Manu update

[Spurs Brazil]

JMcDonald_SAEN

JMcDonald_SAEN
.@Preine_PtR @DartFred Anyone expecting Manu to be Manu in series is overly optimistic. At least that's what guys with med. degrees tell me.

.Pop (obviously) isn't saying if Manu will play. Team preparing as if he's not. My take: Gonna take the entire Serbian army to keep him out.

Manu is still in a brace ... much bulkier than what Splitter wears. There's no way that can be comfortable.

Manu update: Seen going one-on-one with James Anderson at end of practice.

[Spurs Brazil]

“We didn’t scrimmage five-on-five today,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s shooting and trying to his condition up so that when he does heal, he’ll at least be in some decent shape.”

Popovich said the Spurs are getting ready for Wednesday’s Game 2 against Memphis like Ginobili won’t be playing.

“We’ve prepared like he’s not here from the beginning,” Popovich said. “We’re still in that mode.”

Spurs forward DeJuan Blair was even more succinct. He said the Spurs can’t win the series without Ginobili involved.

“We need the Big Three,” Blair said, referring to Ginobili, Parker and Tim Duncan. ” We’ve got our role players and have been playing excellent. We need Manu. Manu is our MVP.”

Read more: http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...d-as-doubtful/

[tdunk21]

thank u for the update Spurs Brazil

[duncan228]

I do think fans betting on "Manu returns, Spurs win in 5" are being overly optimistic. Remains to be seen how effective he can be.

[honestfool84]

^^^ that's everyone here on SpursTalk...

[Ginobili2Duncan]

Is Pop trying to save him for summer basketball in Argentina? Ginobili has to play this is the playoffs and if the Spurs lose Game 2, they can forget about winning this series. Any other coach would've played their star player in this situation. Even if he isn't 100% in this series, 70% of Ginobili is better than a lot of players in this league.

If Pop isn't careful, he will blow what might be the team's last chance at a le trying to be cute.

[crc21209]

If Manu just said the other day that the pain in his elbow is going away already, I fully expect him to be ready and play on Wednesday....

[4>0rings]

Manu needs to sack up and heal his vaginal tear.

[Mugen]

I don't think he'll be a 100% this series and i'm not sure how effective he'll be with Tony Allen chasing him around.

But his presence alone should be enough to get the Spurs past this series. George the bed yesterday and this team struggles mightily when TP is the only one who can create shots for himself and others. Ginobili at 80% or so should still provide enough to have Mem account for another slasher/playmaker....

[Ginobili2Duncan]

Manu needs to sack up and heal his vaginal tear.

Ginobili wanted to play. It was Pop that decided to sit him.

[SenorSpur]

And if he ever does play in this series, you just know that Tony Allen will test Manu's elbow for texture, flexibility and strength.

[Dingle Barry]

For s sake it isnt his left arm. Manu could easily come back and ball like himself. There will be no pain while shooting if there is any at all.

[Mugen]

And if he ever does play in this series, you just know that Tony Allen will test Manu's elbow for texture, flexibility and strength.

As he should, tbh. It's the playoffs. Bruce and Horry would have done the same thing.

[ace3g]

RealSkipBayless Skip Bayless
Spurs go as Manu goes. As valuable to them as Kobe is to LA. Leader, closer. Give him 4-pt lead w/ min left, as Spurs had Sunday, OVER.


RealSkipBayless Skip Bayless
Now Spurs have Manu-nucleosis. If he isn't 100 % for G2, Spurs done. Doctors say elbow won't completely heal for 2-3 more weeks. Adios?

[crc21209]

RealSkipBayless Skip Bayless
Spurs go as Manu goes. As valuable to them as Kobe is to LA. Leader, closer. Give him 4-pt lead w/ min left, as Spurs had Sunday, OVER.


RealSkipBayless Skip Bayless
Now Spurs have Manu-nucleosis. If he isn't 100 % for G2, Spurs done. Doctors say elbow won't completely heal for 2-3 more weeks. Adios?

What doctors? And how does he know what the doctors said, he isnt involved with the Spurs organization. And they have released such a statement. Skip Bayless is a ing train rider, he was on the Spurs train and then immmediately jumped off....

[GrandeDavid]

Is Pop trying to save him for summer basketball in Argentina? Ginobili has to play this is the playoffs and if the Spurs lose Game 2, they can forget about winning this series. Any other coach would've played their star player in this situation. Even if he isn't 100% in this series, 70% of Ginobili is better than a lot of players in this league.

If Pop isn't careful, he will blow what might be the team's last chance at a le trying to be cute.

I think that sitting him in Game 1 was the right call. But you need him to play Game 2 if possible. I agree that if the Spurs lose Game 2 they're toast. But I don't think they will lose, even if Manu doesn't play. They're not gonna go out like chumps and fall into an 0-2 hole, I just don't see it. But, I also would've laughed if you would've told me the Spurs would lose at home to Boston on a four game losing streak and getting Tim back. And like a sucker, I was feeling a win as the Spurs went up four late yesterday. So I guess you can scratch everything I just said because I have no idea what will happen. I wouldn't be stunned if the Spurs were to win four straight and close this out in five and, sadly, it wouldn't surprise me if they were to get swept. I just have no feel for this team.

[4>0rings]

Ginobili wanted to play. It was Pop that decided to sit him.

Yes, everyone knows this. He should of told Pop, No, I'm playing.

[Muser]

it just play him. 100% or not.

[FromWayDowntown]

One consequence of Manu being out -- one that hadn't really occurred to me until I was watching the game yesterday -- was the cascading effect it has on how the Spurs initiate their offense. It was interesting in Game 1 that the Spurs had 4 assists on their first 4 field goals, then had 1 assist for the rest of the first quarter, and had zero assists in the second quarter.

I'm probably not unique in my belief that Hill is more of a ball-stopper than an initiator. That problem is usually mitigated by the fact that either Parker or Ginobili is on the floor at almost all times, so the situations in which George has had to initiate offense have been fairly limited. But I think the Spurs are a decidedly more stagnant team when George has to run the offense.

In Game 1, it seemed like Hill was having to initiate more and more often -- perhaps a defensive adjustment by Memphis or perhaps a choice by the Spurs -- as the game wore on because Manu wasn't there to be the 2nd initiator and the Spurs' offense struggled more and more to find shots. As much of a problem as the bigs are on the defensive end, the Spurs become really, really easy to defend if they aren't moving the ball to create shots; when they become overly-dependent upon the dribble to move the basketball, bad things happen. I think that happened to a significant degree in Game 1; where they found offense, it tended to be more off of break opportunities or broken plays. Relegated to playing in the half court, they were really pretty inept offensively.

Ginobili's scoring would help, but it's more about missing his ability to run offense, I think. I don't even know that he needs to slash to create offense; if he moves the ball, they should be better.

[Fireball]

this just does not sound good ...

[timtonymanu]

Manu would have a week to fully heal. He should be able to give it a go on Wednesday. Play him, Pop.

[romsho]

Yes, everyone knows this. He should of told Pop, No, I'm playing.

That ain't how it works, and you know it.

[024]

this team is good enough to beat the grizzlies without ginobili. if they can't win without ginobili, the spurs' weaknesses are far to great to get them past the second round even with ginobili. ginobili isn't going to magically cure spurs defense, weak mentality, and small front line. the role players need to play like they did during the first half of the season or the spurs can just start packing for their fishing trips right now.

[rjv]

pop played him more minutes than ever all season and in the last game even and now he is back to being the extremely cautious pop.

i agree with mcdonald though...pop would really have to pull out the serbian army to keep him out.

i can just picture the fireworks in that office if pop starts with a "you're not playing" sentence.

[~Sweetmelody~]

Do we really need Manu in game two?

Now, if we loose Game 2 than the next game would be a must win, but right now I don’t think it is. It sucks that we lost and I want him back for next game but just seeing how physical game one was I am almost scared for him to aggravate his injury even more.