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Unfortunately, I've relocated so far to the middle of nowhere that I can't even get NBA League Pass from my cable company. As such, I haven't been able to watch many Spurs games this season. However, I haven't been impressed with the games I have seen. "Lackadaisical" is probably the best way to describe it. Seems like the majority of the team is just going through the motions until about 5 minutes left in the game, when they try to "turn it on" and procure a victory. That may cut it in the regular season, but it won't get it done in the playoffs.

I know there are plenty of excuses: Tim's nagging injuries, Manu missing games, etc. There are also plenty of things to be excited about: TP's playing like gangbusters, and they are off to the best start in franchise history. But I would remind everyone that at this time last year, the Spurs were on pace to set a record for the largest average margin of victory. Their mental toughness seemed lacking in last year's playoffs (even though they won), and is even more apparent now.

On another note, did anyone else see Joey Crawford nudge Bruce Bowen to a different spot on the court in Friday's win over the Nets? It happened during the fourth quarter: TP had the ball at the top of the key, then passed the ball to the left wing to Manu. While that was happening, Crawford was nudging Bowen out of the way on the right wing. Bruce was wide open, and he had every right to occupy that spot. It wasn't like the two were inadvertantly about to collide. Bruce was standing in the spot, and Crawford intentionally stepped forward to take the spot. Obviously, this isn't anything new, but it just serves to illustrate a point made by others on this board in the past: NBA refs consider themselves to be too important, and would do better to be less visible (like most college refs).

Speaking of college... I can tell you that the Spurs apparently have at least a mild interest in one of Georgetown's current players. Most notably, Sam Presti himself made at least one visit to G'town back in the fall. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Hoyas, they beat Duke a few weeks ago. They currently have 3 players with NBA potential:

Brandon Bowman -- Sr. 6'9" F -- Brandon is basically a tweener: not enough outside game to play the 3, but a little undersized to play the 4 at the NBA level. He's a streaky shooter, especially from behind the arc, and does best within 15 feet. His effort is somewhat inconsistent, most notably on the defensive end. In my opinion, his best shot is the second round.

Jeff Green -- So. 6'9" F -- Jeff definitely has the skills to play SF in the NBA. He's got more consistent long-range skills than Bowman. He's definitely a hustler: never seems to take a play off. As with any young player, he could learn to move his feet better on defense, but he's still pretty good. He's got decent hops. Jeff could probably be a mid to late 1st rounder at some point, but I don't know if that will be this year.

Roy Hibbert -- So. 7'2" C -- Roy is the latest in the tradition of talented big men. However, he's extremely raw. He's made a lot of progress in his first two years, including the development of a fairly reliable hook shot. Defensively, he gets a lot of blocks, but that's to be expected with someone his size. With another 2 years of development, he would definitely be a worthy project center on the right team (maybe the Spurs?). But it's likely some team will draft him way too high due to his size.