Manu Ginobili Undergoing Surgery in Los Angeles

Spurs guard, Manu Ginóbili is in Los Angeles with specialists who will perform arthroscopic surgery on his injured left ankle on Wednesday.  

Speaking to Argentina-based newspaper Olé, Ginobili says the Spurs' medical staff were convinced that surgery was the only way to definitively resolve the injury.

The subject of recovery time and how long Ginobili might be out of action has been widely debated among Spurs fans and experts alike, but some with knowledge of the injury say that no matter what, Manu will not be allowed to return to action until he is completely healed and ready—"no matter how much he begs and pleads."
 
"I do not know what the recovery time might be," explains Ginobili. "I do know that I'm going to undergo rehab and therapy in San Antonio, and that the timeline for a return is, at best, inaccurate at this point. First I was told six to eight weeks, now seems to be between ten and twelve (weeks). I do not know...I reckon two months or two and a half months before I start playing again.

Asked if he noticed any change in the way he was treated by coach Popovich or any other executives with the team after returning from the Olympics injured, Manu was adamant: "No, not at all. Pop went to pick me up at the airport. I know that all is well and there is no sort of resentment or anger towards me. Obviously they would have preferred to have me healthy and ready to start the season, but injuries happen. Now it's happened to Monta Ellis while he was training. He'll be out three months, so simply things are going to happen."

Interestingly, Ginobili has revealed that negotiations to extend his contract in San Antonio, which expires in two seasons, have been on hold since the moment he decided he was going to be playing in the Olympics.  "They were cancelled, postponed, I suppose. I think we will talk again when I return to action."

That revelation is interesting, given the published report by a newspaper columnist in San Antonio, who expressed a controversial opinion that the Spurs would wait to extend Ginobili's contract the afternoon after Ginobili went down during the Olympics.

"Ginobili's fragile status will be part of the equation," wrote Buck Harvey. "Tim Duncan and Tony Parker will be the only Spurs under contract in 2010, not counting Ian Mahinmi's minimum deal. That means there's a lot of cap room." The article caused an uproar among fans.

This article also appears at SpursReport.Com