in the first week of December, the Spurs are back in the conversation.

[Killakobe81]

Great news for Spur fans and NBA fans i thought this would be close and it maybe still but my guess is Spurs win by 8 ...

[MoSpur]

I liked the idea of knocking down Avery's #6 jersey off the rafters in that horse game.

[Southwest Texas Fan]

[SanAntonioSpurs23]

I'm glad that manu is going to see some playing time tonight, every minute will help him get back into "game shape"

[ploto]

I hope so much that I am wrong, but I can not shake the feeling that this has disaster written all over it.

[xtremesteven33]

10 minutes a half will do just fine

[Dex]

According to Ginobili, the December prediction was being incredibly cautious. The actual time table he was presented by doctors had him scheduled to come back this week.

Pop wouldn't let Manu play in November if he wasn't ready to do so. We can be about as sure of that as any fans in the league.

[G-Nob]

This is great news. Now we'll start looking like a team again if Tony can heal up and Bruce can get his head out of his ass.

[tp2021]

This is great news. Now we'll start looking like a team again if Tony can heal up and KT, Oberto, and Ime can get their heads out of their asses.

FIFY

[tonylongoriafan]

yup just got a text from ticket 760.....

i got the same text...i hate when they text stupid like when the spurs lose...like i don't ing already know that! seriously? i'm already pissed enough? wtf?

[timvp]

I hope so much that I am wrong

[I. Hustle]

So where's the vbookie action on Manu's numbers for tonight?

[lefty]

I hope they know what they are doing

[FromWayDowntown]

My sense is that Manu isn't going to struggle with stiffness or that his return is going to put him at any greater risk of injuring his ankle than other players who are playing basketball face. The surgery was intended to eliminate a cause of his constant ankle problems and the recovery period was to allow the effects of the surgery to run its course. Pop's own mindset concerning the return of a player from injury seems to encompass the collateral concerns of starting and stopping and trying to get over fears of playing on a surgically-repaired structure. From that, I think the chances are slim that Manu is being rushed back and I think that the chances are small that Manu will face the sorts of concerns that a player with a sprained ankle would face. If anything, Manu's ankle should be about as sound as it's ever been during his tenure with the Spurs.

[exstatic]

My sense is that Manu isn't going to struggle with stiffness or that his return is going to put him at any greater risk of injuring his ankle than other players who are playing basketball face. The surgery was intended to eliminate a cause of his constant ankle problems and the recovery period was to allow the effects of the surgery to run its course. Pop's own mindset concerning the return of a player from injury seems to encompass the collateral concerns of starting and stopping and trying to get over fears of playing on a surgically-repaired structure. From that, I think the chances are slim that Manu is being rushed back and I think that the chances are small that Manu will face the sorts of concerns that a player with a sprained ankle would face. If anything, Manu's ankle should be about as sound as it's ever been during his tenure with the Spurs.

+1 Pop is SUCH a mother hen. If the medical staff cleared him ( a minor hurdle) and Pop cleared him ( a MAJOR hurdle), then he's ready.