When Manu Ginobili would come off the bench in San Antonio, Spurs fans would chant “Ma ... nooo!” He was undeniably the Spurs’ third star behind Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, the trio that won more games than any other in NBA history — 575 regular season games and 126 postseason games together. That included four NBA titles, two of them with Sean Marks. So the Nets GM knows that third stars don’t have to start.
Steve Nash has said he’d like to see Caris LeVert in that Ginobili role, a player who can lead the second unit and provide a spark whether on the court with Kyrie Irving or Tyler Johnson.