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Want GInobili to be an all star again? run offense through him
http://spurs.realgm.com/articles/56/...n_san_antonio/
The Missing All-Star In San Antonio
Authored by Elliot Cole - 30th November, 2006 - 11:46 pm
Message board devotees and beer-guzzling fans in 200-level seats are all asking the same question: What happened to Manu Ginobili?
Undoubtedly you remember the guy. The 2005 All-Star that became a fan favorite with his whirling dervish attacks to the basket, carving up defenses for spectacular finish after spectacular finish. The end results? A hard-earned 16 points per a game in less than 30 minutes. But that only tells half the story. There’s also the 47.1% shooting for a guard that takes (and makes) some of the most awkward shots this side of Steve Nash. There’s the 6 free throw attempts a game and the 4 usually marvelous assists.
And of course, there’s the playoffs.
Manu Ginobili was arguably the best player in the 2005 playoffs, 3rd in total points to teammate Tim Duncan and Richard Hamilton. A 48-point outburst against Phoenix in the regular season was just a glimmer of things to come. In the 2005 postseason Ginobili bumped his scoring average up to a stellar 20.8 ppg. His rebounds went up from 4.4 rpg to 5.8, his field goal percentage up over 50% despite coming off the bench early in the Denver series. He scored a playoff-career high 39 against Seattle in the second round. In the decisive game 7 against Detroit, he scored 23 on 8-13 shooting.
Everyone seems to remember this Manu Ginobili. This is the Manu that almost won the Finals MVP award over Tim Duncan. The reckless, fiery star that gained the adoration of San Antonio.
The problem is that the 2005 Ginobili is becoming just that: a memory. It’s been almost 20 games into the 2007 NBA season, and that Ginobili has yet to show up. He’s scoring 13.8ppg on a meager 41% shooting, and has shown a pattern of sitting on the perimeter more than attacking the basket. His 3.9 3-point attempts per a game is much higher than at any point of his career, but his free throw attempts (4.1 a game) are the lowest since he became a starter for the Spurs. The scary part is that his FG attempts are at a career high, while his FG percentage is at a career low.
In all likelihood, there are more than a few factors contributing to Ginobili’s slow start. The emergence of Tony Parker as an All-Star in 2006 meant more open jumpshots off of Parker’s penetration and less isolation plays for no. 20. There’s also the addition of Michael Finley, limiting Ginobili’s minutes in games where Finley plays well.
Finally, there’s the looming element that every Spurs fan dares not utter: age. Ginobili is 29 going on 40, as if his ever-growing bald spot wasn’t giving it away. He has already gone deep into the playoffs in every season he has been in the NBA while representing Argentina in international play and the Olympics in the summer. He already has a back injury that has kept him out of 3 games, and it won’t be the first injury of the season for Manu. Even Ginobili admits that his body has taken a punishing, and despite his warrior-like approach to the game he has openly conceded that to prolong his career he’ll have to work on his midrange game and stop flinging himself into the paint (meaning more 15-footers and less free throw attempts, as evident in his statistics).
Can Ginobili flip the switch and become an aggressive driving type of player that he has been for the last few years? It’s not so easy. You don’t play 82 games just to reinvent yourself come playoff time (ask the Detroit Pistons, or the Los Angeles Lakers before that).
Then again, it could all be just a slump. This is, after all, Manu Ginobili, a type of player we have never seen in the NBA. He can look like the best player on the court or a complete non-factor. It’s just the thing that drove Coach Pop nuts in 2003. It’s the same thing that gave opponents nightmares in 2005. We simply never know what to expect from Ginobili. We don’t know what to expect on any drive to the hoop or on any fast break. He could score 40 points just as easily as he could score 4. Expectations can prove to be fool’s gold with Manu Ginobili, but with a track record of championships and a gold medal, doubting the Spurs’ most fiery player is often difficult to do. What we can do is learn not to expect, but merely watch, prepared for the amazing with popcorn in hand.
Elliot Cole can be reached at [email protected]
Want GInobili to be an all star again? run offense through him
I'm guessing it won't be the last. I think it is the first, though.... and it won’t be the first injury of the season for Manu.
I dont think it's about having more plays being run for manu, his shot is just
I never considered him to be a good shooter, he was always at his best when slashing to the lane
But when that gets taken out of the picture, he's a streaky shooter at best
Well this year, he's intentionally not going to the rack as much and trying to develop a midrange shot. And, as expected when a player tries something new, it's not falling yet.
The fact that it's by design (not going to the rim) makes me think that we don't know if Manu's game has fallen off or anything. He looked damn good in the 4th quarter against Portland. So I don't think anyone should be writing off Manu yet.
Its time for Manu to become a 6th man. He'd be the best sixth man in the leauge.
this guy needs to watch at least one Spurs game,
he says that Finley is taking his minutes......
thats crazy.
well he's wasting someone's minutes...His shot isn't falling, and that's been his bread and butter. What's his excuse?
Slump probably. I wonder why it's so horrible though.
was Manu wasting Finley's minutes??
He was wasting Barry's.
Manu is not wasting anyone's minutes, he has earned those minutes!!!!!!!!!!!
Manu seemed to be reverting back to '05 form in the few games before this recent back injury. The quickness seemed to be there and he was taking over games. I hope he gets back soon.
Good article. Someone else besides me can see the light.
You're such a martyr...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUDxuIQCa_4
Manu will rise up[U]
Maybe he's spending all of those wiggly, squirming moves on his wife.
He doesn't have the quickness and agility he had. And, yeah, he seems older.
But, I would still take Manu over the majority of 2-guards in the league. He's not one to demand touches or numbers, especially during the regular season. But, in the post-season, he steps up his game.
I know it's a popular theory among some, but it really could be just that Pop and Gino are letting him coast some during the regular season so long as the Spurs are winning and saving him for the playoffs.
I know most Spurs fans would rather him be at his best come May and June anyway.
If the Spurs can keep winning, heck, let him rest longer.
Brent Barry has been on fire. Incorporate James White a little bit with 8-12 minutes a game here and there. And, bring Manu back for the home stretch.
He may have lost a little bit, but he's still one of the most uniquely creative and toughest compe ors when it counts most.
Manu said it himself. He is trying to develop his shooting range. He is also waiting for the playoffs to turn on his engines. He wants a ring, its a long season and he is purposefully starting slow. period. he could give 2 s about the allstar, the media, his contract or crybaby spur fans. he wants another championship.
so he thinks he can be mj and just turn it on when he wants?
i just hope he can turn it on because so far for the past year and a half the switch has been off
Ahhh ducks chiming in wit his anti-Manu rethoric.
Classic.
Barry is not a good defender as Manu.
Pop mentioned that in his show.
The Spurs have won 1 game out of the last 4 without Manu there in the 4th quarter to help create scoring opportunities for the team...and counting.
if you a real spur fan you will hope he can. In the playoffs he's been is our #2 guy, he will be this year too. If not, Spurs are doomed
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