At the end of July, Manu Ginobili will join his fellow Argentinians on the national team, which will host and compete in the FIBA Americas tournament (where London Olympic berths will be on the line).
But for now, he is staying off the court on doctor’s orders, he told Mike Monroe of the Express-News. Ginobili played through a small fracture in his elbow during the playoffs (remember that brace?) that he has been letting heal this summer.I’ve been told not to play hoops for a month, month and a half, two months — not to put pressure on the arm.
I notice now that the pain is almost gone. The last time I did the MRI, probably around May 16 (or) May 20, they told me that the bone edema that I had was controlling itself, but I still needed a little time to go.
The little fracture is almost healed, but I needed more time to get completely healed. I am not playing basketball now, but lifting carefully. Running, well, I don’t need my elbow to run. Soon, I will start shooting free throws, with a break for a little bit, and see how it goes.Argentina should have one of the best teams in the Americas tournament with Ginobili, Luis Scola, Andres Nocioni and Carlos Delfino. All playing on their home soil, it has to make them a favorite. If they get to play — the lockout could cause serious insurance issues for NBA players trying to play in summer FIBA tournaments world wide. (The USA does not need to compete for an Olympics berth there, they sewed one up by winning the FIBA World Championships in Turkey last summer.)
