The Spurs have been relatively injury free all season, but Wednesday’s injury report about veteran guard Manu Ginobili was devastating.
Ginobili will miss at least one month of the season, according to team officials, after undergoing testicular surgery to repair an injury suffered during a collision in Wednesday’s 110-97 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at AT&T Center. The 37-year-old guard-forward from Argentina suffered the injury with 2:26 remaining in the game as he took a charge from Pelicans power forward Ryan Anderson.
The Spurs officially listed Ginobili as out of action indefinitely. That means he will not be available during the nine-game rodeo road trip, which begins next Tuesday with a game against the Heat in Miami.
A two-time All-Star, Ginobili has appeared in 43 of the Spurs’ 49 games this season, averaging 10.0 points, 3.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game. He now joins 39-year-old team captain Tim Duncan on the injured list. Duncan has missed five straight games and six of the last seven with soreness in his right knee. The Spurs have not yet indicated his status for Friday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas.
If there is a silver lining to Thursday’s unfortunate news it is that the Spurs will play only 13 games over the next month because of the week-long All-Star break. That is small consolation for Ginobili and the team.
*Top image: Manu Ginobili talks with media after Spurs’ win of the 2014 NBA Finals. Photo by Scott Ball.
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