'TIS THE SEASON TO NOT WORRY.

Byline: JOE STEVENS

The Alfred E. Neuman response comes up every season, when an unsuspecting team is off to a poor start. Players, coaches and general managers dodge the issue by essentially asking, ``What me, worry?''

This season, the team that best falls into the maddening Neuman category is the San Antonio Spurs.

Before winning Friday night, the Spurs were on a four-game losing streak, having lost to both Los Angeles teams and looking very much unlike the world champions they are. But despite those early struggles, coach Gregg Popovich and his players say they aren't worried, that they had a similar start last season and, hey, look where they finished.

``You'd rather win than lose, but it's more important to make sure everybody's learning to play the right way, play with each other and that you're improving and understanding the foundation of what you do, because it will pay off later,'' Popovich said. ``The wins take care of themselves if you get all that taken care of.''

The Spurs aren't hitting the panic button, and maybe they don't need to just yet. They are 11-10, whereas last year this time they were 12-9.

This is not a team that puts a lot of stock into its December record, but it is a remarkably different squad than last season. David Robinson, even at the end of his admirable career last season, brought a wily presence that was worth more than his statistics showed. He might have been a few steps slower than he was in his prime, but his basketball IQ always had him in the right spot on defense, making smart decisions.

Robinson's replacement, Rasho Nesterovic, still doesn't have a complete grasp of where to be and what to do. Nesterovic easily is one of the top 10 centers in the league, but his presence does not compare to Robinson's.

Last season, San Antonio's chemistry was top-notch, and it helped to have Robinson, Steve Kerr and Danny Ferry in the locker room. With all three of those veterans retired, a mountain of responsibility rests on Tim Duncan to lead this club.

Which leads to another problem for the Spurs. They have a new supporting cast, having lost point guard Speedy Claxton (Golden State) and small forward Stephen Jackson (Atlanta) to free agency.

On paper, those losses might not appear insurmountable, but Hedo Turkoglu has yet to mesh as Jackson's replacement and Manu Ginobili has been forced to start. Although point guard Tony Parker stands to play more minutes, it would help to have Claxton as an option.

``More than anything, we have a lot of unanswered questions substitution-wise,'' Popovich said. ``We don't have a rotation at that two-three position, and we don't have steady play at the point-guard position because of Tony's injury (sprained ankle, which made him miss seven games) and not having that backup we're sure about.''

If anyone can answer those questions, it is Popovich. Talent-wise, the Spurs are far from the Lakers' Hall of Fame roster.

Popovich has a knack for getting his players to buy into a team concept, and in the playoffs that could be the Lakers' biggest obstacle. Despite their mediocre start, the Spurs probably will come on strong as they did last season.

If any championship team and coach don't get respect, it's the Spurs. The small market in San Antonio, coupled with the no-frills approach of the team's players, lets the team fly under the radar more than typical championship teams.

Popovich's no-frills approach also means he doesn't get a lot of credit for what he has accomplished. He is a throwback who expects to win and can't stand to lose. So much so that after he won the NBA championship last spring, he hardly celebrated before focusing on the Olympic trials in Puerto Rico.

He is an assistant to Larry Brown on the Olympic team, and Brown was shocked at how Popovich was obsessed with talking about what the team did wrong when it lost in the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis. Brown remarked that you'd think he'd still be riding high from the NBA title.

``If you felt the embarrassment I felt in Indianapolis and the hurt we all felt, you would have switched gears real quick, too, and gotten real serious about the games in Puerto Rico,'' Popovich said. ``That's the sickness of this business. You remember the losses a whole lot more than the wins. I feel like if you're a halfway intelligent person you should figure that out (and not dwell on it). And I haven't been able to, so I must be an idiot.''

The irony is that when it's the first half of the season, Popovich can lose his must-win attitude in the short term in order to help the team in the long-term.

``It's a little frustrating, but you can't look at it like that,'' Spurs forward Malik Rose said. ``You have to roll with the punches. Things are a little tough right now, but they were tough early last season. This team is resilient enough that we'll get over the hump.''

--Popularity contest: When teams win championships, that typically means a bump in merchandise sales. That happened to the Spurs, but their jersey sales are just 10th in the league, one place behind 1-18 Orlando.

The NBA released a list of its top-selling jerseys, with the Lakers, 76ers and Cavaliers occupying the top three. The top five jerseys are LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady, Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant.

--Lists are fun: Another hoop list that came out this week was Street & Smith's 100 Greatest College Basketball Players. The top five are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor), Bill Walton, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell and Pete Maravich.

Players with ties to the Lakers are all over the list, including No. 8 Wilt Chamberlain, No. 10 Jerry West, No. 11 Magic Johnson and No. 18 Elgin Baylor.

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