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Ranking is too low based on last year's second half performance.
http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba...inobili-no-31/
Top 50: Manu Ginobili, no. 31
The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.
by Adam Figman / @afigman
On page 16 of The Art of a Beautiful Game, while waxing about Kobe’s over-compe iveness, author Chris Ballard drops this little quote from No. 24: “‘I love Manu,’ says Bryant. ‘He plays exactly the way I play, balls to the wall.’”
Hold up.
You’re just gonna sit there and tell me that Manu Ginobili, the guy who uses the fútbol-inspired flop-and-hope-for-call strategy and who’s known more for dives than dunks is one of the NBA’s fiercest spirit’s favorite players to go up against? Yeah?
OK then.
I won’t overemphasize that information any further, because its reasoning is pretty straightforward: Manu plays his ass off. He races around the court, D’s up on each possession like it’s his last, curses himself after every missed shot, and puts his all into assisting his teammates and coming out victorious. His at ude, both on and off the court, is exactly what fierce compe ors like Kobe thrive on—the style of guys who aren’t afraid get right in their opponent’s face and dare him to make a move.
This season, the Argentine will be playing for a team on its last legs. Point guard Tony Parker is in the final year of his contract, and will be shopped if San Antonio isn’t a contender off the bat. Tim Duncan is still producing, but DeJuan Blair and Tiago Splitter are preparing to step up. Fact is, if this group can’t put a deep playoff run together in ’10-11, a new crew of faces will be leading the Spurs come next October. Regardless, Ginobili will be in tow; he just signed a three-year, $39 million extension that’ll keep him in the AT&T Center locker room mentoring the young crop for what could be the remainder of his career.
Statistically speaking, the guy’s been a model of consistency. For six straight seasons he’s scored in the mid-to-upper teens per contest, while dishing an average of 3-5 assists and swiping a steal and a half each outing. His health has wavered as of late, but when he’s on the court, you know what you’re getting: 110 percent effort, whether he’s working with 10, 50 or 80 percent of his body in tact. And for such a talent, he made no fuss about coming off the bench year after year; he simply doesn’t care about starting the contest, because he knows he’ll be finishing it.
He’s been rewarded for his play, too. The Spurs have won three championships with Manu as an integral piece, and he made the All-Star game once (’05) and took home the Sixth Man of the Year medal in ’08.
But even more impressive is how his skill translates in all formats. Before he played a single NBA game, Ginobili had a of an international résumé: Italian League All-Star in ‘99, ’00 and ’01; FIBA Americas Championship Most Valuable Player in ’01; Italian League Championship and Euroleague Championship with Kinder Bologna in ’01; Italian League MVP in ’01 and ’02. And that was just in Italy.
With the Argentina national team, he won silver at the 2002 FIBA World Championship and gold at the 2004 Olympics. His career should be viewed as a how-to guide for players looking to expand their games, especially as an increased number of ballers take their talents to Europe and beyond.
So yeah: Dude pulls some flops that’d bring a smile to an aging Vlade Divac’s face. Chances are, he can’t help it. Manu’s compe ive. He wants to win. Every game. And if that means falling down when the contact didn’t exactly call for it, then it’s happening. You might be inclined to throw your bowl of popcorn at the TV as the ref blows his or her whistle and points down the court, but let’s be real: You wouldn’t complain if he was on your side. There’s a reason why he’s so loved in San Antonio, and why, at the veteran age of 33, he was locked up through ’12-13 for a franchise that’ll be looking to rebuild well before then.
It’s because San Antonio’s management knows passion like his is contagious, and will rub off on the up-and-comers. It’s because, though he’ll get older and lose much of the quickness that helped him slide through defenders en route to the basket for the past decade, he’s the perfect role model for younger guys who—without focus—could lose their way.
And it’s because, in the fourth quarter, somebody has to guard Kobe. The Lakers’ superstar might enjoy it, but you can bet Manu does even more.
Last edited by jiggy_55; 09-26-2010 at 08:45 AM.
Ranking is too low based on last year's second half performance.
Not to mention they can't stop harping about Manu flopping, even though he doesn't really do it anymore (that I've noticed).
It's a nice article, since it praises him and his attributes. I would have put him somewhere in the mid 20's at best.
He is ranked 7th among SG, i would like to know which ones are ranked higher.
Aside from the obvious Kobe and Wade?
1 or 2 Kobe
1 or 2 Wade
3 Roy
4 Johnson
..?
+1
That tag of him being a flopper isn't valid anymore.
Funny that the flopping thing never came about until Manu torched the Nuggets in the '05 playoffs and George Karl had nothing to do stop him but to call him a flopper. Ever since then that's all he's ever been known for (even when he doesn't even flop much anymore and it's not like he's the only player that does it). Sad thing is people recognize and know him more for the flopping then any of the amazing plays that he does (under the leg passes, blocks, crazy assists, etc.) or skills that he has. I believe that list that said that Manu is the most hated player in the league.
Should rank 20/25 imo.
Kobe Bryant is right about this one, Manu plays "balls to the wall."
Ahhhh man I thought this was his introduction into the hall of fame. Much props for this article, the best ever article on our Manu. Beatiful.
No it isn't, they've had better articles of Manu:
http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba...inobili-no-29/
Top 50: Manu Ginobili, no. 29
The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.
by Adam Sweeney
Underrated. It might be the most overused word in sports. As hoop-aholics we always beat our chests and stand on the curb shouting about how our favorite player gets no love. Therein lies the roundball rub. Our arguments are often dismissed because of our allegiances. This case for Manu Ginobili’s greatness can’t be. Why? Because as a Houston native, I loathe the San Antonio Spurs. I can assure you that no bias exists here. I went to college twenty-five minutes away from San Antonio and had to listen every day about the San Antonio Spurs dynasty. I made it my mission to debunk the fantasies Spurs had about their team. The thing is that the more you examine Manu’s career, the better he becomes. In fact, Manu may be the most underrated, there’s that word again, player of our generation.
Fact: Kanye West can cry about how a VMA was robbed from Beyonce but one of the truly great steals in history came when the Spurs grabbed Manu Ginobili with the 57th pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. Let me throw out a stat, seeing as we spent the last few weeks drinking the champagne of greatness that was Michael Jordan’s career. Manu is only the second player ever to win a NBA Championship, Euroleague le and Olympic gold medal. But you still don’t get it.
Seeing is believing and anyone who saw the San Antonio Spurs fall apart in the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks last year got a huge dose of how important Manu is to the team’s success. Say what you want about the addition of Richard Jefferson. Give deserved praise to Tim Duncan as the greatest power forward ever. Gasp at Tony Parker’s speed and emergence as a team leader. A run at an NBA le begins and ends with Manu Ginobili.
And what’s funny is that as NBA fans we only got a partial glimpse of the picture. Before he came to the Association, The Argentine was tearing it up in Argentina and the Italian League. MVPs? He’s got them, winning the 2001 Euroleague Final Four MVP. He was only voted one of the thirty-five greatest players ever but we don’t want to talk about that. The NBA is king, oh wait, except when Manu led Argentina to Gold in the 2004 Olympics. Yeah, he was the MVP of that also. Perhaps it’s Manu’s foreign origins that make us shy away from him. You make the call.
If that wasn’t enough, the most exciting player in S.A. is the first sixth man to win All-NBA honors. If Ben Gordon is worth over $50 million, what is Manu’s value? You can’t put a price on it. Unlike Gordon, who is at his best when he is coming off the bench, Manu has proven he could dominate as a starter. The stats don’t lie. In a five-game stretch as a starter last season, he averaged 34.4 points per game and 6.6 assists per game in 37.4 minutes per game. Efficiency, Manu is thy name.
How well-rounded is Ginobili’s offensive game? A New York Times article regarding Shane Battier, the defensive student of the game that he is, studied the very subject. Battier is given data to study every opponent. The results speak for themselves. “Manu Ginobili is a statistical freak: he has no imbalance whatsoever in his game,” the article offers. “There is no one way to play him that is better than another. He is equally efficient off the dribble as he is off the pass, going left and right and any spot from on the floor.” It’s true. You’re just as likely to get beaten by a quick slash to the lane as you are a bucket from behind the line when it comes to Ginobili. He can score from anywhere. On any other team he would be a perennial All-Star.
But it’s not about that. See, unlike other players who are too caught up in the “importance” of getting starter’s minutes (see Allen Iverson), Manu Ginobili kills ‘em softly any way the team needs him. He doesn’t mind letting Timmy and Tony have their names on the marquee, even though he could lead the team in points and assists. He just keeps on keeping on and counts the championship rings at the end of the day.
The word clutch has become synonymous with Kobe Bryant but it’s an undeserved association. Yeah, you guessed it, Manu’s the real heir to the last minute throne. Forbes did a study chronicling the top players in the last five minutes of a game including overtime. It wasn’t even close. Manu topped the list and shoots lights out at a 57.4% clip. Your boy Kobe? 44.8%. Do I have your attention yet?
The only thing that can stop Manu Ginobili is his health and he has suffered a few setbacks in the past few years. The 2008-2009 season ended unceremoniously for him as he had to shut it down with a stress fracture in his right distal fibula. That only means you’ll be sleeping on him this upcoming season, just like the majority of us have slept on the Spurs all these years. So when you are watching the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals next season, perhaps against the defending champion Lakers, don’t be shocked if Manu slaps the taste out of your mouth with a game-winning three. The quiet ones always sneak up on you. The funny thing is you’ll be the one left speechless. Manu Ginobili has been doing it his entire career and yet we still can’t find words to describe him. For now, underrated will have to do.
Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ‘09-10 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Jake Appleman, Brett Ballantini, Russ Bengtson, Toney Blare, Shannon Booher, Myles Brown, Franklyn Calle, Gregory Dole, Emry DowningHall, Jonathan Evans, Adam Fleischer, Jeff Fox, Sherman Johnson, Aaron Kaplowitz, John Krolik, Holly MacKenzie, Ryne Nelson, Chris O’Leary, Ben Osborne, Alan Paul, Susan Price, Sam Rubenstein, Khalid Salaam, Kye Stephenson, Adam Sweeney, Vincent Thomas, Tzvi Twersky, Justin Walsh, Joey Whelan, Eric Woodyard, and Nima Zarrabi.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.
he would be rated higher were it not for his health.
It loses credibility when the author exaggerates Manu's flopping. Anyone who's watched him and really paid attention the past few years knows that he hasn't done any significant amount of flopping to warrant that much attention in an article. Nothing new here. We already knew Kobe loves Manu's game.
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