Manu Ginobili may have played his last game in the NBA.
But not if Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has his way.
Following the Warriors’ Game 5 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night, TNT’s camera’s caught Kerr delivering a pretty straightforward message to the 40-year-old Ginobili:
"if you love it, keep going. what the hell?"
-Steve Kerr to Manu Ginobili postgame (via @NBAonTNT)
— Dan Favale (@danfavale) April 25, 2018
If you don’t share Kerr’s sentiments, you’re a criminal. It’s that simple.
We should all want Ginobili continue playing. He still looks like he has so much left. He remains sprightly when moving on the court, and his out-of-control handles are still in full swing. Plus, let’s not pretend this would feel like a fitting end.
Not only would he be walking away after a five-game first-round exit, but his departure would come on the heels of a contest Gregg Popovich couldn’t coach and Kawhi Leonard wasn’t, apparently, healthy enough to play in. That doesn’t sit right. Not even if a little bit.
Ginobili, for his part, wouldn’t tip his hand during postgame availability, per NBA.com’s David Aldridge:
@manuginobili says he will take a month or two to decide if he will return next season; “I am not one to do things rashly.”
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) April 25, 2018
This is good, right? Or is it bad? Or maybe meaningless? We cannot be sure. And we’d be remiss to try reading between the lines.
Yes, Ginobili has one year left on his deal. And sure, he could want to run it back once more knowing both Popovich and Tony Parker will be around. But much of the same could be said about Tim Duncan, and he walked away anyway.
Forced to choose, I’d bet on Ginobili coming back for next year. Again: Something about this year’s ending doesn’t feel final. You could at least sense some finality after that Oklahoma City Thunder series in 2015 when it came to Tim Duncan. This registers differently. The rationale behind this is inexplicable, maybe even a little irrational, but it’s truth. And, quite frankly, any fan of entertaining basketball should hope it’s an accurate depiction of what comes next.
