nice article on Manu

[TMTTRIO]

http://www.caller.com/news/2012/aug/...etball-column/

Watching him walk off the court for possibly the last time with his NT really made me sad (also sad that he wasn't able to get a medal) knowing that pretty soon he'll be retiring from the NBA too and it's going to be a very sad day. We may continue to have a lot of talent in the guard position on this team but it won't ever be the same without Manu and all those exciting and crazy moves that he performed on a nightly bases that kept you watching what other moves he had in store. Enjoy the last times of our Big 3.

[Ghjkll]

Wow, nice article indeed. Manu is getting closer to the end line, but I think he will retire before he declines to the point where he can´t help a team win. He said in countless interviews that he would play only until his body and desire allow him to do so. Even at the age of 35, Ginobili averaged 19.4 / 5.4 / 4.1 / 1.6 in just less than 30 minutes per game in the Olympics. The guy carried us and fought guys 10 years younger than him. Argentina once again finished in the top four teams of the world, an amazing feat for our basketball likely to not be repeated in the next half century, barring a miracle. As an argentinean and spurs fan, even with his limitations, i´m grateful for all he has done for the teams. It´s sad to think that Tim is also in the same position...We will miss them a lot, that´s for sure.

[urunobili]

awesome find!

Thanks for sharing!

[DAF86]

I don't think Manu is better than Wade and I didn't see guys like Gervin and Dumars but I agree that Manu is better than Miller, Iverson, Allen and all the other SG's I've seen excluding MJ and Kobe.

[wildbill2u]

NBA-TV recently ran the deciding games of the 2005 and 2007 finals. Ginobilli was such a great player in the 4th quarter and last few minutes crunch time on both ends of the court.

Watching him now, you can tell the small differences in his play caused by the lost half step that Father Time steals from all of us. He's still crafty, brilliantly talented and a warrior without peer, but not quite the player he was.

We'll all be watching Manu highlights--passing, shooting, defending--for years once he retires.

[ALVAREZ6]

Great article


My favorite quotes:

Manu Ginobili is one of the five best shooting guards of the three-point era (est. 1979-1980). The top two are obvious (Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant) but after that, there's definitely room for debate. The names in the conversation are Dwyane Wade, former Spur George Gervin, Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, Clyde Drexler, Joe Dumars and Ginobili. In my mind, none of those guys compare to Ginobili from a balance perspective - not even Wade (because of his still awful jumper). Gervin may have been a better pure scorer, Allen a better pure shooter, Dumars a better pure defender, Wade a better pure athlete. But none of those guys were as versatile as Ginobili.

Ginobili has never taken 16 shots per game in a season; Wade took 18 and 17 shots a night over the past two seasons, respectively, even with LeBron on his team. If you delve into advanced statistics, you'll notice that Manu is one of five shooting guards to have at least two seasons with a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) above 24 since 1980. His company: Jordan, Bryant, Wade and Gervin. Of those four, only one player matched Ginobili's assist rate, true shooting percentage and rebound rate from his 2007-08 campaign in a single season: MJ.

[pjjrfan]

Manu is a once in a lifetime player. I have always looked at Manu's game like that of that player that no one wants to pick in a pick up game who once he gets in the game will do anything and everything to win and stay on the court. The difference of course is that unlike that player who has no real talent, Manu's talents are immense, but its that drive and bent at ude that Manu brings to the game everytime he gets on the court I admire most in him and from that aspect I agree that he is one of the top 5 players to have played that position. I see him on the same level as Bird, Magic, Jordan,Kobe and every great player in the history of the game. And what a pleasure to see him in a Spurs uniform.

[TMTTRIO]

By the way I found this video of Manu from '97. I know it wasn't the big leagues or he was a big time player yet but it's interesting to see Manu doing his magic still back then and still playing the same way he's done for us.

[ElNono]

Some tidbits from that video:
- #7, the PG on his team, is Pepe Sanchez.
- Hernan Jasen, who played in the last Olympics was on his team too.
- The coach for the opposing team (Quilmes) was Guillermo Vecchio, who was the coach of the Argentina NT before Magnano.
- A player named Parker was part of the opposing team

[kaji157]

By the way I found this video of Manu from '97. I know it wasn't the big leagues or he was a big time player yet but it's interesting to see Manu doing his magic still back then and still playing the same way he's done for us.

Manu is great, with 30 seconds left on the clock he makes a clutch basket and gets the foul.

A baket he has made many times for SA. Lookup 2:55 minutes. He also drills 4 FT during the last seconds.

[rayweb_on]

Some tidbits from that video:
- #7, the PG on his team, is Pepe Sanchez.
- Hernan Jasen, who played in the last Olympics was on his team too.
- The coach for the opposing team (Quilmes) was Guillermo Vecchio, who was the coach of the Argentina NT before Magnano.
- A player named Parker was part of the opposing team

No, the # 7 it was Sebastian "Sepo" ginobili his Brother.

[ElNono]

No, the # 7 it was Sebastian "Sepo" ginobili his Brother.

You're right, my bad. Pepe was already playing for Temple back then.

[MmP]

Im amazed how manu has been gaining international recogntion in the last 2/3 years. Prior to that I can't recalll this type of articles. It seems that worldwide media and fans are agreeing on something we've seen for years and I can't be happier.

[weebo]

The thing I'll remember most once Manu calls it quits is his passion for playing the game. A lot of times you see players just going through the motions without much regard for the score or win-loss record, but Manu has always played every minute of every game like its his last. As a fan, you have to love that about a player on the team you root for because you know that every night your favorite player will risk failure for a chance at getting the victory.