Tag: Brazil

Ginobili’s aggressive play fuels victory

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina — Eric Musselman, head coach of Venezuela’s team in the FIBA Americas pre-Olympic qualifying tournament, served three seasons as an NBA coach — two with the Warriors and one with the Kings.

So when the play near the end of the first half of Tuesday’s Argentina-Venezuela game turned extremely physical, Musselman knew what to expect from Spurs star Manu Ginobili, who is leading Argentina in a competition that will qualify two teams for the 2012 Olympics in London.

“He’s just an amazing player, and the more competitive the game is, the more he seems to have an impact,” Musselman said. “He’s a competitive guy who just has a knack for making huge shots at inopportune times for the opposition.”

Musselman lamented a pair of back-to-back 3-pointers Ginobili made in the second quarter of Argentina’s 111-93 victory at Malvinas Argentinas Arena.

His team had just scored eight unanswered points to pull within six of the tournament’s only undefeated team, at 38-32, with halftime approaching.

Ginobili, more aggressive on offense than at any time in the tournament, made back-to-back 3-pointers, followed with a slick pass to Luis Scola for a shot that turned into a pair of made foul shots, and another assist to Pablo Prigioni for another 3-pointer.

Ginobili made 10 of 14 shots, including 6 of 8 from 3-point range, and finished with a game-high 26 points.

Two of the three Spurs players in the tournament will continue into the tournament semifinals, which already are set before the final two days of the second preliminary round.

Argentina and Tiago Splitter’s Brazilian team, a 90-65 victor over Panama on Tuesday, have advanced to the semifinals, along with Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

Splitter scored three points, grabbed three rebounds and had three assists in Brazil’s easy win that clinched its spot in the semifinals.

Ginobili has offer from his former club in Italy

By Mike Monroe
mikemonroe@express-news.net

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina — Manu Ginobili’s agent, Herb Rudoy, on Thursday confirmed an offer made to Ginobili to rejoin the Virtus Bologna team in the Italian League, but said no response has yet been made to the offer.

Ginobili’s brother Leandro, working as a television analyst at the FIBA Americas tournament, also confirmed the offer for Manu to play again in Italy if the NBA lockout continues.

“I don’t think Manu is thinking he will go play in Italy for two months before returning to the Spurs,” said Manu’s 41-year-old brother.

Leandro Ginobili said his brother is completely focused on the final two days of the tournament and has made no response whatsoever to the offer from Virtus Bologna, first reported by the Italian sports publication Gazzetta Dello Sport.

Ginobili played in Bologna in 2001, leading the club, then Kinder Bologna, to the European Final Four and being named MVP of the tournament.

Ginobili is under contract to the Spurs for two more seasons, scheduled to make $14.2 million next season if the lockout were to allow a full season.

FIBA Americas

Ginobili had 17 points and five assists as Argentina scored a 84-58 victory over the Dominican Republic on the final day of the second phase of the tournament.

“I am not used to playing back-to-back-to-back-to-back,” said Ginobili. “I was exhausted and had no legs at all.”

Up by nine entering the fourth period, Argentina’s Carlos Delfino scored eight unanswered points in the first 1:40 of the period to give his team some breathing space.

Brazil’s 94-72 victory over Puerto Rico on Thursday earned top seed in the semifinals, meaning it will face the Dominicans. Argentina will play Puerto Rico. Spurs center Tiago Splitter scored 17 points in three quarters of an easy victory, and sat the fourth period.

The winners of Saturday’s games will be assured berths in the 2012 Olympics in London, regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s championship game.

Canada’s quest for an Olympic berth ended Thursday with an 91-89 loss to Panama. Spurs draftee Cory Joseph scored four points.

Spurs draftee Joseph has a good attitude, eh?

After playing collegiately at Texas, a school with ties aplenty to the Spurs, there likely isn’t much the club doesn’t already know about point guard Cory Joseph, the player the Spurs made the 29th selection of the 2011 draft.

Nevertheless, about the Canadian national team Joseph joined recently must have brought smiles to the faces of Gregg Popovich and the rest of the Spurs coaches.

Levon Kendall, a veteran forward on the Canadian team, gushed about Joseph’s humility and team-first attitude after being added to the team a few weeks into its training regimen.

“I’ve been most impressed with his attitude, not having a sense of entitlement,” Kendall, the most veteran member of the Canadian team, told the Sun. “He understands guys have been here. He’s got to prove himself before he gets that respect. He has to earn it to a certain extent so that’s what I’ve been most surprised about. It’s nice to see that.”

If the NBA lockout ever ends and the Spurs have a training camp, that attitude will serve Joseph well there, too.

Joseph, who played only one season for the Longhorns, celebrated his 20th birthday on Saturday, the final day of the Canadian team’s training camp. The team was to depart Sunday for Brazil to begin playing a series of warmup games before the FIBA Americas tournament opens in Mar del Plata, Argentina, on Aug. 30.