The San Antonio Spurs received a big blow to their post-season chances when they learned Monday that Manu Ginobili will miss the rest of the regular season and playoffs with an ankle injury. Here’s what they’re saying out in the ether about the unfortunate news …

48 Minutes Of Hell: "Yes, it is saddening to hear that Manu Ginobili will miss the rest of the season with a fractured fibula. But you know why it is sad? Not because this is the first season in over a decade the Spurs head into the playoffs out of contention. It is sad because, for the next month or so, we know longer get to witness one of the gutsiest players the contemporary game knows. When we are inevitably knocked out of the playoffs, no matter at what stage it comes, I won’t think about the title we could have won. I’ll just be a little disheartened I missed a couple more opportunities to see one of my favorite players play the game he loves. This is the first season in over a decade the Spurs head into the playoffs out of contention."

Dave McMenamin, The Court Reporters: "San Antonio was 32-12 with Ginobili in the lineup this year and 17-15 without him. If they hold steadfast at No. 3 and New Orleans remains at No. 6, they’ll have a shot at advancing past the first round, especially if Tyson Chandler, Peja Stojakovic and James Posey aren’t entirely healthy come playoff time. If they fall to No. 4 or 5 and have to face Houston which has the size in Yao Ming to defend Tim Duncan and the perimeter defense in Shane Battier and Ron Artest to stay out on Mason and Michael Finley, plus the feisty point guard tandem of Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry to stay in front of Tony Parker, the Spurs might be gone’ fishin’ the earliest they have since 2000 when they lost to the Suns 3-1 in the first round. If they end up matched up with Portland, their experience could carry them past the Blazers’ not-quite-ready-for-prime-time players, or it could be just the opposite where young legs run them out of the building, as was the case a couple seasons ago when the baby Bulls swept the defending-champion Heat out of the playoffs."

HOOPTROPolis: "Without Ginobili, I cannot see the Spurs doing much damage in the playoffs. [...] Teams can focus the efforts of their top perimeter defender on stopping Tony Parker. On top of that, the Spurs now lack a guy you can throw the ball in the last minutes of a game, and know that they will create something. Duncan’s free throw shooting means you cannot run the offense through him in the waning minutes of a close game. Tony Parker is a great scorer, but he relies on getting into the paint, both for his points and what he creates for other people. Ginobili on the other hand, can shoot, take fools of the dribble, dish, and he makes his free throws."

Kevin Pelton, Unfiltered/BP: "The Spurs currently lead the Southwest Division, but by just a half-game over Houston. Looking at a couple of different first-cut numbers for San Antonio sans Ginobili yields wildly different results. In games he has missed, the Spurs are 17-15 as compared to 32-12 with Ginobili in the lineup. However, with Ginobili actually on the court, the team has played little differently; his net plus-minus is a paltry +0.2 points per 100 possessions, per 82games.com. I don’t think either extreme is a fair assessment of the situation. Using the same methodology I laid out in my column on inconsistency, we can look at San Antonio’s performance–adjusted for home/road and opponent quality–with and without Ginobili. By this measure, the Spurs are 4.0 points better than league average per game with Ginobili, +2.1 points without him. Over the course of a full season, that translates into a difference of about five wins, which seems reasonable if a little on the low side. San Antonio is still competitive without Ginobili, recording wins over Dallas, Portland and Houston during his most recent absence, but in a crowded West even a relatively small drop could mean everything."

Matt Moore, Hardwood Paroxysm:
"Before the injury, I started thinking about the Mavs and if they could
put together an attack agianst the Spurs. The Mavs are the only other
team besides the Lakers to take down the Spurs in a playoff series.
Kidd’s finally playing well again. They have muscle off the bench with
Bass, and long athletic defenders. Throw in Dirkalicious and their
depth, and they could push them to six, maybe seven games. But now
Ginobili’s out. When Parker’s gassed and Timmy’s having a bad night
(flip them if you rather), Ginobili is the saving grace. The left
drift. High off the glass. Falling down as if shot. The complaints,
constant in the ear of the official. I can complain as much as I like
about Ginobili’s antics, but the guys’ a freaking warrior.  And to not
have him is a bummer. Part of me wonders if Ginobili’s ankle broke not
from a fracture caused by stress, but of a broken heart. Without the
Suns to torture and humiliate on ABC, how can that ankle go on?"

NBA Noise: "While the Spurs have played well in spurts without Ginobili, they will need all the help they can get against the uber-competitive west. In his limited action this season (44 games), Ginobili has averaged over 15ppg in only 27 mpg and has been relied on as the Spurs’ primary spark off the bench. In my mind, the health of Ginobili was the key X-factor for the Spurs in the playoffs. However, the Spurs are still a scary team with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and a team full of experienced veterans. One argument that can be made in their favor is that they have a substantial amount of experience with playing without Ginobili this year. But, the Spurs are stumbling towards the finish line as it is (5-5 over their last 10 games). Subtract Ginobili from an already-struggling Spurs lineup and I won’t be picking them to make it past the first round no matter who they are playing."

Buck Harvey, San Antonio Express-News: "Manu Ginobili isn’t finished. Doctors see no reason he won’t be fine after this summer, assuming the Argentina national team isn’t in charge of rehab. He will come back with one year left on his contract, and we will see. But instead of being consumed with that, or with the Manu-less Spurs looking like the Duncan-less Spurs of 2000, think about what will become of this brittle lefty. Someday, he will be like another brittle lefty. There’s never been such a juxtaposition of news in franchise history. Ginobili had one of his worst Mondays, while David Robinson had one of his best. Robinson deserved to have the day to himself. One of his fellow Hall of Fame classmates, Michael Jordan, had already stolen most of the national attention. But such things never mattered to Robinson. And, really, the Hall of Fame was anticlimactic for him anyway. Everyone knew early in his career he would see Springfield."

NBAtipoff: "Looking at [this injury] from a management stand point, it would make me want to get the scouts out there working their asses off. They need more hidden gems like Parker and Ginobili. If they don’t add more talent that can have a role in their rotation, we’ll be talking about a Spurs team struggling to make the playoffs in a few years. Rodney Buford is to good to let that happen. Pop is too good. As many haters as this team has, any true spectator of the game has to respect what this organization has done. They have had contenders and title winners more than any team in the past 13 years or so. I’m no expert scout, but I know there will always be talent out there. Europe, the D-League, the Spurs will need to look everywhere. If not, people will look down on a glorified organization that let Tim’s last years be a step back."

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