More than most —
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is the obvious exception — D’Antoni has a keen appreciation for everything Ginobili brings to the court. When he returned to Italy as head coach of Benetton Treviso after the Nuggets unfairly fired him after he coached them to a 16-34 record in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, Ginobili was the star player for Virtus Bologna, Benetton’s primary rival in the Italian League. He knew before most that Ginobili would be a star in the NBA.
“I’ll tell you what,” D’Antoni said, “since watching him in Europe and watching his maturity here, and this is a shame, he’s one of the best players in the world, without a doubt, but he never gets mentioned. He didn’t even make the All-Star team, which is a travesty.
“I think he exemplifies everything you want a player to be: great in the clutch, great at getting after a loose ball, great at defense, great at offense, unselfish; takes a contract for less money to make his team better.
“I don’t think there is one superlative you can say that is too much about him. Not (in San Antonio), but in the world he is unappreciated. Maybe because he is unorthodox, whatever. I don’t know. But I’ll tell you what, you can’t get a better player than him.
“You can debate Kobe or LeBron. Fine. But he is right there in the debate.”
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