This time pestering isn't going to get Manu Ginobili back on the court for the Spurs.
Ginobili, the 6-foot-6 shooting guard whose 19.2 points per game makes him the team's No. 2 scorer likely will miss Wednesday's game against the Chicago Bulls after re-spraining ligaments in his left index finger in Saturday's victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at the AT&T Center.
Ginobili first sprained the ligaments when he tried to break his fall after a collision with Portland's James Jones on Dec. 2. Though his left (shooting) hand was still swollen and sore, Ginobili managed to talk Coach Gregg Popovich into letting him play against the Dallas Mavericks three days later.
Thirty-seven points and an important victory later, Popovich was convinced he had made the right decision.
But the soreness lingered longer than expected, and now, after Ginobili badly banged the same finger in the first quarter of Saturday's game, Popovich will have to be convinced before he lets Ginobili return. In between the coach's lines after a light practice session on Sunday morning was the implication Ginobili may miss more than just Wednesday's game against Chicago.
"He's probably going to miss a little bit of time," Popovich said. "It's just a matter of how much."