• Express News reports San Antonio Spurs’ Manu Ginobili wanted to played in yesterday’s game versus 
the Memphis Grizzlies but head coach Popovich said no:
Did Ginobili try to convince Popovich to change his mind?
“You know damned well he did,” Popovich said before tip-off. “And you know damned well he’s not happy with me. And you know damned well that he wants to be on the court.
“But I made my decision.”
• Game one of the Spurs-Grizzlies drew some solid TV ratings locally in San Antonio and Memphis:
In the afternoon game, Memphis’ upset win over the San Antonio Spurs earned a 2.3 overnight and drew particularly well in the local markets (10.6 in San Antonio and 8.0 in Memphis). (mediabistro.com)
• Check out all the videos from the Spurs practice today at Spurs.com.
• Express News’ Tim Griffin has a Manu Ginobili update:
Spurs guard Manu Ginobili had his toughest workout since injuring his right elbow last week, taking part in one-on-one scrimmaging at the end of the Spurs’ practice Monday afternoon.
• RedsArmy.com puts the focus on the Spurs performance in the playoffs.
• With today’s news that Rick Adelman will not return to the Houston Rockets as head coach, Chron.com suggests Mike Budenholzer as a possible replacement.
• Slam Online compares the Spurs to the Wisconsin Badgers:
1. San Antonio = Wisconsin
Gregg Popovich is the NBA’s Bo Ryan. Or Bo Ryan is the college games’ Gregg Popovich? Just like the Badgers, the Spurs win many, many games consistently with interchangeable parts. It seems every season some combination of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, and dinosaur Tim Duncan gets injured for an extended period of time, yet San Antonio remains a Western Conference contender. In Madison, Bo Ryan loses one star player after another, but all he does is continue to compete for Big Ten titles with the roster he has.
