Hi PTR-ers. We are 18 games into what is supposed to be a 'warm-up' for another deep playoff run, and our beloved San Antonio Spurs are 9 and 9. That's good for 3rd place in the Southwest division, and a 9th place ranking in the Western Conference standings. I know the Spurs are a "2nd half of the season" kind of team, and I know come February, they are supposed to flip that switch and miraculously start firing on all cylinders. But let's be real here, this is not the way for a championship contender to start the season. This is not Spurs ball. There has been too much lazy play, way too many turnovers, lax defense, lax offense, not enough rebounding, and too...many...missed...free-throws! We have a few bugs to sort out. A few suggestions as to what could be the problem(s) have come up in conversation thus far, but are not limited to (and in no order): Has Pop lost it? Is Manu not really fully recovered? Is Tony hogging the ball? Is it too early to call the RJ trade a bust? Do we need another move? Did we miss an oppurtunity? Are we too old? When do we panic??

[ Enlighten me, if you dare: http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine ]