Manu Ginobili underwent an MRI examination this afternoon in San Antonio. The exam confirmed that he has a mild left groin strain and showed that he has no structural damage in the area. Ginobili will begin his rehabilitation process tomorrow. He is expected to miss seven-to-ten days.

Ginobili suffered the injury in the first quarter of last night’s Spurs-Mavericks game.

This season in nine games the 6-6, 205-pound shooting guard is averaging 14.1 points and 4.2 assists in 23.4 minutes per game. He’s shooting just 37.8 percent from the field.

Have Spurs opinions? Share them on the InsideHoops San Antonio Spurs forum.

NBA TV today announced the addition of two-time NBA Champion and 14-year veteran Brent Barry to its announcer roster for the 2009-10 season.  Barry will work as a studio analyst for NBA GameTime, the network’s live studio show filled with highlights, analysis, commentary and live look-ins at games being played across the league. Barry will join on Monday nights, beginning Monday, Nov. 2, alongside host Andre Aldridge and analyst Eric Snow.

Barry is the newest studio analyst on the network’s impressive roster which includes Hall of Famer Kevin McHale, five-time NBA All-Star Chris Webber, 14-year veteran Steve Smith, Snow and Scott.  Barry is best known for his three-point shooting in which he currently ranks 10th all-time in career three-point field goals made. Barry spent 14 years in the NBA with six teams including the L.A. Clippers, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Seattle SuperSonics, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.

NBA TV will take the court for its first week of Tuesday Fan Night with the Lakers @ Thunder match-up, as voted upon by fans on NBA.com. The game will air on Tues., Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. (ET) with host Ernie Johnson and analysts Chris Webber and Kevin McHale on-hand for studio coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. (ET).

The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have picked up the option for the 2010-11 season for guard George Hill.

In his rookie season Hill appeared in 77 games, averaging 5.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 16.5 minutes.  As a starter he averaged 9.7 points, 3.4 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 27.9 minutes in seven games while filling in for the injured Tony Parker.  During that stretch Hill posted his four highest scoring games of the season: scored 20 points in 29:28 minutes on 11/19 vs. Denver, had a career-high 23 points in 22:37 minutes on 11/21 vs. Utah, tallied 20 points in 28:36 minutes on 11/24 at Memphis and had 19 points – along with a career-best 11 rebounds – in 32:40 minutes on 11/26 vs. Chicago.

An early entry candidate in the 2008 NBA Draft, Hill was selected by the Spurs in the first round with the 26th overall pick out of IUPUI.  He is the first player school history to be selected in an NBA Draft and appear in an NBA game.

Have Spurs opinions? Discuss them on the InsideHoops.com San Antonio Spurs forum.

San Antonio Spurs forward/center Tim Duncan is getting older and taking care to ensure that his knees stay strong.

Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News reports:

The brace Tim Duncan has been wearing on his left knee throughout the preseason will remain for the entire season.

Duncan scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds in his first preseason action Friday.

“It feels pretty good,” he said. “I’ve gone through four or five braces this summer, trying to find the right one. That’s the one that feels good so far.”

Duncan will turn 35 years old on April 25, which according to the calendar in my head should be during the first round of the NBA playoffs.

The successful San Antonio Spurs have been strong defenders ever since the days of David Robinson playing alongside Tim Duncan, but for years the tradition also continued thanks to the efforts of Bruce Bowen.

Age caught up with the aggressive small forward last season and he quickly fell off the map, eventually being moved to another team, and recently announcing his retirement.

Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News reports:

The transition to a post-Bowen defense began last season, when the eight-time All-Defensive Team selection’s ability to lock down the league’s great scorers began to erode. Bowen slipped out of the starting lineup. His minutes dwindled to fewer than 19 per game, an all-time low for his eight seasons with the Spurs.

Now, Jefferson will be part of a gang approach to defending players such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Wade, who is likely to miss today’s game with a strained rib muscle. So will Manu Ginobili, George Hill, Roger Mason Jr. and Keith Bogans.

“Bruce was the best at making those kinds of guys uncomfortable, but those guys you have to guard as a team,” Ginobili said, “so we’re going to have to play better team defense than the last two years.

“We all have to step up defensively.”

The Spurs have a limited window to win another championship in the Duncan era, and they stocked up on weapons this summer and are going for broke this year. On paper, I consider them the second or third best team in the Western conference.

The AP reports: Trevor Ariza scored nine points in his Rockets debut, helping Houston beat the San Antonio Spurs 99-85 on Tuesday night in the preseason opener for both teams. Carl Landry had 19 points to lead the Rockets, who are beginning the season without the cornerstones of their team. Yao Ming is out for the season after his broken left foot was slow healing, and Tracy McGrady is recovering from microfracture surgery on his left knee, and is not expect back until midseason… Rookie Chase Budinger had 15 points, Luis Scola 13 and Aaron Brooks 12 as the Rockets looked to the young players to step up.

Good NBA seats are expensive. Fans shelling out big money to sit near the court should expect a good view of the action.

But what about when players get off the bench and remain standing for a while? On the one hand, it’s nice to see guys cheer their teammates. On the other, these giants prevent fans from seeing what they paid to see.

The Cavs are one team with players who remained standing a lot, and now the league office has reportedly taken action.

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

The NBA has issued a memo to its teams directing players on the bench to remain seated during games. Game officials will be keeping a closer eye and will issue faster warnings and possible technical fouls if not followed. Players are permitted to cheer, but standing during regular-game action and blocking the fans’ views apparently isn’t going to be allowed.

That goes for Tuesday night’s first preseason game at The Q, where the Cavs will host the Charlotte Bobcats in the first of eight practice games before the season opener.

The Cavs weren’t exactly thrilled that their custom has been legislated.

“It is hard to take that out of the game,” LeBron James said. “Part of the game is emotions, your teammates are all you have. That was part of the reason we played great basketball, because we cheered each other.”

I support the league protecting the paying fan’s view.

Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reports: Keith Bogans, the 29-year-old journeyman guard who spent the final 29 games of last season playing with Jefferson in Milwaukee, has agreed to a one-year deal worth the veteran’s minimum of $1.03 million to join the Spurs. Bogans, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, has averaged 7.5 points over a five-year career that includes stints with seven teams. He averaged 5.6 points in 65 games last season, split between the Magic and the Bucks. Like Bowen before him, however, Bogans has built his professional reputation on the defensive end.

SEPTEMBER 24 UPDATE

The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have signed guard Keith Bogans. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed. The San Antonio Express-News reports that it is “a guaranteed one-year deal worth the league minimum of $1.03 million.”

Bogans, 6-5, 215 pounds, split last season between the Orlando Magic and Milwaukee Bucks. He started the season with the Magic before being traded to the Bucks on Feb. 5 in exchange for Tyronn Lue. In 36 games with the Magic, he averaged 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 21.9 minutes. Bogans appeared in 29 games for Milwaukee, averaging 6.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 16.7 minutes. For the season he appeared in 65 games, averaging 5.6 points and 3.1 rebounds in 19.6 minutes.

Originally drafted by Milwaukee in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft (43rd overall), Bogans was traded to Orlando on draft night for cash considerations. A six-year NBA veteran, Bogans has spent time with Orlando, Charlotte, Houston and Milwaukee. His best season came in 2004-05 with the Charlotte Bobcats when he averaged 9.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 24.2 minutes per game. During the 2007-08 season Bogans appeared in all 82 games with the Magic and averaged 8.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists. In 425 career games, he has averaged 7.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 23.4 minutes.

The AP reports: Bruce Bowen won’t be pestering the NBA’s best anymore. The 38-year-old former San Antonio Spurs forward retired Thursday after 12 seasons and a reputation as one of the league’s most menacing defenders, hounding opponents with a tenacity that some players groused was more dirty than dogged. He called it quits after being waived this summer by Milwaukee, where the Spurs dealt him in a veteran dump-off for swingman Richard Jefferson — a decision Bowen said he understood. “You need to do things to better the business, and the Spurs definitely got better in the players they received, so I’m looking forward to continuously supporting the Spurs, but from more of a distance now,” he said in a news conference at his wife’s San Antonio salon. Bowen said he had been weighing retirement for the last five years.

ESPN.com reports: After helping the San Antonio Spurs win three championships and establishing himself as perhaps the premier perimeter defender of his generation, Bruce Bowen is retiring at 38. Bowen told ESPN.com that he will formally announce his retirement at a Thursday afternoon news conference and said he would elaborate more on his decision then. The announcement was scheduled to take place at the San Antonio spa/salon he co-owns and operates with his wife, Yardley… It was initially believed that Bowen would then sign in August with one of the Spurs’ championship rivals. Orlando, Boston and Cleveland were all mentioned as possibilities. But he has apparently decided instead to pursue his off-court business and community interests as well as a career in broadcasting.

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed free agent forward/center Fabricio Oberto.  The Washington Times reports that the deal is for one year and $1.99 million.

“Fabricio is a proven winner with extensive playoff experience,” said Grunfeld.  “He is a skilled big man and a rugged veteran that augments our frontcourt depth at both the center and power forward positions.”

Oberto (6-10, 245) has career averages of 3.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game with a .572 field goal percentage in four seasons with the San Antonio Spurs.  Originally signed by San Antonio in 2005, Oberto was the starting center on the Spurs’ 2007 NBA Championship team.  A native of Argentina, Oberto has been playing professionally since 1993 and helped guide his home country to the gold medal in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.  Previously this summer, Oberto was traded to Detroit as a key figure in the five-player deal that sent Richard Jefferson to San Antonio (he was subsequently waived by the Pistons).

InsideHoops.com editor says: With the experience Oberto has, he makes any bench stronger and is better than most backups at the center position. Which these days isn’t saying much. Still, decent pickup.

Read NBA fan discussion and share your own opinion in this forum topic.

The Milwaukee Bucks have requested waivers on guard/forward Bruce Bowen, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

Bowen was acquired from San Antonio on June 23 as part of the three-team trade that also brought the Bucks Kurt Thomas from San Antonio and Amir Johnson from Detroit. Richard Jefferson was sent to San Antonio while Fabricio Oberto went to Detroit to complete the trade.

Bowen, 38, is a 13-year NBA veteran who spent the previous eight seasons with San Antonio.

Read NBA fan reaction and discuss the news yourself in this forum topic.

The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have signed forward/center Drew Gooden. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. We’ll post contract details later today.

Gooden (6-10, 230) has seen action in 510 games with 396 starts. He holds career averages of 12.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 28.1 minutes per game while shooting .471 from the field and .732 from the foul line. Gooden played the final 19 games of last season with the San Antonio Spurs. He averaged 9.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in just 16.8 minutes per contest.

The seven-year veteran was originally selected in the first round (fourth overall pick) of the 2002 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies and has seen action with six different teams (Memphis, Orlando, Cleveland, Chicago, Sacramento and San Antonio). Statistically, Gooden saw his best season in 2004-05 when we nearly averaged a double-double for Cleveland generating 14.4 points and 9.2 rebounds while playing in all 82 games (80 starts).

A native of Oakland, Calif., Gooden is a former standout at the University of Kansas where he was named Big 12 Player of the Year and First Team All-America by The Associated Press as a junior. In just three seasons at KU, Gooden was only the second player in school history (Danny Manning) to record 1,500 points, 900 rebounds, 100 blocks and 100 steals.

“We are very pleased to add Drew to our front line for the upcoming season,” President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Donnie Nelson said. “Drew is a veteran player with NBA Finals experience that is entering the prime of his career at 27 years old. He will provide valuable minutes at both the center and power forward positions with his tenacity in the paint, rebounding and ability to knock down shots.”

San Antonio Spurs swingman Manu Ginobili enjoys using the summer to ensure that he’ll never be fully healthy during the NBA regular season. Taking a cue from that, Tony Parker did his part. The San Antonio Express-News reports:

Spurs guard Tony Parker suffered two injuries to his right leg in a collision with an opponent while playing for the French national team against Austria on Friday night in Strasbourg, France. According to French sports newspaper L’Equipe, Parker left the game on a crutch after 12 minutes with a sharp pain in his right thigh after colliding with Austria’s Stjepan Stazic. Though that injury soon subsided, Parker’s right ankle became swollen. By Saturday morning, it was clear the ankle was the greater issue.

The report says that Parker feels he’ll be OK and that the sprain is minor.

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed center Theo Ratliff. Per team policy terms of the deal were not disclosed. We heard it would be a one-year, minimum deal, but will check on that later today.

Ratliff has played for six teams (Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Portland, Boston and Minnesota) during his 14 NBA seasons. In 751 career games, he has averaged 7.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.53 blocks in 26.1 minutes. Ratliff has shot .498 (2,136-4,293) from the floor and .600 (1,357-1,913) from the line over his career. He has appeared in 39 playoff games averaging 5.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.72 blocks in 15.7 minutes per game. Ratliff enjoyed his best season in 2000-01, averaging 12.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.74 blocks and was voted as the starting center for the Eastern Conference All-Star Team (he missed the game due to injury).

A two-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection (1998-99, 2003-04), Ratliff is one of seven players in NBA history to lead the league in blocks in at least three seasons (2000-01, 2002-03 and 2003-04). He ranks 18th all-time in total blocks (1,902) and is fifth among active players.

The 6-10, 238-lb. Ratliff spent last season with the Philadelphia 76ers. He averaged 1.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.02 blocks in 12.6 minutes while appearing in 46 games.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Ratliff is old but smart and can try to do for the Spurs what Dikembe Mutombo was doing for the Rockets. He will contribute solid defense for a few minutes per half. Ratliff isn’t a day older than 58 at this point (being serious, he turned 36 in April) and can still block a shot and grab a rebound if he has his walker.

The San Antonio Express-News (Craig Kapitan) reports: Security guard turned Bexar County Jail inmate Christopher James Carolan pleaded no contest Friday to stealing an autographed Michael Jordan jersey from Spurs star Tony Parker. Carolan, who wore orange jail scrubs and handcuffs as he stood before 186th District Judge Maria Teresa Herr, was arrested in June after Parker’s manager showed sheriff’s office investigators a Craigslist ad for the jersey that was posted a day after the collectors’ item went missing. The jersey, valued at $20,000, was sold for $120, court documents indicate.

InsideHoops.com editor says: So the guy steals something and immediately advertises it for sale on the Internet. And then sells it for less than 1/10th the approximate going rate for the item.

The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they signed DeJuan Blair. The Spurs drafted Blair in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft with the 37th overall pick. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Blair, a 6-7, 265 lb. forward, spent the past two seasons at the University of Pittsburgh. Last season he was named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press, the Co-Big East Player of the Year and earned First Team All-Conference honors.  He was a finalist for the Wooden and Naismith Player of the Year awards.  Blair led the nation in offensive rebounding (5.6 rpg), ranked fourth in total rebounding (12.3 rpg) and 19th in field goal percentage (.593).  For the season he averaged 15.7 points and 1.54 steals in 35 games.  Blair recorded 21 double-doubles, including two 20-point 20-rebound games (one of only two players in Pitt history - along with Billy Knight - to register two 20-point/20-rebound performances in a career). In the NCAA Tournament he averaged 16.8 points and 13.8 rebounds in four games being named to the East Regional All-Tournament Team.

As a freshman Blair was named the Big East Co-Rookie of the Year and was an All-Big East Honorable Mention.  He averaged 11.6 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.68 steals in 37 games.  He scored in double figures 25 times and posted 14 double-doubles.  He became the first freshman in school history to surpass 400 points and 300 rebounds.

For his career Blair appeared in 72 games for the Panthers, averaging 13.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.61 steals while shooting .568 (394-694) from the field.

NBA small forward Richard Jefferson, formerly of the New Jersey Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, recently traded to the San Antonio Spurs, is now a single man. The New York Post reports:

 Former Net star Richard Jefferson admitted yesterday that he told his beautiful bride-to-be that their wedding was off in an e-mail — stunning her just days before their planned posh nuptials.

Kesha Ni’Cole Nichols got the heart-wrenching message after a tense Fourth of July weekend, Jefferson told The Post.

“There was a lot of stress and tension in the relationship. We’ve been through a lot — but we just couldn’t continue,” said Jefferson, sounding upset during a telephone interview.

But at least Nichols got a nice parting gift — Jefferson, who was traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to the San Antonio Spurs last month, said he’s giving her a “six-figure” settlement so she can start a new life.

In speaking with the Post, Jefferson also took a moment to clear something else up:

 He insisted a rumor he’s gay had nothing to do with the breakup.

“I’m not gay,” Jefferson said. “That couldn’t be any further from the truth. I have nothing to hide.”

The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have signed forward/center Antonio McDyess.  Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

McDyess, 6-9, 245 lbs., has spent the past five seasons with the Detroit Pistons.  Last year he appeared in 62 games (30 starts), averaging 9.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 30.1 minutes while shooting .510 (268-525) from the field and .698 (60-86) from the foul line.  As a starter McDyess averaged 12.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.17 blocks in 34.9 minutes compared to 7.3 points, 8.6 rebounds and 0.47 blocks in 25.6 minutes in 32 games off the bench.  For the season he posted a team-high 16 double-doubles and pulled down 10-or-more rebounds in 31 games.

In the playoffs, he averaged 13.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in 34.0 minutes in the Pistons first round series with Cleveland.  At the beginning of the season McDyess was traded to Denver as part of the Allen Iverson/Chauncey Billups deal on Nov. 3, but re-signed with Pistons on Dec. 9 after being waived by the Nuggets.  During that stretch he missed 17 games.

Originally selected by the L.A. Clippers with the second overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft (draft rights were traded to Denver), McDyess has played for four different teams over his 14-year career (Denver, Phoenix, New York and Detroit).  He was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 1999 (Denver) and was selected to the All-Rookie First Team in 1996 (Denver).  In 2001 he was named an NBA All-Star (Denver).  McDyess was also a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team that captured the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics.

For his career, McDyess has appeared in 865 games, averaging 13.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists 29.4 minutes.  He averaged double-figure scoring in his first seven seasons, highlighted by a career-high 21.2 points per game in 1999 with the Nuggets.  During the 2000-01 season he averaged 20.8 points and a career-high 12.1 rebounds in 70 games with Denver.  McDyess has scored in double figures in 554 of his 865 career games (64.1%), including 90 consecutive from 4/19/98-1/28/00.  The former University of Alabama standout has posted 40-plus points in three games, including a career-high 46 vs. Vancouver on 2/28/99, nine 20-plus rebound games and five 20-20 games.

It’s been rumored that the San Antonio Spurs were the favorites to land veteran power forward Antonio McDyess, and that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

Wednesday evening, Adrian Wojnarowski (Yahoo) reported that the 34-year-old McDyess will join the Spurs, possibly signing a three-year deal for $15 million.

The Spurs are adding some nice pieces this summer. They already gained a terrific starting small forward in Richard Jefferson. The center spot is still weak, but McDyess handle that position for stretches.

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed guard/forward Malik Hairston.  Per team policy terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 6-6, 220-pound Hairston split the season between San Antonio and the Austin Toros, the Spurs affiliate in the NBA Development League. In 15 games with the Spurs, Hairston averaged 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10.3 minutes.  Hairston also appeared in 30 games for the Toros where he was third in the D-League in scoring with 22.9 points per game.  He also averaged 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 41.3 minutes and was named All-D-League Honorable Mention.

The former Oregon Duck spent the 2008 training camp with San Antonio where he averaged 5.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in six preseason games.  He was waived by the Spurs on 10/26.  Hairston was selected by Phoenix Suns with the 48th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.  He was acquired by San Antonio from Phoenix in exchange for the draft rights to Goran Dragic.