Getting Spurs’ Ford in gear might signal shuffling

[Dulce]

Getting Spurs’ Ford in gear might signal shuffling
Posted on March 3, 2012 at 10:50 pm by Jeff McDonald

The playmaking guard is on the mend, ready to soon resume his place in the Spurs’ rotation after being out since early January.

His coaches are excited, because he brings a dynamic few others on the team possess. He is a player with eyes in the back of his head, a Mensa-level basketball IQ and the enjoyable propensity to thread passes through the eye of a needle.

Manu Ginobili? Well, yes.

But also T.J. Ford.

“I can’t wait for T.J. to get back to 100 percent,” reserve guard Gary Neal said of the Spurs’ backup point man. “That’s a lot of open shots for me.”

It also could mean fewer minutes for Neal, but more on that later.

Tonight against Denver, Ginobili is likely — though not guaranteed — to reboot his season after a second stint on the injured list. His strained oblique has healed, and he’s been practicing at full tilt since the All-Star break ended.

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[mckennaspur1]

I love what TJ brings to the court. But the Spurs are playing with fire if they rely on him and Manu to stay injury-free for the rest of the season.

[SleepyAdamII]

Gotta spend the rest of the season making sure all systems go....Ford is very important to that end.

[Guille]

Now it´s time to make TJ and Manu rentering the rotation.
If we can adjust to having both of them, I am ok in losign some games in order to get ready for the playoffs with the team clicking on all levels.

[Uwe Blab]

I hope Manu stays healthy from here on out. It's obvious the team is not quite sure how to play with him in there right now. They can't keep doing the Manu shuffle, they have to gel. It seems like they were automatically deferring to Manu when he's not exactly ready for that just yet.

[spurduncan21]

Originally Posted by Uwe Blab

I hope Manu stays healthy from here on out. It's obvious the team is not quite sure how to play with him in there right now. They can't keep doing the Manu shuffle, they have to gel. It seems like they were automatically deferring to Manu when he's not exactly ready for that just yet.

The reserves were certainly deferring to Manu so I most certainly agree with u. Hopefully it won't last much longer. I expect the next game will show different results

[grizzly_bexar]

I'm excited to have these guys back. Now comes the challenge of finding minutes for everybody.

Sorry, James.

[JuanCaca]

“My job is to allow other guys to make plays,” Ford said. “It’s not about me making plays. My role is to control the second unit and make sure we’re productive for the time we’re out there.”

great!

[grizzly_bexar]

My only concern other than injuries again disrupting our team rhythm is trading our defense for offense. More minutes for these guys means fewer for Danny and Kawhi. It's a tough trade off.

[Guapo]

I noticed Danny Green was back in one of his shooting slumps again. Give his minutes to Neal say I.

[grizzly_bexar]

Danny Green is too valuable defensively to bench.

He may not be hitting shots, but he will get hot again, and in the meantime, he will be creating plays with his hustle and intensity.

[spursfan9]

and he's down

classic.

[scheely]

Sad face.