The Spurs will be without starting point guard for several games with a sprained left ankle. He has played in 40 games (all starts) this season for the Spurs and he is averaging 32.2 minutes, 16.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. George Hill will move into the starting line-up to replace Parker and he is a solid player. Hill has played in 44 games (9 starts) for the Spurs this season and he is averaging 25.2 minutes, 10.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. This will hurt the Spurs some as Parker is one of the best players on the team but Hill is a solid player so they won’t fall too much.

It looks like age and injuries are finally catching up with the 32-year-old Manu Ginobli.  He is having his least-productive season since his first year in the NBA in 2002-’03 with the Spurs.  He even had better numbers last season in a 44-game injury-plagued season.  He is only hitting 40% of his shots and 36% of his threes, while averaging 12.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.4 steals.  Ginobli is obviously still very effective and still looks like the old Ginobli at times, but he looks a step slower and a little hobbled this season.  That is probably why he is only getting 26.5 minutes per game this season.  Considering the few amount of minutes he is getting, he is putting up some pretty good numbers.  He has been such a good player for the Spurs the last few seasons though, that this season is almost a disappointment for the Argentina native.  Ginobli can still be one of the most dynamic and dangerous players on the court at times, and if he gets himself healthy and back in form come playoff time the Spurs will be a very dangerous team to play in the West.

The Spurs need starting small forward Richard Jefferson to quit being so shy with the basketball. He has played in 32 games (all starts) this season for the Spurs and he is averaging 31.4 minutes, 13.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. The Spurs need Jefferson to step up offensively and be the third option behind Tim Duncan and Tony Parker because he should be averaging around 17 points per game.

Something just doesn’t seem right with Manu Ginobili so far this season for the Spurs. He has played in 20 games (1 start) and he is averaging 24.1 minutes, 13.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. His shot selection has been poor as he is only hitting 38.8% from the floor but somehow he is still hitting 41.7% from three point range which doesn’t make a lot of sense. The Spurs need Ginobili to get back into a groove as the Western Conference is tougher this season.

Roger Mason had a breakout year during the 2008-2009 year in which he played in 82 games (71 starts) and he averaged 30.4 minutes, 11.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Mason also shot 42.1% from three point range which was outstanding. But, this season Mason is regressing. He has played in 20 games (0 starts) for the Spurs and he is averaging 17.0 minutes, 5.9 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He is shooting 41.1% from the floor this season and he is making only 33.3% from three point range. If his shooting doesn’t pick up than Mason won’t get back to the playing time he was getting last season.