For the first time, Spurs officials have expressed grave concern about injured guard Manu Ginobili’s plan to help Argentina defend its Olympic gold medal in Beijing later this summer.
Ginobili, who was hobbled by a jammed ankle during the Spurs’ playoff ouster against the Lakers in the Western Conference finals last month, has not seen much improvement in the joint since the season ended three weeks ago.
For that reason, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Wednesday he hopes Ginobili will give serious thought to sitting out the Summer Games.
“My concern is that it’s going to get worse,” Popovich said. “He’s got to seriously consider his health.”
Speaking to media in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, Ginobili acknowledged the injury was worse than previously believed, casting his ability to play in Beijing in doubt.
“I believe this puts in danger my chances at playing in the Olympic Games,” he told reporters there.
An MRI taken during the playoffs revealed a ligament in Ginobili’s left heel swollen to four to five times its normal size. Another MRI taken Monday revealed the swelling had not subsided, even though Ginobili had been off the ankle for nearly 21 days.
Ginobili will spend the next three weeks in a plastic boot meant to immobilize the ankle. If his condition hasn’t improved by the time it comes off, Ginobili will have a decision to make regarding his participation in the Olympics.
That decision rests with Ginobili alone. Under the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, the Spurs cannot order Ginobili to skip the Olympics.
Easily the top basketball player in Argentina’s history, Ginobili said he hasn’t surrendered hope of healing in time to participate.
The Argentine team is slated to begin workouts July 4. The Olympic basketball competition is scheduled to open Aug. 9.“I am going to do everything possible, because I want to play,” Ginobili said.
Popovich, long a proponent of the international game, said he was sympathetic to Ginobili’s dilemma.
“He’s got to go back and live there (in Argentina) some day,” Popovich said. “But his bills get paid by his performance with the Spurs.”
