Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs is sidelined once again with an ankle injury. The good news is that the injured ankle isn’t the same one that required surgery this summer. However, the stress reaction in his ankle is expected to keep him out 2-to-3 weeks.

Since Ginobili will have two “bad” ankles once he returns, his fantasy value the rest of the way takes a major hit. Additionally, you can expect head coach Gregg Popovich to play him even fewer minutes than usual to make sure that Ginobili will hold up come playoff time.

With Ginobili out, the player who will get the most added touches is Roger Mason, Jr. The starter at shooting guard for the Spurs should see his scoring average rise around a half dozen points or so with Ginobili sidelined.

Other players who will get more minutes with Ginobili out include veterans Michael Finley, Bruce Bowen and Ime Udoka. If you want to take a chance on a sleeper, consider George Hill. Although he’s the team’s backup point guard, he could see some minutes at shooting guard with Ginobili sidelined.

As could be expected, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker will also have to shoulder a larger part of the role until Ginobili can return. Once the Argentine sensation is back on the court, follow him closely to see how healthy he appears and if he gets to play enough minutes to warrant a spot on your fantasy roster.

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

Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs has struggled mightily in the first two games of the Western Conference Finals. Ginobili, who insists he isn’t too injured to play, is reportedly dealing with a number of ailments.

The worst ailment at the time is a jammed ankle. Ginobili originally hurt his ankle against the Phoenix Suns in the first round. However, he recently re-injured the ankle against the Lakers in Game 1.

Ginobili, besides his jammed ankle, is dealing with a injured groin he hurt at the end of the regular season, an injured calf he hurt earlier in the playoffs and a torn fingernail he suffered within the last week. All these injuries combined have certainly took their toll on the Spurs’ Argentine star guard.

In the first two games of the series against the Los Angeles Lakers, Ginobili is averaging 8.5 points on 23.8% shooting from the field. Those numbers are stunningly poor, especially since he averaged 21.3 points and six assists versus the New Orleans Hornets in the second round.

Ginobili and the Spurs currently find themselves in a 0-2 hole against the Lakers. For the Spurs to turn it around, Ginobili is going to have to get healthier and play better.

Photo: Newscom