Manu Might Play in Beijing

As his ~~knee~~ ankle injury contributed to San Antonio's exit from the conference finals this season, Manu Ginobili had been expected to skip international duty this summer. Of course, it's not any summer: it's one of those multiples of four, which means it's an Olympics year. Argentina is the reigning gold medalist; without Manu, there's little hope of winning again.

So while San Antonio would prefer Ginobili rest that ~~knee~~ ankle, Manu looks like he's doing everything he can to prove to the Spurs that he is alright. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News has a dispatch on Manu's training in Argentina ... which features a Spurs assistant making the trek, as well.

Last week, Spurs assistant trainer Chad Bergman accompanied Ginobili back to Argentina, where the national team has begun scrimmaging in preparation for the Olympics. Ginobili has not participated in those workouts, but the Spurs have been pleased with his progress so far.

No timetable has been set for Ginobili's decision.

The Spurs have an odd relationship with their international stars. Manu and Tony Parker round out the franchise's cornerstones, but the organization last summer strongly insisted those two and Fabricio Oberto skip national duties to rest for the oncoming season. Parker convinced the team to let him play, but France finished eighth in the Euro Championship, and didn't even qualify for the pre-Olympic qualifier. We'd never hope for team-player dispute (especially not after the Toronto-Garbajosa saga), but San Antonio's stance on Manu's participation bears watching.

(Note: A previous version of this post incorrectly identified the location of the source of Manu's pain. We regret the error, and we apologize for unfairly maligning Manu's fully healthy knee.)