To the Pain: Spurs Lose Manu Again
by J.R. Wilco on Jan 3, 2012 6:01 AM CST
in Editorial
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PrintHis field goal percentage was nearly sixty percent. He was hitting over half of his three point attempts, and ninety-three percent of his free throws. He scored right at 20 points per game in less than 26 minutes of playing time. When you throw in his rebounds, assists, steals and defense you begin to see that this wasn't just the beginning of any season. Through the first five games, Manu Ginobili was on fire.
We've seen The Chemist go through hot streaks before, and even start seasons off with a bang. But has there ever been a time when the team seemed to need him as much as now? With the compressed schedule making every game more important, and Duncan's slow start, the Spurs relied on heavy doses of grit from the man with no swagger, and he delivered with games like the one against the Jazz on New Year's Eve, when he went 9-10 from the floor and scored 23 points while playing only half the game.
And then he broke his hand last night, trying to steal the ball from Anthony Tolliver. Tim Duncan reached out to him as he walked to the trainer's room, to ask him how he was, but Manu wouldn't even look at him. A shake of the head was his only reply. Just like that, it's a completely different season, a different team.
We can talk in the coming days about where this puts our hopes for a run at the championship with what might be Duncan's last as a Spur, but right now I'm just trying to put this into the context of the last few years. The Spurs won the championship in 2007, and every season since then has seen my favorite player go down from one injury or another. Let's review:
'07-08: left ankle - played through at roughly 50% effectiveness, Spurs lose in Western Conference Finals with Manu being outplayed by ... Sasha Vujacic. Yes, you read that right.
'08-09: right ankle stress fracture - shelved him after 44 games, Spurs were eliminated in the first round by the hated Dallas Mavericks.
'09-10: broken nose - played through after a Dirk Nowitzki elbow caught The Schnoz in the first round of the playoffs. San Antonio gets into the 2nd round but is peremptorily swept by Phoenix.
'10-11: fractured elbow in the last game of the regular season - Pop held him out of the 1st playoff game, and the arm hampered him in the 5 he played against the Memphis Grizzlies.
'11-12: fracture of the fifth metacarpal in his left (shooting) hand - no timetable yet for his return.
When Ginobili was healthy, the saying went, the Spurs won a ring every odd-numbered year. Since he's been hurt, that's not been the case. Before I lay my head down and cry, I'll make a point that may just be the one scrap of silver on this particular cloud: at least it's not the end of the season. There's time to recover and get that shooting stroke back. This was not the 82nd game with a playoff series looming like last April in Phoenix.
Please, Manu, finish this year healthy.
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T.T
"got him at 42……Chad Ford can’t keep up with RC ‘Bargin Basement’ Buford."
Spurs Yoda on Draft Night 2011
by Joe deLarios on Jan 3, 2012 8:00 AM CST via mobile reply actions
Silver lining, Manu cant injure himself in a suit. (…right??)
Hes gonna be fresher for the closing kick, meanwhile Anderson, Neal and Green can get some burn.
A man gets the eye of a Tiger, but a Tiger gets the eye of a Manu.
meanwhile Anderson, Neal and Green can get some burn.
If those 3 get the benefit of more playing time, and as a result, they’re more ready to contribute come playoffs, then that could be silver lining #2.
small ball will at least be bigger overall. - grego21
Pounding the Rock
This truly does suck, but the timing is as good as such a thing can be, even if it was does end a streak of super fantasticity. He should be back in time to get ramped up for the run, and in the meantime we get to develop some of these youngsters at a faster pace. As long as he heals completely and NEVER INJURES HIMSELF AGAIN, we’ll be OK.
"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest." --Willy Wonka
by SleepCrack on Jan 3, 2012 8:58 AM CST via mobile reply actions
*does, not was does
"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest." --Willy Wonka
by SleepCrack on Jan 3, 2012 9:33 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
SOO-per FAN-taz-TIZ-i-tee
I love it.
small ball will at least be bigger overall. - grego21
Pounding the Rock
There is no silver lining. This means the team is going to struggle and have a very small margin for error. It means more minutes for Tony and Tim if the Spurs are going to win games. Also, this does nothing to prevent an injury when he come back. Injuries are injuries and they suck. :(
Hope the team can stay afloat while he is out. I guess Tony can finally borrow the Cape!
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
You think the cape is removable and transferable?
small ball will at least be bigger overall. - grego21
Pounding the Rock
Keep your eyes peeled for a mysterious Frenchman chasing bats beneath the local underpasses.
"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest." --Willy Wonka
by SleepCrack on Jan 3, 2012 10:28 AM CST via mobile up reply actions 4 recs
I rec’d this (sure, why wouldn’t I) but I’m still not certain that the cape would fit anyone else alive!
And if it did, that wouldn’t destroy them the moment someone else donned it.
small ball will at least be bigger overall. - grego21
Pounding the Rock
One other thing. A technicality if you will. The fifth metatarsal? That is a bone in his foot according to wikipedia (and most other websites I have found). Perhaps he injured his fifth metacarpal?
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
Thanks for that. I fixed it.
A broken metatarsal in his hand would be cause for an entirely different kind of concern; not the least being, whose metatarsal is it?
small ball will at least be bigger overall. - grego21
Pounding the Rock
It is bizarre. ESPN has the correct word but not Yahoo and many news outlet have the mistake. I wonder how those come to be.
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
Maybe someone saw the same Twitter update I did and didn’t check to see that “tarsal” is the Latin for “foot”?
small ball will at least be bigger overall. - grego21
Pounding the Rock
That would be similar to Blair tearing his ACL.
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
Thoughts:
- Unless pre-2010 Duncan shows up sometime soon(don’t count on it), it’s going to be very difficult for the Spurs to maintain playoff position until Manu gets back.
- I hope they don’t rush Neal back too soon because of this.
- Once Gary does get back, Cory might not get sent to Austin like we originally thought.
- I hope Manu doesn’t try to come back too soon, and that Pop doesn’t let him, no matter what the standings look like.
- I really hate playing against the T-Wolves.
- Unfortunately, a condensed season (in theory at least) increases both the chance of injury and the number of games missed due to injury. So, we might not be done with stuff like this, but hopefully this will be the only one to a member of the core.
Free Cory Joseph!
All good concerns and things that I am very, very worried about too.
"Are you gunna bite all day little doggie, or are you gunna bite?"
by Joseph Parkes on Jan 3, 2012 9:43 AM CST up reply actions
It seems like he will be missing 20 games if the 4-5 week time frame is accurate. He would be scheduled back on a grueling road trip (is that the rodeo?) From February 6th to the 23rd they have 9 away games including two back to backs (Detroit/Toronto and Utah/Portland)
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
I’m counting 6 weeks from last night (with one day off for good behavior) which puts him out through the 11th of Feb, and makes it 23 games (or roughly 35% of the season.)
I will now wash my mouth out with soap.
small ball will at least be bigger overall. - grego21
Pounding the Rock
I’ll just go with the optimistic view of it. At least it’s the earlier part of the season and Manu can finish strong. A healthy Manu in the post season is something we haven’t seen enough of, recently.
Winter is coming
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
"got him at 42……Chad Ford can’t keep up with RC ‘Bargin Basement’ Buford."
Spurs Yoda on Draft Night 2011
by Joe deLarios on Jan 3, 2012 8:22 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
Looks like they are rushing Gary back. Green really should get more of the bulk minutes ahead of Neal. Otherwise, yeah, that’ll be ugly.
The condensed schedule will wreck havoc on a lot of teams due to the 4 games in 5 nights and back2back2backs. That might work in Spurs favors as they might see teams that are not as energerized.
I think matchups matter most, less so than the actual seeding.
Winter is coming
NBARumorCentral ESPN
Clippers to sign Solomon Jones. Manu Ginobili and Ronny Turiaf have broken left hands. Suns waive Garret Siler – http://t.co/gBfUaDuT
about 3 hours ago
I'm not as good as I once was...and that's just the cold, hard truth.
Nothing good about losing Manu. Can not replace a superstar just ask the Cavaliers. Maybe this forces the FO to make a move sooner for a big man than they wanted. Without Manu we need to step it up defensively and without the depth up front it is a lot to ask of our team to do.
by spurlover on Jan 3, 2012 10:01 AM CST via mobile reply actions
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by sleep research facility on Jan 3, 2012 10:14 AM CST reply actions
Love that game! But yes this is how I feel about right now because of this new lol
"Dear prescription drug commercial,
It's nice to know that even though I have genital herpes, I can still go fishing.
Sincerely, thanks for giving me peace of mind."
by Cello the great on Jan 3, 2012 10:31 AM CST up reply actions
*news
"Dear prescription drug commercial,
It's nice to know that even though I have genital herpes, I can still go fishing.
Sincerely, thanks for giving me peace of mind."
by Cello the great on Jan 3, 2012 10:31 AM CST up reply actions
I heard the game wasn’t that good
If you're watching a blowout, you can pass the time by counting the double teapots.
Samurai Champloo > Macross
by doubleteapot on Jan 3, 2012 10:32 AM CST up reply actions
it’s glitchy but overall its fun. Especially when you play online with other people. Personally Left 4 Dead is way better but Dead island is still very funl
"Dear prescription drug commercial,
It's nice to know that even though I have genital herpes, I can still go fishing.
Sincerely, thanks for giving me peace of mind."
by Cello the great on Jan 3, 2012 10:37 AM CST up reply actions
it’s not perfect, but i really enjoyed it – it’s simply FUN to play. the combat is particularly satisfying in my opinion.
this space left intentionally blank.
by sleep research facility on Jan 3, 2012 7:39 PM CST up reply actions
That’s beautifully rendered. What game is it from?
small ball will at least be bigger overall. - grego21
Pounding the Rock
dead island – first person zombie game.
this space left intentionally blank.
by sleep research facility on Jan 3, 2012 7:36 PM CST up reply actions
DeJuan45 DeJuan Blair
Good morning twittfam hope y’all have a great day!!
40 minutes ago
It begins.
I'm not as good as I once was...and that's just the cold, hard truth.
I wonder if he will have another emotional breakdown once someone mentions Manu
If you're watching a blowout, you can pass the time by counting the double teapots.
Samurai Champloo > Macross
by doubleteapot on Jan 3, 2012 11:12 AM CST up reply actions
another?
"If the NBA season is a marathon, Gregg Popovich is a full-blooded Kenyan."
-Timothy Varner 48MoH
by Jordan Leithart on Jan 3, 2012 11:36 AM CST up reply actions
thought on last night’s game: the T-Wolves were just on fire. now will they shoot over 80% from beyond the arc again? more than likely not, but the Spurs D needs to be better the next meeting. too many open shots.
i wish Ginobili a healthy recovery. yes, it sucks that he’s out, and it’ll be tough not having him, but i think our crew will pull through and win some games for the time being. there will be games lost, but i won’t push the panic button yet. it’ll be good to see our young guys get more experience, and it’ll be nice to have Neal back soon. keeping the faith up!
"You know the difference between you and me? I make this look GOOD." - Agent Jay, Men In Black
Manu being gone this early in the season can still benefit the team. Good fortune is still smiling for the Spurs..
"You learn that one person really doesn’t get anything done. In any business, in any endeavor, the people around you have to be good people and have to be able to work together. That’s where the real joy is – when you’re sharing success with somebody." - Pop
I think there’s a chance the Spurs can survive without Manu. Manu is, by a pretty wide margin, the best player on the team right now, for sure, but he has good backups. If Tim or Tony were out for 4 weeks, the season would be in more jeopardy IMO simply because the Spurs don’t have anyone good to take over their minutes.
With Manu injured, Anderson and Leonard (with RJ at the 2) will see more minutes and Green will be part of the rotation at least until a certain dead-eye clutch shooter comes back. That not as bad as having TJ Ford play 30+ minutes if it was Tony that was injured
Tony will see more minutes as well and I’m confident that the Wee Frenchman can score enough and create enough for others that the loss of Manu won’t hurt as much during the regular season. It was time to stop relying on Manu to put on his cape and bail us out anyway.
Call it optimism or denial but I think the Spurs will be in a good position when Manu returns.
"Deep down we all know that swagger comes hand in hand with insecurity. We strut not to convince competitors of our dominance; we strut to convince ourselves."
Matthew Powell
Agreed.
"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest." --Willy Wonka
by SleepCrack on Jan 3, 2012 11:55 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
This! Im not at defcon 1 like everyone else right now. Do i feel good? No! But we have never been deeper at a position like this before, and you didnt even mention Gary Neal.
Remember, the Spurs player that came close to being the leading scorer of the rookie sophmore game???
Manu breaking the smallest bone in his hand might have saved him from aggrivating his old stree fracture injury for all we know. Now Neal and JA, and Green get to sharpen their skills AND Manu comes back fresh by the end of Feb.
There is no way we miss the playoffs or a fresh Manu.
Do or do not! There is no try!
THE Stephania Bell (ding) sent me a DM. I asked her about Manu's hand.
Without knowing specifics, hard to say from distance. Can be surgical depending on break. No doubt further eval today.
Direct message sent by Stephania Bell (Stephania_ESPN) to you (DartFred) on Jan 03, 12:20 PM.
Nothing groundbreaking, but how cool is twitter?
"GINOBILI!" -- Sir Charles
Hey, everybody can vote with their feet! =]
small ball will at least be bigger overall. - grego21
Pounding the Rock
This will provide some comfort today.
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D15pn6iZXCQs&v=15pn6iZXCQs&gl=US
Do or do not! There is no try!
DeJuan45 DeJuan Blair
I’m starting to care less and less everyday bout a lot of thing! IM PROUD OV MYSELF I THINK I DESERVE A GIFT!!! IMMA BUY ME SUMthing NICE!!
3 minutes ago
It’s good to see not everyone’s been hit by the recession. Way to save that rookie contract DeJuan.
I'm not as good as I once was...and that's just the cold, hard truth.
Corey Joesph just assigned to Austin. Hmmmmmmm? I thought with Manu out he would stay put. Whats going on?
Do or do not! There is no try!
Only Manu is god around these parts.
by silverandblack_davis on Jan 3, 2012 7:00 PM CST up reply actions
I came across this article on spurs.com about other atheltes that sustained the same injury.
“2002 — Hall of Fame power forward Karl Malone broke the fifth metacarpal on his right hand while playing with the Utah Jazz. He didn’t realize the severity of the injury and kept playing.”
What? Dude just played through a broken hand? I believe he was right handed. That’s nuts.
"GINOBILI!" -- Sir Charles
First, there’s breaking, and then there’s BREAKING. Still not sure which one Manu did to himself.
Second, Malone (for as much as I’ve always despised him) was a mighty tough hombre, and durable as anything.
small ball will at least be bigger overall. - grego21
Pounding the Rock
I dislocated my elbow to a grosser extent than Rondo did last year and while it hurt like hell I wasn’t screaming or anything. The doctors were shocked at how normal I was acting because they said usually that kind of injury has patients just writhing in pain. At first I thought I was just really tough but then another time I tore my ACL, meniscus and PCL, and I was acting like the biggest baby in the world thinking that my leg was going to fall off and then I see some guys tear the same ligaments and walk off the field, or court like it is just a little sprain.
It’s just that no two injuries are ever the same even when they are diagnosed the same. It has less to do with pain tolerance and more to do with the unique intricacies of our physiology.
I tore my ACL and meniscus falling off a motorbike on the road (luckily woman behind me stopped, so I didn’t end up roadkill) and I picked myself up and walked to the side of the road. Hospital discharged me in a couple of hrs saying nothing is wrong and go home and the swelling in my knee is just from impact.
I didn’t know anything was wrong until a week later my knee just slipped while trying to climb into the car, I went in nose first. Darnest thing really, and I was gonna play ball that week after having given my knee a week to reabsorb fluids. I went back and then they tell me “oops, we think you tore ACL etc”. Bummer.
Did your body absorb the scar tissue, leaving you without any ACL in that knee?
Because — you know, I’ve heard that can happen to people if they’re awesome enough.
small ball will at least be bigger overall. - grego21
Pounding the Rock
I didnt realize it was just last year that Tony had a nearly identical fracture.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4972508
A man gets the eye of a Tiger, but a Tiger gets the eye of a Manu.
Nice catch. But, um, that’s almost two years ago.
small ball will at least be bigger overall. - grego21
Pounding the Rock
Whatever, still not mentioned by anyone else on this site, so …
A man gets the eye of a Tiger, but a Tiger gets the eye of a Manu.
Which is why I said “Nice catch” … Mr. Sensitive. =]
small ball will at least be bigger overall. - grego21
Pounding the Rock
This team needs to add someone!
Agent Zero would be a good fit in San Antonio if you ask me… Duncan would keep him in shape and Arenas was a star last time he was getting 30+ minutes a night…. Before he brought guns to the arena. Still though, I can’t believe some team hasn’t taken a flyer on the 29 year-old talent. He still definitely has it, looks what he did before Washington traded him last season! Then they don’t have to rush Manu back, and when he does come back, they use a 3-man rotation with Parker-Manu-Arenas….. That’s what this team has to do to survive this shortened season without their leading scorer!
Also, new Golden State Warriors site for those interested!
With Arenas, it’s all about attitude.
small ball will at least be bigger overall. - grego21
Pounding the Rock
First off, after his surgery he hasnt been the same. He was TERRIBLE for the magic last year in a role similar to the one we would give him. Simply put, he has never adjusted to being a role player. And that’s the only thing the spurs are looking for…role players.
Besides Arenas is one of the worst defenders in the NBA…and we already have Bonner for that.
Simply no. Its never gonna happen. Arenas is everything the spurs hate and have always avoided.
Its a shame because I like the guy and I think people demonize him for 1 mistake he made. But basketball wise he doesnt fit in the spurs organization.
"Kevin Garnett once described defending Tim Duncan as "trying to guard a tree"
Ball movement stopper. Win stopper. Or black hole, if we want to use the tried and true one.
Also, he hasn’t been good for years.
Winter is coming
Can I play Devils advocate?
And hope that they do not make the playoffs. Tim has not definitely stated that he’s retiring, should this Manu injury lead to looking on the outside in the spring, the giant silver lining is the incredibly deep 2012 NBA draft.
I wonder what the blogosphere’s response wouldve been, had it existed, when Robinson went down, leading to the Duncan draft
Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.
Seriously, that would be like giving Manu and Duncan the finger if the Spurs were to purposely tank.
Winter is coming
I wasnt suggesting a tank job
Just the possibility that his loss might be too much to over come, given the compressed schedule, and Tim and Tony’s own injury problems, and we’d maybe end up on the outside looking in, which obviously worked out when The Admiral went out, granted the supporting cast is a bit stronger this time around.
Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.
I hear you now. I just think it’d be pretty difficult for the Spurs to miss the playoffs, but if they did I can see the silver lining — assuming Timmeh returns.
small ball will at least be bigger overall. - grego21
Pounding the Rock
Remember
08-09 season manu injury and parker with 22.0 ppg
I dont think we need that again … the spurs need to move the ball better
Tiago, Blair offense depend on pick & roll created by manu
I love recycling.
I hear it helps the environment.
small ball will at least be bigger overall. - grego21
Pounding the Rock
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