Manu Ginobili will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his ankle this week after re-injuring the ankle during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Ginobili, who helped Argentina win the Bronze Medal, will likely miss between two and three months.

This news is obviously bad for the San Antonio Spurs. With as hard as the Western Conference will be this year, they can ill afford for any of their Big Three to go down. Now with Ginobili sidelined, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker will have to pick up the slack.

Fantasy basketball wise, this news may be good to newly acquired guard Roger Mason, Jr. If Mason starts in place of Ginobili, he could get a lot of shots in the Spurs offense. Mason put up impressive stats when he started games for the Washington Wizards next year. Keep an eye on how much playing time he gets early on in the 2008-09 season.

The other players who could see their minutes increase are Michael Finley and Ime Udoka. However, those two players won’t help much in the fantasy basketball world.

The earliest Ginobili will be back is December 1st. Until then, watch this Manu Ginobili highlight reel video of him playing with the Argentina basketball national team:

Although Manu Ginoibli has some injury concerns, he will play for Argentina in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Ginobili said he would decline to play if his injury woes didn’t subside. Apparently, the Argentine guard is healthy enough to give it a go.

Argentina definitely needed Ginobili to have a shot to repeat as Olympic champions. While it will be difficult for Argentina to again win gold like they did in 2004, without Ginobili it would have been impossible.

Joining Ginobili on the Argentinean Olympic team will be many players NBA fans are aware of including Fabricio Oberto, Andres Nocioni, Luis Scola and Carlos Delfino.

Will Ginobili be able to win gold again?

Photo: Newscom

Manu Ginobili was hobbled during the 2008 NBA Playoffs due to an ankle injury. Although Ginobili has been off the ankle for about three weeks, he hasn’t seen much improvement in his ankle. For that reason, Ginobili fears he may not be able to represent Argentina as the South American country tries to defend its gold medal in the 2008 Olypmic Games.

If Ginobili is unable to play for Argentina, the chances of Argentina being able to win a gold will be all but dashed. Ginobili is Argetina’s best player and one of the best players in the world in international competition.

For the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season, Ginobili should be fine. His ankle isn’t seriously injured and it’s believed he’d be able to return to 100% by training camp in October. However, if he opts to play for Argentina in the Olympics and re-injures his ankle, Ginobili may be in for a difficult NBA season next year.

Will Manu Ginobili be able to play for Argentina in the 2008 Olympics?

Photo: Newscom

Despite being slowed in the playoffs due to an ankle injury, Manu Ginobili should be ready to go for the Olympics this summer. Ginobili will again lead Argentina as that South American country goes for its second consecutive gold medal.

Ginobili’s play suffered more and more as the playoffs went along. Against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, Ginobili become a non-factor outside of his Game 3 30-point explosion.

Although the San Antonio Spurs will worry about the wear and tear Ginobili will put on his body this summer, there was no thought of telling him to skip the Olympics. Ginobili has repeatedly stated how important playing in the Olympics is for him and his country.

Ginobili will be joined on the Argentina national team by his Spurs teammate Fabricio Oberto. Former Spurs draft pick Luis Scola, now a member of the Houston Rockets, will also represent Argentina.

Photo: Newscom

Sometimes trades in the NBA could be considered big trades but don’t make a ripple in the fantasy world. The Kurt Thomas to the San Antonio Spurs trade is one of those trades. While Thomas has been a consistent fantasy option this year, there likely aren’t many fantasy teams that he’s starring on.

And now that he’s going to the Spurs, his fantasy value will drop even further. He was starting and playing relatively big minutes for the Seattle Supersonics. With the Spurs, he likely won’t start right away. In fact, Fabricio Oberto may remain the starter for the rest of the season.

In the short-term, expect Thomas’ numbers to plummet to about half of what he did in Seattle. Eventually, as he earns more and more playing time, his peak production will likely be approximately 75% of what he did while with the Sonics. The end result will be a fantasy player who isn’t rosterable in most leagues.

In Seattle, neither Brent Barry nor Francisco Elson will make too much noise. Elson will likely be a backup center who gets limited minutes. Barry likely won’t even suit up for the Sonics and will instead be bought out. Expect Barry to either re-sign with the Spurs or sign with a contender such as the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers or the Dallas Mavericks.

PER is a statistic created by John Hollinger that helps measure have well a player performs per minute. By using this statistic, you can help find players who could potentially produce at a high level if their minutes increase.

Craig Smith, Minnesota Timberwolves
Smith has been on fire as of late and his PER is looking very solid at 19.38, which is 40th in the NBA. While he’s only playing a bit over 20 minutes per game, the numbers point to him being a big producer if his minutes rise. With the Timberwolves being content to get as many ping pong balls as possible, don’t be surprised to see Smith play big minutes from here on out.

Fabricio Oberto, San Antonio Spurs
While this stat is most useful in terms of finding young players, it also points to Oberto being able to produce very nice numbers if given more time. And now with Francisco Elson sidelined with an ankle injury, he may see a bump in his playing time. On the season Oberto has a PER of 18.1, which ranks him 58th in the NBA. If his minutes per game rise to around 30, he may be a nice fantasy option.

Kris Humphries, Toronto Raptors
Humphries is quietly coming on strong for the Raptors. He has scored in double figures in three straight games and four out of his last five games. He also has at least five rebounds in each of those contests. Humphries is a bigman who is athletic and has a good touch on his shot. With consistent minutes, he could become relevant in the fantasy world.

Trevor Ariza, Los Angeles Lakers
Ariza is a very athletic small forward who was recently traded to the Lakers in a swap that sent Brian Cook and Maurice Evans to the Orlando Magic. Ariza can score a bit, rebound, block some shots and swipe some steals. If he gets time next to Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Lakers, he could very well post some Jamario Moon type numbers for the Lakers.

Bonzi Wells, Houston Rockets
Wells isn’t a player that gets a lot of fantasy love, but it may be time to change that. Always a Rick Adelman favorite, Wells is getting more and more time with the Rockets. He can score, rebound and shoot for nice percentages.

Corey Brewer, Minnesota Timberwolves
Brewer’s offensive numbers have been ugly so far in his NBA career. His shooting percentages are poor and it looks like he’s going to have a tough time scoring on this level. That said, he can block shots, get steals and rebound rather well.

Brevin Knight, Los Angeles Clippers
Knight showed up to camp out of shape and that understandably angered his coaches. However, now he’s played himself in shape and is playing well. With Sam Cassell up there in age, Knight could easily win the starting gig before long.

Chris Duhon, Chicago Bulls
If Kirk Hinrich continues his horrible play, the Bulls may be forced to turn to Duhon full time. He’s a bit of a weak offensive play, but he’ll give you decent enough stats in points, assists and rebounds if he starts to get extended minutes.

Fabricio Oberto, San Antonio Spurs
If you are in a deep league, Oberto is a very safe player to pick up. He shoots for a great percentage, gets points and rebounds, and doesn’t turn the ball over. He’s also consistent in his production on a night to night basis.