Manu Ginobili is planning to have arthroscopic surgery on his left heel.

“They’re going to operate on me,” he told Argentina’s La Nacion newspaper Friday. The 31-year-old doesn’t know when he’ll have the surgery or who will do it.

Ginobili, who helped lead Argentina to a bronze medal in the Beijing Olympics, said an MRI exam of the injury showed no improvement.

“It’s the same as it was two months ago, when they did the first exam,” he said. “Now, the thing is, it’s not better either, and it seems like the only way to repair it completely is arthroscopic surgery.”

I had arthroscopic surgery on both of my knees while in college, and recovery from those procedures took about a month. But this is Ginobili’s heel, so it might be a different story. He has two months until the season starts, so there is time to recover.

Argentina figured to be one of the toughest tests for Team USA at these games, but the U.S. raced out to a 21-point lead in the early second quarter of the single-elimination semifinal. The first half was a tale of two quarters. The lead, coupled with an injury that knocked Manu Ginobili out of the game, made it easy for the U.S. to get complacent. Even without their star, Argentina is a good team and while the Americans were sleepwalking, the lead was cut to six just before the half.

The U.S. got its act together after a halftime tongue-lashing from Coach K, and won the game going away, 101-81. Carmelo Anthony led Team USA with 21 points, but it was a very balanced attack as seven Americans scored in double figures.

The U.S. moves on to face Spain in the gold medal game. Jose Calderon is iffy to play with a strained groin, and given the Americans’ dominance in the two teams’ first meeting, the Spaniards are really going to have to raise their game if they’re going to keep it close. The game is scheduled for 2:30 AM ET on Sunday morning, so check your local listings.

It wasn’t pretty during the first quarter, as the U.S. men’s basketball team struggled to make shots and to defend the three-point line. But a 14-0 run at the beginning of the second half broke the game open and the U.S. went on to win, 116-85.

Kobe Bryant led Team USA with 25 points on 10-16 shooting, including 4 of 7 from long range.

“Early in the game, they made a lot of tough shots,” U.S. point guard Chris Paul said. “We were doing what we were supposed to be doing and they made tough shots, but sooner or later we’ll impose our will. I don’t know if you can keep up with us for 40 minutes.”

LeBron James added 16 points for the Americans, who are guaranteed a chance to play for a medal. They need two more wins for their first gold medal in a major international competition since the 2000 Sydney Games.

The U.S. moves on to the semifinals where they’ll face Argentina, who nipped Greece, 80-78, in the first round of the elimination bracket.

The Argentineans figure to be Team USA’s toughest challenge in these Games. With Andres Nocioni, Luis Scola, Fabricio Oberto and Carlos Delfino, they have NBA-talent, and in Manu Ginobili, they have one of the best players in the world.