Popovich not angry with Ginobili despite warning him not to play in Olympics

BEIJING — Manu Ginobili did not suit up for Argentina’s bronze-medal game against Lithuania at the Olympics on Sunday and said after the 87-75 victory that he was headed for San Antonio for more tests on the strained ligament in his left foot.

It is the same injury that hobbled him at the end of the Spurs’ season. He re-injured it during the first half of Friday’s 101-81 loss to the United States in the semifinals.

“It’s a little messed up, but it will be fine,” he said after the game. Ginobili tried several treatments on Saturday — which he called “a very long day” — but nothing worked.

“I had some pain in it this morning, and icing it didn’t help,” he said. “I tried to run, but I still couldn’t. I didn’t want to hurt the team by trying to play.”

Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain Newsspoke to Ginobili in Beijing and he reports that, contrary to popular belief among Spurs fans, Spurs coach Gregg Pop did not pop a fuse when Manu Ginobili got hurt at the Olympics.

Popovich had repeatedly spoken of not wanting his star guard to play in the Olympics due to a lingering ligament problem in his left ankle, then Ginobili aggravated the injury in Argentina's Friday semifinal against Team USA.

All apparently is well between Ginobili and Popovich. Ginobili said he spoke to Popovich on Saturday.

"I talked to Pop, and he's definitely fine,'' Ginobili said. "He understands the whole situation. He understands the way I feel about all of this (playing for his country). I bet my (butt) that if Pop was a player, he'd have done the same thing. I'm totally sure about what I've done. I'm proud and I'm happy.''

But that doesn't necessarily mean Ginobili will be able to start training camp on time when the Spurs report Sept. 30.

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