May 27, 2012; San Antonio, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) strips the ball from San Antonio Spurs guard Manu GInobili (20) during the first half in game one of the Western Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs at the AT

Dime Magazine ranked the top 10 left-handed players ever and it’s natural to expect two essential Spurs cogs for the last two decades — the sinewy, ebullient Manu Ginobili and the athletic specimen that was David Robinson — to make the cut.

Robinson finished third behind Willis Reed and Bill Russell while Ginobili was noticeably snubbed from the list.

Here’s their take on Robinson:

    “The Admiral is another legendary big man,     who averaged 21.1 points on 51.8 percent     shooting for his career, plus averaged 10.6 rebounds and three blocked shots a game. He’s got two NBA     championship rings, one NBA MVP and 10 All-Star appearances. He was the first foundation of the Spurs     dynasty.”

While effective left-handed players are few and far between, this list has more than enough talent to generate 20 players. Bob Lanier, Gail Goodrich, Artis Gillmore and Chris Mullin are certainly excellent players and you can make a case that they belong on the list over Ginobili, who has yet to see a finite ending to his career.

Delving deeper, Ginobili’s advanced statistics compare favorably with those of Goodrich, Gilmore and Mullin. He’s produced 83.6 win shares (not including 15.4 playoff win shares, which give him an inestimable advantage over his left-handed peers) and his efficiency denotes his spot on the list.

Plus, from a purely subjective point of view, is there anyone that embodies the inherent quirky nature of left-handers more than Ginobili? His ability to carve space through his use of in-and-out dribbles, behind-the-back maneuvers, step-backs and the venerable European step is unprecedented.

Ginobili has defined this era of left-handed players, exhibiting first hand the potential of a player possessing otherworldly gifts with the added duplicity of predominately using his left-hand. And that’s why he should have been on this list.

Hat-tip to Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk.

Oct 27, 2010; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs former center David Robinson watches the Spurs play the Indiana Pacers during the second half at the AT

As a partial owner, iconic Spur and regular at Spurs games, you would expect David Robinson to be, if not completely, just a tad biased. He believes the Spurs should have won the NBA Finals last year. Depending on where you live, that comment may either be misguided or realistic. (I think you can guess which side I’m on.)

    ”Of course not,” Robinson told Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype on whether there was a doubt Tim Duncan     would re-sign with San Antonio. “I mean, he’s the franchise. It’s hard to build the around young guys, build     a new team without having that kind of experience – the Manu [Ginobili], the Tony [Parker], the Tim… Those     guys are the core. I knew he was going to re-sign and I’m just glad to see that happen. He still can play a     few more years, he’s very solid. He’s such a smart player. I think we’re still in the mix, we’re still very     competitive. They should have won this year.”

Robinson also noted that the Spurs’ lower margin of error, stemming from their small-market, is alleviate by great management.

    ”Great management,” Robinson said. “That’s the thing. We don’t have the sponsorships, the dollars to     spend, the free agency… ‘Why would I go to San Antonio?’ We’ve had a hard time drawing those guys in.     So for us to have built the team over the last 15-20 years is a minor miracle. And financially be able to afford     that … You know, look at the Thunder… How are they gonna keep these guys? It seems like it’s gonna be     impossible. They did an amazing job these last few years in Oklahoma and that’s basically what [Gregg]     Popovich and RC Buford have done down there in San Antonio for the last 20 years.”

Despite the abbreviated run — relative to our admittedly high standards — Robinson believes the Spurs will rebound this season.

    ”It was just the consistency,” Robinson said. “The young guys kind of got a little bit shaken up and they     stopped doing what they did. They were playing so great… We were getting points off the bench, but all of a     sudden we got nothing the last four games. Same thing happened to the Thunder. Their bench went south     in the Finals. They got no help, it was just [Russell] Westbrook and [Kevin] Durant all the time. You gotta     have the balance, especially for an older team like us. We have to have that balance. Our guys will be a     year older, a year more mature… I think we’re gonna be better. We’ll be right there again next season.”

You can find the rest of Robinson’s excellent interview with Hoopshype here.