Manu Ginobili Injury: How Tim Duncan and Spurs Can Compensate for Loss

Sometimes you don't realize how valuable a player is until they aren't there.

Some argued that Peyton Manning's greatest case for MVP came this year, when we saw the Colts turn into the Dolts when he wasn't at the helm. The Spurs are in danger of being in one of those situations with the loss of Manu Ginobili for up to six weeks. 

Simply put, you don't replace Ginobili.

There's the production which he brings; that's obvious. After Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, he's the best shooting guard in the NBA. You don't easily replace 27 points, 4.7 assists and 5.9 rebounds per 36 minutes, particularly with a replacement player. 

There are other things that are invisible. 

You don't just go out and slap someone in who plays Ginbobili's intense and disruptive style of defense. You don't find players that set picks so effectively. 

Ginobili is more than the MVP of the Spurs right now. He's the catalyst on both offense and defense. The Spurs can't function the way they function without him. There's just no one available who has the creativity, athleticism and speed to do what he does. 

Simply put, Ginobili is irreplaceable. That's why the Spurs can't replace him, they have to compensate for him. 

Realistically, the only way to do that is to turn to Tim Duncan and the type of system that won them four NBA titles with him as the centerpiece of the offense. 

They can lean a bit more on Richard Jefferson and Tony Parker. They can plug in James Anderson and use him in a more conventional shooting guard sense. 

The team will need a star to shoulder the burden, though. Parker is simply not that good. He's good, but he's not carry-the-team good. 

The Spurs will need to return to their slower-paced, half-court offense. 

The concern will be the wear and tear on Duncan and whether he'll be able to hold up in the postseason if they put too much on him. The response to that is that it won't matter if the Spurs aren't in the postseason. 

In his final year of his contract and perhaps his career, Duncan may have the kind of legend-making year bearing his team with a mission to win one for his thumb. If this season is for Duncan, the Spurs may as well make it about him, too.