Waiting (a little nervously) on the Spurs nothing new

There are so many different ways of waiting.

You can wait on tables. You can wait on a bus. You can wait for Godot.

In the NBA, there's waiting on the San Antonio Spurs, who through the years have been to the regular season what the proverbial tortoise was to marathon running. They'll get there eventually.

That's why, as the season opener has given way to the quarter-pole of the schedule and Christmas decorations, the inclination all around the league has been to shrug off a quite pedestrian 10-9 record as the Spurs' way of clearing their throats.

"Oh, I'm always reluctant to write them out of the picture so early," said an Eastern Conference executive. "Because history says San Antonio will be there in the end, just you wait."

The waiting, as Tom Petty sang, is the hardest part.

Especially when the team crashed through the luxury tax threshold with the summertime addition of forward Richard Jefferson, who added $14.2 million to a payroll that is at an all-time franchise high of $80.6 million. All that to sit in ninth place in the always-competitive Western Conference?

It's not that the Spurs have been dreadfully disappointing, a la the Chicago Bulls or New Orleans Hornets. They've been merely uneven, confused and, well, just ordinary. San Antonio has fattened up against the dregs of the league, getting eight of its 10 victories against losing teams. The Spurs are only 2-8 against teams above the .500 mark.

When Utah rolled into town and snatched a game on Nov. 19, it was the first Jazz win in San Antonio in 20 tries over a span of 10 years. Even if they beat Charlotte at home on Friday night, the Spurs will have no better than their second-worst 20-game start in the Tim Duncan Era.

When the Spurs followed up with a five-game winning streak, there was a hope that a corner had been turned. But with the exception of a win at Houston, that string consisted of bottom feeders. Then the Spurs dropped three straight to Boston, Denver and Utah. The questions and a sense of urgency returned.

"We do know what our record is," said coach Gregg Popovich.

What the Spurs don't know yet is how to get the most out of a roster that many observers rated as the deepest in the NBA. Popovich has done more shuffling than a casino dealer and still hasn't turned up the right cards.

While the Spurs have increased their overall offensive production from 97 points a game last year to 100.9 , it's the output from half of their core four that has been lacking. Jefferson, who was supposed to bring speed and athleticism, has struggled to fit in. His 13.4 points per game is the lowest since his rookie season. He's topped 20 only four times.

Meanwhile Manu Ginobili has been tentative and often ineffective and already has missed five games due to a hamstring and a groin injury. When Ginobili popped in 20 points in Wednesday's win over Sacramento, it was only the fifth time he's made as many as five field goals in a game. He's connected on half his shots only twice.

"If we can get him in transition more often, I think it would help loosen him up and take advantage of his capabilities," Popovich said of Jefferson. The Spurs finally did that early in the game with the Kings and he broke out with 23 points.

With Ginobili, there's more concern about his physical condition than simply drawing up the right Xs and Os. With the Spurs going toe-to-toe with Boston in a fourth quarter battle last week, Ginobili -- their closer -- sat on the bench and watched.

"It was a precaution for several reasons," Popovich said.

Of course, the Spurs' history is a cautionary tale to anyone who would push them over the edge of relevancy so early. They were bumping along only slightly better a year ago at 12-8 and finished the season at 54-28. They opened the 2003-04 season at just 10-10 and finished at 57-28. There was also a pair of so-so 12-8 records to start 2002-03 and 1998-99. Both of those seasons ended with the Spurs winning the championship. In fact, in the strike-shortened 1999 season, the Spurs labored to a 6-8 start, but then closed with a 31-5 kick heading into the playoffs.

"That almost cost somebody (Popovich) his job, didn't it?" Duncan said. "I think it turned out all right."

Chances are, this one will too, since Popovich and general manager R.C.Buford are known for their patience. But the difference this season is that team owner Peter Holt and the franchise went against their usual fiscally conservative nature by breaking the bank for Jefferson in a bid to squeeze out one more title. And now all everyone in San Antonio can do is wait.

The hardest part.

Fran Blinebury has covered the NBA since 1977. You can e-mail him here.

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