At some point in time last season Gregg Popovich decided it was a good idea to plug Manu Ginobili in as the spark plug 6th man. The logic behind this decision could be deducted as energy off the bench or reducing Manu's bumps and bruises before the post season by limiting his minutes. He continued this logic both into the 2007 post season.
At the start of this season Popovich continued his logic installing Ginobili once again as the 6th man. However, due to sporadic injuries and the recent abscence of Tony Parker from the lineup, Ginobili has been thrust back into the starting line up. And well, he's playing much better. As a starter Ginobili is playing 8 additional minuted per game and seeing an uptick in every state. His scoring is up 5.5 points per game. He is dishing out over 2 more assists per game while pulling down over 1 more rebound a game. His shooting percentage is up across the board (FG%, 3PT%, FT%).
Simply put, Ginobili is playing better as a starter while holding additional responsibility due to the absence of Parker. So why limit the minutes of one of your best players? Why start him off on the bench?
Note: The White Warriors like Ginobili the starter much more than Ginobili the 6th man.
Comments
I don't care at all of Manu is not in the All-Star because HE IS A STAR.
Many of those names that will go to New Orleans, don't even have half of what Manu has achieved.
Could I get some comment from you on my blog?
http://mundoalbiceleste.blogspot.com/2008/02/nba-news-g-i-n-o-b-i-l-i.html