Hey, guys! I've never been an integral member of the community here or anything, and I'd guess that not one person noticed my absence, but I've been gone for a while. Mostly due to the lockout sapping my will to check basketball communities, the craziness of moving and starting my new job as a corporate statistician, and my new Manu-themed NBA blog! But, I'm back. And I don't plan on leaving until someone wrenches PtR from my cold, dead hands. Which would be... a really strange situation, because I honestly don't know why I'd die holding a website. Who does that, really? Why was I holding it? Raises more questions than it answers.

So, anyway. I'm really excited for this season. I realize a lot of Spurs fans are sad that we're moving on without George. And I get that -- I loved George for his defense and his general grit, he was one of my favorite Spurs in 2010, and I look forward to seeing what he does with a solid young Pacers team. I realize there's a lot of sadness about Tim's game given how his swan song went last season. But I think this team, if not an instant contender like the Thunder or the Heat, is on the fringe and features the single most intriguing, dynamic rookie the Spurs have had since Manu first laced up.

By that, of course, I mean Kawhi Leonard. I wrote a long freeform piece on what Kawhi's season means for me having watched him intensely in college. Long story short: really excited. Watching our defensive identity evolve with a potential Tony-Manu-Neal-Kawhi-Tim lineup (or perhaps a Tony-Manu-Kawhi-Bonner-Tim lineup) is going to be amazing, and seeing a Gerald-type player on the Spurs seems like something that should've happened a long time ago. Cory Joseph may end up being a D-League stash pick, but looking at our roster I see a group that could pull some punches this season, if Kawhi lives up to his college game. Our offense may not be as good as it was last year, but if our defense continues evolving, we won't need it to be.

How was everyone's lockout? Any ENORMOUSLY CONSEQUENTIAL PtR news I've missed in my layaway? Have I missed any ballin' memes? How do you feel about this year's team, and the shortened season in general? I demand your thoughts. OK, I don't demand them. But I desire them. And that's the same thing, almost!