Are Gibson and Brooks Sixth Man of the Year candidates?

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Feb 11, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili (20) kicks his leg up to stretch during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Spurs beat the Pistons 104-87. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

4. Manu Ginoboli

Notable Stats: 12.0 ppg, 4.8 apg.

Random Fun Stat: Second among shooting guards in assists per 36 minutes.

The guy who everyone wanted to retire during the 2013 finals is again among the best bench players in the league. Ginoboli has the most points of any bench player during crunch time, shooting 40.4 percent from the field during that time.

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An interesting Spurs subplot is that Ginoboli, Tim Duncan, Danny Green and Marco Belinelli are unrestricted free agents, and Kawhi Leonard is a restricted free agent after this season. This could be a franchise fork in the road moment for the Spurs. Leonard is going to cost them a lot of money to retain and will be a max player if he hits the open market this summer. Danny Green, who is 27, has been huge for the team the past couple of years with his 3 and D abilities. If the Spurs choose to retain both players, they may not have a lot of money left for Duncan and Ginobili. Given the financial situation, retirement rumors for both players loom.

If Ginobili does retire, he would exit as the unofficial leader in plays that made middle-aged accounts say, “You know what? If my high school coach didn’t have it out for me, I may have been able to make it to the NBA.”

Ginobili already won Sixth Man of the Year in 2008, averaging a career high 19.5 ppg. The Spurs will be more than happy to have a healthy Ginobili for the playoffs if it means sacrificing some of his stats. Right now Ginobili is 4^th because of how important he has been for a West contender, but will likely fizzle out as the season draws to a close.

Next: Jamal Crawford

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