The Signs Point to Manu Going Off

[urunobili]

lol a shooting slump during the regular season can only mean one thing... Im surprised with timvp's lack of faith that he can all of a sudden turn it on...

and BTW what happened last time Ruff started bashing Manu and going all out saying he was done

[kace]

Oh, and I know for a fact that Manu and Tony are really good friends off the court, including going to music concerts together. The silly idea they're not comes from manufan conspiracy theorists that claimed TP didn't pass Manu the ball more...

Awful synergy, for sure:

“Playing with Manu, it’s like playing with my brother.”
—Teammate Tony Parker

click here to see the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi0WlshTBnc

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

lol a shooting slump during the regular season can only mean one thinks... Im surprised with timvp's lack of faith that he can all of a sudden turn it on...

and BTW what happened last time Ruff started bashing Manu and going all out saying he was done

That's not fair. I never "bashed" him at all, I love him. And what I actually said back in late November about 5 games into his recovery was that we'd know whether he got his game back by early January, but the early returns looked like he'd lost half a step and some explosion. And he has! But he did get his game back, to some extent at least, and no-one is happier to see that than me.

Don't paint me as a Manu hater, dude, that's not fair... and I HATE being misquoted.

[urunobili]

lol Ruff... last time you went ape on him he dropped 36 on the Raptors... then you cooled down... Im glad u came back with this ... it's a good sign

[anonoftheinternets]

Not trying to be negative, but he HAS lost half a step (no maybe about it), and the reason he's shooting so poorly, both at the rim and jumpers, is that his legs have clearly lost a good deal of their explosion.

Point is ... is it lack of conditioning (coz of not playing all summer and taking it easy, and getting directly into game shape. Also not getting as much touches thru this season (more offense, trying more assists, keeping himself healthy).

ORRRR... something more permanent. And noone knows the answer to this. But we will find out in this second half / PO.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Point is ... is it lack of conditioning (coz of not playing all summer and taking it easy, and getting directly into game shape. Also not getting as much touches thru this season (more offense, trying more assists, keeping himself healthy).

ORRRR... something more permanent. And noone knows the answer to this. But we will find out in this second half / PO.

I disagree. At this point it has nothing to do with conditioning - he's played over 20 games since his injury. That's why I said back in Novemeber that we'd see in January whether he has lost a step or not. Sadly, he's lost his explosion and half a step and that's why he's finding it far more difficult to break down his man than he used to.

I wish he could return to his explosive self, but at this stage that's all it is, wishful thinking.

On the flipside, he's so smart that he's compensating for his lack of explosion with fantastic passing and steal-gambling, timely blocks and rebounds, and the odd 3 (a part of his game he really should concentrate on now given his declining body). Like all true champions, he's finding a way to be effective... the way he is re-tooling his game is even a little MJ-post-baseball-esque.

[emanueldavidginobili]

Manu scoring hasn't been that good but he's doing everrrything else he's racking up assist night out getting his hustle steals and he's grabbing boards he still finds a way to contribute dispite his shooting slumps

[NRHector]

Manu scoring hasn't been that good but he's doing everrrything else he's racking up assist night out getting his hustle steals and he's grabbing boards he still finds a way to contribute dispite his shooting slumps

[Chico]

Well thought out...looking forward to Sunday's game.

[EricB]

Shooting slump I think he's in.

But last night was evident, he can't get by defenders so he's gonna just have to get more crafty with his shots and drives.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Shooting slump I think he's in.

But last night was evident, he can't get by defenders so he's gonna just have to get more crafty with his shots and drives.

Thank you for that, Yoda.

[JustinJDW]

I just want Manu to slow down on the jumpshots. He takes a bit too much and forces them up a lot of the time. It gets real annoying. He doesn't have to take 15 shots a game to contribute, and 5-7 of those shots don't have to be 3-pointers.

I hope he knows that. I always cringe when he just jacks a 3-pointer, even when he does make it.

[Sean Cagney]

Manu has blown more then just one series, remember 04 when he had defending Derek Fisher and then Derek Fisher scored over Manu in 0.4 Seconds how about 06 when he made the worse foul of his life sending Dirk to the line to go to over time and losing the series, those are two le opportunities!!

Fisher threw up a prayer and it went it, who could block that there? It was a lucky shot.


The Dirk foul, well if they handled their business instead of getting down 20 it would not come down to that. Oh yeah Manu was a big part of the reason we got back in it and went up three late, remember his three? I bet you don't do you?

LOL at Manu costing us two les, the Spurs blew a 2-0 lead against LA and it never should have went to that at home (Going down BIG again in a must win game). The Spurs blew those series, not MANU alone or one play a the end.

People keep forgetting that in 2006 The Spurs missed a shot at the end of regulation. And that foul tied the game, the Spurs lost in Overtime, they had their chances.

Also, Manu was part of the big 20 point comeback, everyone keeps forgetting this!

Not me! Read above.

[DynastySpurs210]

Fisher threw up a prayer and it went it, who could block that there? It was a lucky shot.


The Dirk foul, well if they handled their business instead of getting down 20 it would not come down to that. Oh yeah Manu was a big part of the reason we got back in it and went up three late, remember his three? I bet you don't do you?

LOL at Manu costing us two les, the Spurs blew a 2-0 lead against LA and it never should have went to that at home (Going down BIG again in a must win game). The Spurs blew those series, not MANU alone or one play a the end.

Not me! Read above.

Chill Down Mr #1 Fan, i simply said he made us lose those two series, i didnt say any other games after that

[DynastySpurs210]

ing re troll. Manu was all over Fisher on that shot; sometimes you just gotta prop a guy for making a ridiculous shot.

you sound angry! "want a cooke"?

[Man In Black]

I'm not sure if Manu cannot regain some of that missing explosiveness. This past summer was a double-edged sword. He needed to rest to get his leg completely healed but he also needs some serious weight-training to prep not just the legs, but his core and especially his back & shoulder muscles. Muscles that are crucial to explosiveness. You can't jump high without the arms, shoulders, back, & core muscles uncoiling right before the legs kick in.
I feel that as long as he's healthy, he'll be better next year at least, athletically speaking.
He ain't Jamal Mashburn shot by any stretch. I say Jamal because once he had the micro-fracture knee surgery, he'd say he felt good but that his explosiveness is gone so it changed him completely. No longer could he attack, even if he wanted to. Manu can still attack, I just don't know if it'll be a dunk. It's more so a tear drop or finger-roll.
I miss the Manu that attacked 3 Lakers at Staples and dunked on their heads. I was there that night and that was quite a sight!

Oh and DS210...what's a "cooke"? And you're still pathetic

[howbouthemspurs]

I love Manu!

[Slippy]

Here are the signs that Manu is about to go off:

- The Spurs championship goal requires that he do so. Tim can't do it all on his own and Parker's going to be slower for the rest of this season. Manu has to be the other guy.

- Nobody's respecting Obi Wan Ginobili. The refs aren't respecting him, the fans aren't respecting him (trade Manu for Stoudemire???), and the organization isn't respecting him in his mind. He's played the game in an "everybody else comes first" mode since he came in the NBA... maybe he's ready to jettison that approach if it improves his chances of a trophy.




- It only takes one game for him to find that rhythm again. Just so happens he's probably going to get more minutes and much greater shooting opportunities for a while. We'll see what happens.


If all these things together don't kick start Manu into going nuts on the court in the next few games, he's over the hill and on the way down. If the Manu who can't be stopped in the last 5:00 of a 4th quarter is still in there somewhere... then God help the other teams the Spurs are going to play in the next few. Time to find out if Manu can still be Manu.

BL

Here's hoping these aspects do come together . I like the fact that he's looking for his shot more now, while getting to the rack more often. The less we see the 3 the better. The thing about Manu is that he'll adjust and find way to come out on top. The competetiveness in him is just that good.

Disagree about he and Tony not playing well together. Those two's game compliment each other very well.

[DPG21920]

Manu is trying hard, but he just does not have the lift or explosion on a night to night basis to consistently finish. It is hard for me to watch, but I hold out hope he can elevate his play.

[SpurOutofTownFan]

Manu has blown more then just one series, remember 04 when he had defending Derek Fisher and then Derek Fisher scored over Manu in 0.4 Seconds how about 06 when he made the worse foul of his life sending Dirk to the line to go to over time and losing the series, those are two le opportunities!!

this is the kind of stuff that makes me want to kill someone...

how in the world can one single player playing on a team blow an entire series for just one play?

how in the is someone supposed to block a shot from an inbound pass with 0.4 secs left in the game? actually.. how is the SHOT supposed to be valid at all????

i hope i dont have to make this even clearer...

[vander]

another night of sub-40% shooting for manu...

[ElNono]

another night of sub-40% shooting for manu...

7 assists... team top alongside Tim... I don't see you complaining that your guy Bonner had no rebounds...

Congrats your team the Lakers won tonight...

[Ice009]

7 assists... team top alongside Tim... I don't see you complaining that your guy Bonner had no rebounds...

Congrats your team the Lakers won tonight...

Spurs played better when Bonner was off the court too, but Vander will still say he is one of the best players on the team. It was a very good thing that Pop benched Bonner tonight when he showed he could be a hindrance rather than help us get the win.

[ivanfromwestwood]

sorry guys but manu has been in a funk for the last 3 years. injured or not he is playing poor. if we resign him this summer, i think its a move the spurs will regret. with that being said, i think the spurs should let him, bonner and finley walk this summer and use that cash to bring over some of our overseas guys like splitter and nando. hopefully he goes back to europe or retires.

[NRHector]

sorry guys but manu has been in a funk for the last 3 years. injured or not he is playing poor. if we resign him this summer, i think its a move the spurs will regret. with that being said, i think the spurs should let him, bonner and finley walk this summer and use that cash to bring over some of our overseas guys like splitter and nando. hopefully he goes back to europe or retires.