Word came Friday that San Antonio's Manu Ginobili needs ankle ligament surgery and six to eight weeks to recover. That was according to what Ginobili told La Nacion, a newspaper in his native Argentina, although the guttural screams from the Spurs' front office might have been another indication.

The Spurs did not want Ginobili to play in the Olympics. They knew his ankle was bad at the end of the season, as he labored through the conference finals against the Lakers, and preferred he use the summer for R&R. He played anyway, tweaked the left leg in the semifinal against the United States, and there went the start of 2008-09.

San Antonio had joined the list, just as Golden State had last week with news that Monta Ellis would be sidelined until about December with an ankle injury, and the entire league neared an opening month unlike any in memory.

Training camps never have started with so many playoff hopes, and even championship hopes, riding on recoveries in progress. Some consolation for the Spurs, that a lot of other teams likewise were relying heavily on projected successful comebacks, but it was true: It wasn't hard to find teams putting key players in bubble wrap.

Lakers – Andrew Bynum is coming off knee surgery that cost him the season's second half and all the playoffs, and Kobe Bryant is scheduled for a relatively minor finger operation. How Bynum comes back, though, and whether he continues with the great improvements of 2007-08, is critical.

Trail Blazers – Another double watch. With the playoffs in sight, they get Greg Oden back after a knee injury ruined his rookie season and say Brandon Roy, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Aug. 14, will be ready opening night. Oden's first five-on-five full-court scrimmage a few days ago was such a big deal that owner Paul Allen came to town from his Seattle-area home to watch.

Rockets – Yao Ming missed the final three months because of a stress fracture in his left foot and told the Houston Chronicle a few days before the Olympics that he is "about 60 to 70 percent, and that is frustrating." The hitch as he carried the flag for China in the Opening Ceremony was, he said, caused by a blister. Either way, the Rockets didn't mind that their trainer, Keith Jones, was also in Beijing as the Team USA trainer.

Heat – Dwyane Wade, limited to 51 games by knee problems, was terrific with Team USA. With a healthy Wade, Shawn Marion for an entire season, the potential of No. 2 pick Michael Beasley and the luxury of playing in the East, Miami could go from the worst record in the league to the playoffs.

Raptors – Jermaine O'Neal managed 42, 69, 51 and 44 games in his last four seasons in Indiana. Having quietly gone about an extensive workout program as NBA eyes focused on developments in Beijing, he needs a return to health to help Chris Bosh and Jose Calderón drive Toronto deep into the playoffs.

76ers – Elton Brand is coming off a torn Achilles' tendon that cost him all but eight games, but he's confident the problem is behind him. So are the 76ers. They invested $79.8 million over five seasons to lure Brand from the Clippers with the expectation of moving into the top tier in the East.

And on and on. There are the Warriors with Ellis, the Magic getting Tony Battie back from the shoulder injury that ended his 2007-08 season before it started and hoping the presence of a true power forward will make an impact, and the fading Nuggets trying to stay in the playoff picture and needing Nene's comeback from testicular cancer to help replace the traded Marcus Camby inside.

Call The Bee's Scott Howard-Cooper, (916) 321-1210.