Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs played his second game on Friday night after returning from an ankle injury. Against the Los Angeles Clippers, Ginobili illustrated why he’s such a fantasy basketball force. Despite playing limited minutes, he dominated for San Antonio.
In 17 minutes, Ginobili had 14 points, seven assists, three steals and one block while hitting 5-of-7 shots from the field, 2-of-3 attempts from behind the three-point line and 2-of-2 shots at the charity stripe. As he returns to health and gets in better shape, expect his minutes to return to about 30 to 32 minutes per contest.
Ginobili …read more

When Manu Ginobili was originally diagnosed with a stress reaction in his leg, the Spurs said he’d be out for two-to-three weeks. Three weeks later and Ginobili still isn’t ready.
The latest out of San Antonio is that Ginobili will miss another week or two. If you are a betting man, expect him to return at some point in the last week in March.
Until Ginobili, Tony Parker and Roger Mason, Jr. will see their values retain their current level. Parker has had a few monstrous games as of late and is a good fantasy player to have on your team. Mason …read more

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 …read more

Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs – 22.46 PER
Quietly, Manu Ginobili is one of the best players in the NBA once again. In a recent game against the Phoenix Suns, Ginobili scored 30 points and hit 18-of-18 from the free throw line. If his minutes start rising, he could become a fantasy basketball power.
Charlie Villanueva, Milwaukee Bucks – 19.98 PER
With Michael Redd out for the season, the door has opened for Charlie Villanueva. He’s starting now and should get plenty of minutes and plenty of shot attempts. He’s shown All-Star type ability at times in his career and he’ll get a …read more

Manu Ginobili hasn’t quite fully recovered since undergoing offseason ankle surgery. But in Monday’s game against the Miami Heat, he showed some of his old athleticism when he emphatically blocked a Dwyane Wade layup near the end of the game. You can see the Manu Ginobili video at the end of this entry.
Ginobili’s block on Dwyane Wade is a good sign that his recovery should be imminent. Compared to last season, his stats aren’t too different. His scoring and three-point shooting are down, but his rebounds per minute and assists per minute are both up. Plus he’s shooting better from …read more

Tony Parker returned to the basketball court after missing three weeks due to a left ankle injury. Although he came off the bench for the San Antonio Spurs, Parker played extremely well in helping the team beat the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
Parker finished with 15 points and seven assists in 17 minutes of action. Best of all, he looked healthy and ready for big minutes. He could be back in the starting lineup as quickly as Saturday against the Houston Rockets.
Even though rookie point guard George Hill has been impressive, Parker is in no danger of losing his grip …read more

Although Manu Ginobili was expected to miss the first 20 to 25 games, he suited up and played for the San Antonio Spurs in their 13th game of the season. Sidelined due to offseason ankle surgery, Ginobili came off the bench against the Memphis Grizzlies.
In his comeback game, the Spurs and Ginobili couldn’t have script it any better. In 11 minutes, he scored 12 points, pulled won four rebounds and helped the Spurs post a 94-81 victory.
Although he wasn’t as explosive as usual, Ginobili played quite well in his 2008-09 debut. As he continues to get into basketball shape, he …read more

Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs thrilled fantasy basketball owners recently when he had a game with 55 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. He then had fantasy owners shedding tears the next game when he injured his ankle. The ankle injury is expected to keep Parker out for about a month.
For the Spurs, this is a devastating blow. Parker will join Manu Ginobili on the sidelines and now Tim Duncan will have to fend for himself. With Ginobili out another 3-to-5 weeks, winning is going to be a difficult task for San Antonio.
As far as fantasy owners are …read more

The San Antonio Spurs have started the season 0-2, however fantasy basketball owners have to be excited about what they are seeing out of San Antonio’s two biggest stars. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker have been very productive in the first two games.
The good news for the fantasy basketball community is that the production for Duncan and Parker should continue in the short term. Both players are healthy and in a rhythm offensively.
However, once Manu Ginobili returns, expect the pie to be divided three ways instead of in half. All three players will likely average around their career numbers once …read more

Manu Ginobili, the star shooting guard on the San Antonio Spurs, is back on his feet and is running once again. Ginobili underwent offseason ankle surgery and is expected to miss up to 25 games during his recovery.
Recently, Ginobili was able to run for 15 minutes on a treadmill. It was his first time running since the surgery. While Ginobili is sidelined, the Spurs will likely start either Michael Finley, Ime Udoka or Roger Mason, Jr. at shooting guard.
The news of Ginobili running is good news for fantasy owners. There are whispers around San Antonio that Ginobili may in …read more