Tag: San Antonio Spurs

Manu ranks No. 16 among SI.com’s top NBA players

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili was ranked 16th by SI.com’s Point Forward in its list of the NBA’s top players.

Ginobili will end up being the Spurs’ highest rated player in the listing.  Earlier, Tim Duncan was listed as No. 23 and Tony Parker was 26th.

SI.com’s Zach Lowe has been revealing the top players in the NBA in regular order over the past several days. He is judging players on their two-way abilities, regardless of salary or team context. Lowe says the listing is where the players are ranked at this moment, heading into the 2011-12 season.

Here’s what Lowe has to say about Ginobili:

16. MANU GINOBILI
SG, San Antonio Spurs
Age: 34
2010-11 Stats: 17.4 PPG, 43.3 FG%, 34.9 3PT%, 4.9 APG, 3.7 RPG, 1.5 STL

“There’s almost nothing not to like about Ginobili, and had he played more minutes, I could easily have flipped him over the next guy — and perhaps even the guy after that. He’s a great all-around player who has been the driving force in San Antonio for a couple of years now. He has long been one of the league’s best big-game and big-moment players, and that ‘skill,’ to the degree that it is a skill at all, seems only to get better as Ginobili ages.

“Being ‘clutch’ probably isn’t a real, permanent skill. But players like Ginobili have an easier time appearing as clutch because they can hurt an opponent in so many ways. He can attack in isolation. He runs the pick-and-roll like an elite point guard, threading gorgeous pocket passes to Tim Duncan or using his weird hesitation dribbles and Euro-step (Manu-step?) techniques to create space. He can finish well at the rim. He hits an above-average mark . He can make threes both off the catch and off the dribble, the latter of which is a rare skill. And when a defender overplays his left hand, Ginobili will cross him over to the right, get in the lane, cross back to his left and do something so crazy that you’ll want to re-watch it instantly.

“You can quibble with his shot selection now and then, and argue that he shouldn’t be taking more than six threes per game. Those are fair nitpicks, but they’re still nitpicks.

“On defense, Ginobili is a rangy, whip-smart 6-foot-6 creator of chaos. He is always near the top of the league in steals, and it’s easy to mistake him for an irresponsible gambler when he suddenly leaves his guy to swipe the ball from an unsuspecting sap 15 feet away. But if you watch carefully (and long enough), you realize that Ginobili’s gambles are based on his knowledge of an opposing playbook and anticipation of what action is about to happen. It’s gambling almost without risk, and Ginobili might be better at it than anyone.

“He’s also fundamentally sound, smart and active. You don’t play any other way for the Spurs. San Antonio has been one of the best two-way teams for a decade, and Ginobili has been at the center of that. The concerns about durability and minutes are legitimate, and they keep him here.”

It’s an accurate assessment of Ginobili’s  relative skills and his importance to the team. Right now, Ginobili is the most valuable player on the franchise. And Ballard’s ratings reflect that influence on the team.

Here’s a listing of SI.com’s top 100 so far. The final 10 players will be revealed on Tuesday.

TOP 100 NBA PLAYERS … SO FAR
RANK
PLAYER
POSITION, TEAM
100.
Brandon Roy
SG, Portland Trail Blazers
99.
Tony Allen
SG, Memphis Grizzlies
98.
Nick Collison
PF, Oklahoma City Thunder
97.
Shane Battier
SF, free agent (Memphis Grizzlies)
96.
John Salmons
G-F, Sacramento Kings
95.
Louis Williams
G, Philadelphia 76ers
94.
O.J. Mayo
SG, Memphis Grizzlies
93.
Ty Lawson
PG, Denver Nuggets
92.
Wilson Chandler
SF, restricted free agent (Denver Nuggets)
91.
Mike Conley
PG, Memphis Grizzlies
90.
Hedo Turkoglu
SF, Orlando Magic
89.
Raymond Felton
PG, Portland Trail Blazers
88.
Wesley Matthews
SG, Portland Trail Blazers
87.
Roy Hibbert
C, Indiana Pacers
86.
Jameer Nelson
PG, Orlando Magic
85.
Andrei Kirilenko
SF, free agent (Utah Jazz)
84.
DeAndre Jordan
C, restricted free agent (Los Angeles Clippers)
83.
Ron Artest
SF, L.A. Lakers
82.
Thaddeus Young
F, restricted free agent (Philadelphia 76ers)
81.
Nicolas Batum
SF, Portland Trail Blazers
80.
Danilo Gallinari
SF, Denver Nuggets
79.
Chris Kaman
C, Los Angeles Clippers
78.
Rodney Stuckey
G, restricted free agent (Detroit Pistons)
77.
Arron Afflalo
SG, restricted free agent (Denver Nuggets)
76.
Grant Hill
SF, free agent (Phoenix Suns)
75.
Stephen Jackson
G-F, Milwaukee Bucks
74.
Jrue Holiday
PG, Philadelphia 76ers
73.
George Hill
G, Indiana Pacers
72.
John Wall
PG, Washington Wizards
71.
Andre Miller
PG, Denver Nuggets
70.
Marcin Gortat
C, Phoenix Suns
69.
Emeka Okafor
C, New Orleans Hornets
68.
Anderson Varejao
F-C, Cleveland Cavaliers
67.
Serge Ibaka
PF, Oklahoma City Thunder
66.
Andrea Bargnani
F-C, Toronto Raptors
65.
Jamal Crawford
G, free agent (Atlanta Hawks)
64.
Jason Richardson
SG, free agent (Orlando Magic)
63.
Caron Butler
SF, free agent (Dallas Mavericks)
62.
Shawn Marion
F, Dallas Mavericks
61.
Tayshaun Prince
SF, free agent (Detroit Pistons)
60.
Devin Harris
PG, Utah Jazz
59.
Chauncey Billups
PG, New York Knicks
58.
Jason Kidd
PG, Dallas Mavericks
57.
David Lee
PF, Golden State Warriors
56.
Kyle Lowry
PG, Houston Rockets
55.
Jason Terry
SG, Dallas Mavericks
54.
James Harden
SG, Oklahoma City Thunder
53.
Al Jefferson
F-C, Utah Jazz
52.
Luis Scola
PF, Houston Rockets
51.
Danny Granger
SF, Indiana Pacers
50.
Elton Brand
PF, Philadelphia 76ers
49.
Brook Lopez
C, New Jersey Nets
48.
Ray Allen
SG, Boston Celtics
47.
Luol Deng
SF, Chicago Bulls
46.
Paul Millsap
PF, Utah Jazz
45.
Carlos Boozer
PF, Chicago Bulls
44.
Monta Ellis
SG, Golden State Warriors
43.
Joakim Noah
C, Chicago Bulls
42.
Kevin Martin
SG, Houston Rockets
41.
Stephen Curry
PG, Golden State Warriors
40.
Marc Gasol
C, Memphis Grizzlies
39.
Gerald Wallace
F, Portland Trail Blazers
38.
Andrew Bynum
C, Los Angeles Lakers
37.
Andrew Bogut
C, Milwaukee Bucks
36.
Tyreke Evans
G, Sacramento Kings
35.
Tyson Chandler
C, free agent (Dallas Mavericks)
34.
Josh Smith
F, Atlanta Hawks
33.
Lamar Odom
F, Los Angeles Lakers
32.
Joe Johnson
SG, Atlanta Hawks
31.
David West
PF, free agent (New Orleans Hornets)
30.
Andre Iguodala
G-F, Philadelphia 76ers
29.
Eric Gordon
SG, Los Angeles Clippers
28.
Rudy Gay
SF, Memphis Grizzlies
27.
Rajon Rondo
PG, Boston Celtics
26.
Tony Parker
PG, San Antonio Spurs
25.
Al Horford
C, Atlanta Hawks
24.
Nene
C, free agent (Denver Nuggets)
23.
Tim Duncan
PF, San Antonio Spurs
22.
Chris Bosh
PF, Miami Heat
21.
Kevin Love
PF, Minnesota Timberwolves
20.
Carmelo Anthony
SF, New York Knicks
19.
Amar’e Stoudemire
PF, New York Knicks
18.
Steve Nash
PG, Phoenix Suns
17.
Kevin Garnett
PF, Boston Celtics
16.
Manu Ginobili
SG, San Antonio Spurs
15.
Paul Pierce
SF, Boston Celtics
14.
Blake Griffin
PF, Los Angeles Clippers
13.
Zach Randolph
PF, Memphis Grizzlies
12.
Russell Westbrook
PG, Oklahoma City Thunder
11.
LaMarcus Aldridge
PF Portland Trail Blazers

Spurs’ Neal not built for indoor streetball

By Jeff McDonald
jmcdonald@express-news.net

WASHINGTON — Even before he walked into that humid, jam-packed locker room in the nation’s capital Saturday, Gary Neal knew he was out of his element.

With no Gregg Popovich around to call his number and no Manu Ginobili to set him up, Neal figured his chances of standing out in the exhibition between two legendary summer pro-am leagues — Los Angeles’ Drew League and the D.C.-based Goodman League — were slim.

His spot-up game and role-player mentality aren’t built for streetball, even streetball played indoors.

“No, not at all,” said Neal, a Spurs guard and Baltimore native who played for the Goodman team. “My point guards are (Denver’s) Ty Lawson and (Washington’s) John Wall. Just have to hope they’re in a distributing mood.”

They weren’t. Neal finished with six points, 38 shy of the 44 pumped in by NBA scoring champ Kevin Durant, who earned MVP honors in Goodman’s 135-134 victory.

As the NBA’s Lockout Summer swelters into its second month, this is what passes for basketball at its apex. It is a standing-room crowd of about 2,000 wedged into a Division-III bandbox at some place called Trinity University, 4 miles north of Capitol Hill and two levels above the campus swimming pool.

It is a trash-talking emcee, Goodman League commissioner Miles Rawls, chattering through free throws when he wasn’t hawking highlight DVDs — entitled, appropriately enough, “No Lockout” — like a P.T. Barnum of the pick-and-roll.

It is the mild-mannered Durant, the only NBA All-Star on either roster, flexing for the crowd after a coast-to-coast drive.

It is streetball legends named “Money Mike” (no last name) and Baby Shaq Jones filling out the end of the bench.

It is showmanship above all else, and in that, Saturday night delivered.

“We put on a show,” said Wall, who added 28 points to the Goodman win. “That’s what it’s all about. It’s not about money. It’s about loving the game and wanting to play the game.”

Of course, not everybody wanted to.

Wizards swingman Nick Young, reportedly miffed because he wasn’t named the Drew League’s regular-season MVP, didn’t show. Neither did Kobe Bryant, whose presence was rumored after he dropped 43 points and the game-winning jumper in a Drew League game last week.

“We tried to get him,” said Drew Leaguer DeMar DeRozan, a Toronto Raptors forward. “You pretty much have to catch Kobe at the right time and the right place.”

Like a good Spur, Neal wasn’t built for this circus.

Neal, who made the leap from the undrafted scrap heap to first-team All-Rookie last season by staying within himself, couldn’t have felt further from San Antonio had he gone back to Europe.

Minutes into his first appearance, Neal buried the kind of off-balance, guarded 3-pointer he hit about 129 times last season. In the fourth quarter, he added a transition three to a Goodman rally.

In between, Neal might as well have been a paying customer. Certainly, nobody was going to call a play for him, because neither team was running any.

Neal was there at Trinity mostly because he had nowhere else to go.

“I’m pretty much just trying to stay in shape,” Neal said. “If I had to pick, I’d rather be back in San Antonio, getting instruction from the coaches and things like that. Games like this are everywhere now, so you just try to stay active.”

In a way, Neal has been with the understated Spurs too long to shine in a game like this. All-star games, as a rule, are built for dunkers and speedsters, and Neal is neither.

The game opened with a Drew League alley-oop, from Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings to Washington’s JaVale McGee. Moments later, Wall hooked up with Durant for an answer. And so on and so forth, until the final horn.

In the end, Saturday’s exhibition wasn’t an apples-to-apples replacement for NBA basketball. But for Neal, a Spur out of water, at least it was something.

Manu to Argentine reporter: ‘Two more years and then … I don’t know’

This was inevitable: As soon as Argentina began playing “friendly” warmup games to prepare for the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying tournament that begins on Aug. 30 in Mar del Plata, Argentine sports journalists were going to take every opportunity to ask Manu Ginobili and some of his longtime teammates from the “golden generation” about their long-term basketball plans.

Thus, a story about Ginobili that ran Sunday in “El Tribuno,” following Argentina’s friendly triumph over Paraguay, 82056, in Salta, Argentina. The story is headlined “There is a high possibility of leaving basketball in two years.”

Of course, Ginobili will be 36 when his contract with the Spurs expires in two years, so it is hardly a surprise that he said he didn’t know how he might feel about continuing his career once that contract expires.

With translation help from my friend, Joe Alvarez, here is Ginobili’s response to the question, posed by the El Tribuno reporter, “How much longer until Manu leaves basketball?”

Ginobili: “I’m going to play for two more years for sure. When that day comes and I’m a free agent with open possibilities, I’m going to decide if I  want to continue to pay, or not; if I do it in SA, or if I go somewhere else.

“There is a high probability that I’ll ‘leave’ in two or three years, but I don’t want to say yes or no because I don’t know.”