The natives are restless. Really restless.
And Manu Ginobili is doing his level best to calm them.
The Spurs’ star guard from Argentina was OK with not starting Game 2 of the playoffs series with the Nuggets, the first time he had not started all season. And he was OK with not starting Game 3 on Saturday night at the Pepsi Center. But fans in his home country have been less than thrilled.
And they logged onto his website – ManuGinobili.com – to express their anger.
Ginobili said he has received “bunches” of e-mails wondering why he was removed from San Antonio’s starting lineup, but the move didn’t take him by surprise.
“I was kind of expecting it,” Ginobili said. “They were very supportive last year (when I didn’t start) and they thought it wasn’t going to happen this year, and it did. But I was just trying to explain the reasons why. It was a smart decision.”
Asked if his fans understood, Ginobili said, “I hope so.”
San Antonio coach Gregg Popo- vich said he expected to be inundated with questions from Argentina’s media about Ginobili, but said he didn’t get one.
“I told Manu, ‘I’ll let them know why I’m doing it. I’ll cover you,”‘ Popovich said. “I thought I’d never be able to go to Argentina, probably.”
Popovich’s intent in shuffling his lineup and having Brent Barry start was to strengthen his bench. Ginobili’s 17 points in 18 minutes in Game 2 proved him right. His 19 points in the first half of Game 3 helped the Spurs build a 50-41 halftime lead.
Pop knows Melo
Popovich was an assistant coach on last summer’s U.S. Olympic team that played in the Athens Games, and he had an opportunity to work with Nuggets forward .
He came away impressed.
“Before then, I hadn’t seen him much,” Popovich said. “But his size really surprised me. To handle the ball, to go on the outside and shoot, to be as quick as he is on the post, a lot of people don’t know he’s a (heck of a) passer. He’s got all those skills. With that size and that weight and that strength, he’s still got speed and quickness. He has a lot more tools than I thought he had.”
Only when necessary
Strategic adjustments in a playoff series are common. Popovich, credited with surprising the Nuggets with his Game 2 move of starting Barry, doesn’t want the game-to-game alterations to become too common.
“You want to make sure when you make adjustments they are not too gross or too substantial, unless something is really wrong,” Popovich said. “Teams are sensitive to that. But I think this is a group that understands what we need based on what’s going on.”
Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-820-5455 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
