Manu Ginobili Injury Shouldn't Worry San Antonio Spurs

While San Antonio may not have a firm timetable for Manu Ginobili's return from a strained oblique until Monday or Tuesday, "El Contusion" claimed on Sunday that, "I don’t think it is as bad as I feared it was."

Ginobili's pain has responded well to medication, and if there's anyone in this league who can play with a little pain, it's Manu Ginobili.

Moreover, the gutsy guard apparently re-aggaravated an injury he initially suffered on Tuesday, suggesting he was able to play through it (at least initially). If other strained obliques are any indication, Ginobili should be back in a matter of weeks rather than months. This isn't an injury that requires surgery, and Ginobili will simply need to slow down his return to the court and wait for the pain to subside.

While there's little doubt that Ginobili will miss a few games, this shouldn't impact San Antonio's championship aspirations.

For San Antonio's part, you wouldn't even know it had missed Manu for 22 games this year. The team went 15-7 without its star shooting guard and has won its last 10 games (all with minimal or no contributions from Ginobili).

Ever since Gregg Popovich left his bench unit in for a heroic near-comeback against the Mavericks, the Spurs have played playoff-caliber basketball thanks in large part to its supporting cast. Gary Neal, Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard have filled in for Ginobili without missing a beat, and San Antonio's bench has established itself as a dangerous young squad.

There's no question San Antonio will fare better come the postseason with Manu on board, but it's had no problem beating the likes of the Thunder and Clippers without a healthy Ginobili.

Indeed, the bigger concern for San Antonio at this point may be Tiago Splitter's strained right calf. The setback forced Popovich to play the 35-year-old Tim Duncan over 41 minutes in the overtime victory against Los Angeles. Without another legitimate center on the roster, San Antonio will likely find itself playing some "small ball."

Now one of the NBA's more productive offenses, San Antonio should be able to get by for the time being. Thanks to the recent winning streak and successful "Rodeo Road Trip," the Spurs have some margin for error.

San Antonio is currently only one-and-a-half games behind Oklahoma City in the Western Conference standings, and it's hard to imagine Popovich's club suffering much of a collapse as long as Tony Parker continues playing at such a high level.

Fans are understandably anxious to see one of their favorite Spurs back in action, but San Antonio will play it safe rather than rushing Ginobili back. Already a lock for the playoffs in a conference where few teams are, there's no reason to do otherwise.