This shortened season in the NBA has been all about trade rumors involving Dwight Howard, the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder as the favorites and the fall of veteran teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. With all this going on in the league, the one team that has been able to fly under the radar and do well in the process is the San Antonio Spurs.

Despite being put in the same category as the Lakers and the Celtics in terms of former NBA title contenders that are on the verge of a drastic rebuilding process, Tim Duncan and company have been able to play very well and currently have an impressive 18-9 record. Not only do they have one of the best records in the league, but they’re also in first place in the Southwest division with a two-game lead over the Houston Rockets.

Ironically enough, the San Antonio Spurs have been able to play this well without arguably their best player in Manu Ginobili. With Ginobili breaking his left hand more than a month ago, the Spurs and head coach Greg Popovich had to find answers to missing their best scorer on the floor. Fortunately, San Antonio found those answers and are sitting pretty in the Western Conference.

Now Manu Ginobili is all ready to go and will make his first appearance for the San Antonio Spurs this Saturday when they take on the New Jersey Nets. This will only make a very good basketball team that much better and that much more dangerous moving forward. Ginobili will give them a welcomed scoring punch and make this team a better all-around threat against the rising teams in the Western Conference like the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Related News

• Manu Ginobili gets three year extension with Spurs
• NBA Matchup: Los Angeles Lakers at Oklahoma City Thunder sportsbook odds and predictions
• NBA Playoffs: Memphis Grizzlies favored by 2 over San Antonio Spurs in Game 3
• NBA Power Rankings: Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers still atop rankings
• Western Conference Playoffs Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies