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Ginobili should skip it. He's played there the last several years, he needs a break. It's costing the Spurs when he plays 24/7.
NEW YORK (AP) - The NBA reminded teams this week they are not allowed to discourage their players from competing in international compe ions, shortly after Manu Ginobili said the Spurs did just that.
A memo dated May 2 was sent to all NBA clubs. According to a person familiar with the do ent, it read: "This is a reminder that, under the NBA's agreement with FIBA, NBA teams are required to permit their players to play in certain major national-team compe ions, provided that adequate insurance is obtained.
"These include the Olympics, world championships, continental championships (such as the European Championships), and relevant qualifying tournaments."
That person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the memo.
Ginobili recently announced that he wouldn't play for Argentina, the defending Olympic champion, in this summer's regional Olympic qualifier in Las Vegas. He wrote on his Web site that San Antonio requested he skip the event, saying that coach Gregg Popovich gave "rather understandable arguments."
"We told him we didn't want him to go," Popovich said Friday after Spurs practice. "Why would we want him to go?"
Popovich, who also coaches Ginobili's Argentine teammate, Fabricio Oberto, is aware of the policy and knows ultimately it's the player's call if he wants to participate.
"We don't have any power (that's) keeping him from going. In the end it's (the player's) decision," Popovich said. "Our advice was not to go. We've got a huge investment in him.
"In Manu's case he's already won everything in the world. I think he's done his part way, way more than most others. We let him know that's how we felt."
Argentina's Walter Herrmann also is sitting out the FIBA Americas tournament, and said last month that was the preference of the Charlotte Bobcats because he was injured in September coming out of the world championships.
"The club blamed the national team and advised me not to join them and to rest for a period," he told the Spanish-language newspaper Mi Gente.
NBA teams are prohibited from banning players' participation, and the league doesn't even want teams discouraging it.
"The NBA/FIBA agreement also provides that NBA teams may not take any steps that are intended to deter players from playing in such compe ions," the memo said.
Other than for legitimate injury reasons, such as the expected surgeries this summer for Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Lamar Odom, USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said he has yet to receive a call from an NBA team about a player's availability in his two years running the program.
"Are there conversations that might be going on between some owners, some management and their player, probably yes," Colangelo said. "But it's another thing for someone to pick up a phone and tell me that. That's up to the individual player to make that decision."
Colangelo acknowledged that players would feel more comfortable making the commitment to their national teams if their NBA clubs were behind them. He is awaiting word back on an invitation extended to Memphis forward Mike Miller, who Colangelo said, "just wants to make sure that everyone is supportive."
"If management is supportive, they're going to feel a lot better about it," Colangelo said.
Ginobili should skip it. He's played there the last several years, he needs a break. It's costing the Spurs when he plays 24/7.
What's wrong with wanting to represent your country on an international scale? I for one applaud Ginobili!
Go Argentina!!!
So was the memo about discouraging the players to compete or was it about forbidding them? Pop made it pretty clear that he's not forbidding Manu to play, but even that seems to not be allowed.
Because he's taken Argentina everywhere they could possbily go, he's 30, and the Spurs probably have $30M invested in him over the next 3 years of his contract. It's time for the younger Argies to step up. Manu has done his bit. I would never be in favor of a team discouraging a younger player from playing, and I think the Spurs have been patient with him for 5 years. Enough is enough.
this memo is long overdue. They shld have sent it after Cuban said he did not want Dirk or his players play for compe ions other than the NBA
it not over due
if I was a owner I would put in the nba contract that the player signs he can not play international ball
they put other thinks in their like surfing
On the one hand , the nba has seasons with more than 100 48 minutes long games.
On the other hand, they push for teams to let their players plays during summers.
A high number of nba games creates a lot of money and fiba events with nba players are a good ad for nba but they should too think at players health instead of only thinking at money.
People complain when Manu plays for the NT because he is tired. Other people complain when Manu does not play enough because he gets rusty.
Let me remind you all that Manu won the gold medal in Greece the summer before winning the 05 ring, being an AS and being the de facto finals MVP.
How do you explain that?
The desire to represent your country can not be curbed in a contract.
No sport in the world has this.
The NBA will never include such a clause.
This is a situation where nobody is in the 'wrong', every viewpoint makes sense.
The NBA sees the national teams as a great marketing tool, especially in terms of globalizing the games.
But as an individual team, the Spurs see little benefit in that compared to the risk of injury or the 'wearing down' of one of their star players by the summer compe ion. The NBA is not going to give them a new wing just to amends.
And Manu himself probably feels that he has accomplished everything that he needs to with that team, but also still feels a bit of obligation to his country.
No real fault with any viewpoint.
I think most of the Americans on this board would be much happier if he sat out. We'd much rather see the Spurs win a championship than a national team take the gold (even our own).
Rest and skip the summer bull .
Does anyone know about how much $$$ does each playoff homegame bring in, what's the breakdown? If you reach the Finals then I would imagine that's an higher revenue generated.
I'm ready for him to skip it and get ready for the next season.
Kinda weak for the league to speak up now when Pop asks Manu to consider not playing, yet nothing was said when Cuban told his guys he didn't want them to play.
Manu plays better during the season when he plays on international compe ions
I think I recall reading that the Mav make at least a million in revenue (not sure if that's gross or net) per home playoff game. In other words, Cuban is missing out on a lot of money with the Mavs losing in the first round. Even though a million isn't a lot of money to him I'm sure it pisses him off as he's a greedy money (most self-made billionaires are).
Ok. Thanks Mabber.
Lemme see, fuzzy math adjustment, maybe 700k per game, our 2nd round exit last year assuming the best of finishes, 3 home games conf. finals, 3 home games finals (fuzz math now) times 700k and we're ball-field looking at somewhere around 4.2 mil of lost revenue for '06 efforts.
Hmmmm...........
are you kidding me? people were complaining manu was rusty and needed to play for argentina, thats hard to believe
manu right now is one of the worst players in the rotation, he is totally ruining whatever legacy he might have had, the last thing he needs to do is to let down his country too
let me remind you all that manu is responsible for us not being on our 3rd straight championship run
That's pretty short-sighted. Yeah, that was a bonehead foul at the end, but if we play better up to that point it doesn't matter.let me remind you all that manu is responsible for us not being on our 3rd straight championship run
yeah and we wouldn't have had the '05 Championship without him. I think it's alright if he gets very limited minutes. I think it's good for him. Look what happened when he got all of that extended amount of rest during the summer.let me remind you all that manu is responsible for us not being on our 3rd straight championship run
And he returned that by his playing for Spurs and giving his all for his employers.
Let him play if he want to.
Manu strated to think rather than feel, so bad
POP sucks, Manu should play in Las Vegas
Manu blew it, even with the refs AND smallball manu ed us over
if it wasnt for finley, manu would be getting scoffed like no other for his ty play this series
He's only had 1 actually ty game, how does that make it a ty series!?? you're talking out of your ass
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