Manu Ginobili Injury: Spurs Are Finished Without Their Primary Offensive Threat

The Spurs' return to glory was already a long shot with an aging core, now that shot is just about out of sight. Manu Ginobili suffered a broken left hand (shooting hand) and is listed as out indefinitely.

Ginobili's role has become bigger and bigger as Tim Duncan has aged, and the Spurs were leaning heavily on him in their 3-1 start. Manu was leading the team in scoring, averaging 17.4 points per game. Now they are 3-2, after losing last night to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and they lost their primary scoring threat in Ginobili.

Without him, they can not realistically hope to compete with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the other powers in the Western Conference. As a matter of fact, with so many teams gaining new identities, without Manu, the Spurs could miss the playoffs for the first time since the 1996-97 season; that was the year they drafted Duncan.

If Manu misses eight-to-12 weeks, that would see him return at the end of March or early April. At that point, the season would be almost over. The Spurs would have to sustain a decent record to make the postseason, and still be facing an uphill battle with the rusty Ginobili against the young and talented up-and-comers in the West.

The Spurs do have some depth on their roster this year. Players like rookie Kawhi Leonard, Richard Jefferson and James Anderson will need to elevate their games to keep the team afloat.

This could be the final season for both Gregg Popovich and Duncan as both are in the final year of their contracts. A struggling season that sees the Spurs miss the postseason is not the way either wants or deserves to go out.