Tag: Canada

No, not the nose! Sinus infection nearly benches Manu

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina — Spurs guard Manu Ginobili acknowledged Monday that he missed Argentina’s Sunday practice session with a sinus infection that robbed him of good sleep for a couple of days.

Ginobili told the Express-News he wasn’t sure he would feel well enough to suit up against Canada in the first game of the second round of the FIBA Americas pre-Olympic qualifying tournament here.

A round of antibiotics eased the infection, and Ginobili on Monday scored 16 points, with six rebounds and five assists, in Argentina’s 79-53 victory over Canada.

“I had two really bad days and nights, just couldn’t breathe easily,” Ginobili said. “Yesterday (Sunday) I started with some medicine and slept about nine hours.

“That sleep was very helpful for me, but this is a tough tournament if you are not sleeping well. You play four in five nights, then have one day off, and now we have four in four. So resting is huge, and yesterday, by the time we were to come to practice I just couldn’t make it. But I had a good night and today was a different story.”

Manu’s recovery wasn’t good news for Canada, but at least it allowed Spurs draftee Cory Joseph, the former UT star, to meet him briefly during the pre-game exchange of gifts.

“He welcomed me to the family,” said Joseph, a Toronto native who is Canada’s starting point guard.

“We will get to talk much more at training camp in about a month,” Ginobili said. “Well, at least I hope it will be in about a month.”

Takes from blog brothers: Manu looks strong in Super 4 Tournament

Manu Ginobili looked in mid-season form over the weekend in his early work for his Argentina national team.

Ginobili erupted for 22 points in 20 minutes of action to help Argentina to a 106-53 victory over Venezuela to win the Super 4 Tournament as the teams prepared for the FIBA Tournament of the Americas later this month.

Jeff Garcia of Project Spurs.com has a few snippets of the .  It’s a typical Ginobili performance as he dives and hustles around the court looking to make plays. In the process he shows little lingering rust from his injury-marred end of the 2011 season.

Chilai of Pounding the Rock.com was at Orfeo Stadium to watch the Argentina team and about the effort by Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto and their teammates. Watch for his “Manu alerts.”

Garcia also has an update from the performance of first-round draft pick Cory Joseph with the Canadian national team. The rookie point guard in  Canada’s 74-67 triumph over Belgium in the Jack Donohoe International Classic.  

Here are some other Spurs-related stories from across the blogosphere.

  • Andrew McNeill of 48 Minutes of Hell.com wonders if the Spurs might have arranged for Danny Green to play for the Slovenian team Union Olimpija to .
  • ESPN.com’s Andy Katz reflects on Kawhi Leonard’s on the West  Coast for San Diego State.
  • Robby Lim of Spurs World.com provide a on Nov. 5, 2008.   
  • Howard Herman of the Berkshire (Mass.) Eagle reflects on .
  • Jerry DiPaola of the Pittsburgh Review has a profile of Pitt wide receiver Cameron Saddler, a 5-foot-7 junior .
  • The Sacramento Bee’s Ailene Voisin believes Vlade Divac belongs in the Naismith Hall of Fame because of the way he like Ginobili.
  • The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn describes into the Hall of Fame.
  • The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Tim Sullivan describes how Leonard’s early departure from San Diego State for the school’s Academic Progress Rate score.
  • Gilmore calls Hubie Brown the during his pro career, the Jacksonville Times-Union’s Gene Frenette reports.   
  • In case you missed it, here’s a story that Express-News colleague Heath Hamilton wrote about how athletes of today like Parkerthan those of previous generations.
  • Eric Johnson of the Bleacher Report.com predicts the Spurs – once next season finally begins.