Jeff McDonald: An Argentine update on Manu
Unless you've been living in a cave with only dial-up Internet access, you've already seen the scene nobody in South Texas or Buenos Aires wanted to see: Manu Ginobili, pain painted on his face, holding his ankle in agony.
Ginobili was injured in the first quarter of Team Argentina's Olympic clash with the USA's Redeem Team on Thursday night/Friday morning, providing Spurs coach Gregg Popovich with an "I told you so" moment of the bitterest sort.
We just received an email from Hernan Sartori, an Argentine journalist covering his home country's now-impossible gold-medal defense, who was on the scene in Beijing. Here are the highlights (or, if you're a fan of either the Spurs or the Argentines, the lowlights) of Sartori's update:
According to Diego Grippo, the Argentine team doctor, Ginobili has re-strained the ligament in his left ankle that hampered him in the Western Conference playoffs last season. The Spurs guard also has tendinitis in the flexor tendon on the same foot.
Our Hombre in Beijing reports the mood in the Argentine camp to be understandably somber. Some players told him Ginobili was "destroyed spiritually" after reinjuring himself.
What struck Sartori most from press row was that, after heading to the locker room for treatment, Ginobili did not return to the bench to watch the rest of the game. "That was the most alarming sign he is not OK," Sartori wrote in his e-mail.
At any rate, Ginobili's Olympic foray is over. He is not expected to play in Argentina's bronze-medal game against Lithuania.
Ginobili is supposed to have an MRI sometime Saturday in Beijing. Spurs officials will likely hold off on any official comments at least until after those results are in.
How did you manage to take that quote out of context? Did you read the sentence prior to it or the sentence after it?
What Manu does in the regular season isn't important. Playing great in the regular season and fizzling out in the playoffs doesn't help the Spurs at all. Whether Ginobili's 2008-09 campaign is a success will be determined 100% on what he does in the playoffs.
Thanks for posting that Duncan228.
What do you guys think? I really hope Manu's ankle is OK.
That's bad news. His foot sounds pretty messed up. He'll need a long time to not only heal but to heal to a point where he's not at a risk of injury. If the tendons are still stretched, he might need surgery.
Luckily the playoffs are a long ways away. If you are a Spurs fan, we better hope TD and TP can do the heavy lifting this year and Mason and Udoka can at least hold the fort.
Oh and that noise you hear is Michael Finley oiling up his joints getting ready to play 25 minutes a game this year.
I think last year, what he did was important. But only because the race was so tight and our bench was non-existent at some points. But I do agree with preserving him more in the RS. If nothing else, it will force the others to step up.
Thanks for the update, duncan228.
I hope Manu recovers soon.
Do you reckon you can speak to your mates the Power Rangers and see if they can fix Manu's ankle with the super powers they have?And the stupidity factor on ST jumps once again.
Also did you know that in the event of Manu's latest ankle injury RC Buford has been in contact with the Power Rangers to join the Spurs next season. Reports said that he offered them a 2 year deal. The Powers Rangers are seriously considering the offer but they also have another offer on the table to perform with a European team.
yup. spurs fans here just don't understand how playing for your country is as important as fighting in a war to defend your country. MANU said it many times how sweet it is to play with millions of people cheering for you than a couple of millions. if i'm in MANU's shoes i would do the same and proudly wear my country's color anyway i can. peace.
Massive fail.
Well, Manu had only himself to blame, not for playing for his country but for trying too hard at floppling. The previous two flops he applied on LBJ on the defensive end, he got one foul called on himself and one on LB. We all know that Manu also is a master at flopping on offense. So, when he drove by LB, he might have thought it worthwhile to flop again. Yet, this time he sprained his ankle due to bad motions on his side.
What's the moral? Flopping is a risky business! Only try it at your own risk.
He will be fine and come back stronger than ever next yr. It takes about 2 months for that type of injury to heal. As long as he gets proper treament which he will.
Pops will likely cut his mins down next yr to 25-27 range to keep him from over working it.
People that are projecting how long it will take him to heal are funny. The MRI hasn't even been taken yet to say how severe the injury is. Some people on the forum are writing him off for his career, while other say he will be fine in a couple months.
At least wait til tomorrow until you all put on your Dr. SpursTalk hats and project is demise or return to glory.
Calling Ginobili a 'selfish ' and making avatar jokes. Weak.Do you reckon you can speak to your mates the Power Rangers and see if they can fix Manu's ankle with the super powers they have?
Also did you know that in the event of Manu's latest ankle injury RC Buford has been in contact with the Power Rangers to join the Spurs next season. Reports said that he offered them a 2 year deal. The Powers Rangers are seriously considering the offer but they also have another offer on the table to perform with a European team.
Normally, I would agree with "wait and see", but considering that he made an average basketball move, and crumpled to the court, I'd say his ankle is ed. Chide me after the MRI if I'm wrong. I don't think I am. I think they'll shut him down (assuming no surgery) until after the new year. Four months should be about right, and what he would have had if he hadn't played Olympic ball.
Oh I think there's definitely something pretty wrong too. It's becoming more evident that it's probably something chronic. After all, he was cleared to play - it's not like him was playing when he was actively injured. And you are right, he wasn't even doing anything amazing when it happened. That's why I wanted to be clear in another thread that this could have happened to him at any time - at the practice facility or even just running across the street. It didn't happen because he was playing in the Olympics.
I'm just not ready to write off his career, trade him for scrubs, or on the flip side, say he'll be back in 2 months. I'll wait to see what's wrong with and see if he needs surgery or what.
That's pretty much how I see it. If this weren't the same damn injury that has been coming back over and over again, I would believe that it wasn't this bad.
But Ginobili didn't even twist the ankle. It didn't turn or roll, it was him putting weight on it that caused him to miss one of the biggest games of his career.
And we have the doctors for Argentina saying he shouldn't play on it, which is an absolute " has frozen" over first. If they are saying it's bad then I am pretty sure the foot has actually fallen off and Manu is now going to lead the Argentina paraplegic olympic team to unheard of glory.
But seriously, I do worry that Manu will not be able to be the explosive chaos on the court that made him such a force. I worry that he's going to be running on a gimped ankle that requires serious surgery to get back to playing strength. And I worry that the dude is 31 going on 40 at this point.
Totally lame article - any time you step on a basketball court you know there's a good chance that you'll sprain your ankle. I know - I did it 37 times in 16 years.
Manu's just going to have to cross his fingers and manage it fo the rest of his career, he knows that.
Yeah the Spurs won a game 7 on the road.
I'd say HCA didn't mean .
Spurstalk reacts to Ginobili's injury.
If surgery fixes the ankle and keeps it from coming back, get it done.
Anythig for him to be 100% by the playoffs.
Mason Udoka and others can hold down the fort.
Manu did what was important to Manu. There are an infinite amount of things in this life more important than your job, and Manu did what was important to him - good for him. Companies (including sports franchises) use up people all the time and toss them aside once they become too expensive and/or too old, and just replace them like a cog in a machine. Going down swinging for his country on one leg is a memory that he will take with him to his death bed.
I hope it doesn't mean an effective end to his prime playing career and render him virtually useless, but if it does then that's just the way it goes. He's given us and the Spurs so much to remember and has been a part of 3 les. He's done his job and done it well.
So ing predictable.
On to 2010.
Manu didn't twist it. He didn't roll it. And they are considering surgery. So it's not just that he has an average chance of spraining an ankle like every other player out there.
I wont shed a single tear. The writing was on the wall with Ginobli. He has alot of miles on those ankles. Once they go bad they almost never are the same again. The Spurs did nothing in the offseason. All of their starters with the exception of TP are over 30 and they refused to add youth to the bench.
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