Editor's note: As part of "The Stein Line" every Monday, senior NBA writer Marc Stein takes you around the league for the latest news in "Coast to Coast."

After blowing leads in five straight fourth-quarter losses, San Antonio was blown out at home Sunday night by short-handed Sacramento. Manu Ginobili's bad ankle from the World Championships is still twisted, Tony Parker can't shake his sophomore inconsistency no matter how hard he works on his shot in practice and Malik Rose's big start is a memory. Tim Duncan is also off to an uneven start, by Duncan's MVP standards, and the rotation around TD is unsettled because -- just like last season -- Duncan doesn't have a single teammate averaging more than 12 points per game. Worst of all, the Spurs have christened their new arena with the worst team free-throw percentage in the league at .670.

	A slow start by Tim Duncan, right, was just one of the Spurs' many concerns.

Trouble?

Let's just say the only thing still adhering to the script in San Antonio is David Robinson's intent to retire at season's end. Robinson is typically the slowest of all the starters in Alamo Country, but an early burst of double-doubles (five in the first seven games) had some locals wondering if Robinson might elect to keep playing ... which could have trifled with the Spurs' plans to make a splash in free agency next summer.

Not to worry, say Admiral intimates. Robinson looked so good last month, they believe, because he was relaxed and excited going into his farewell season and invigorated for the opening jump by his suddenly clear vision of what the future holds. With only one double-double in the 13 games since, Robinson has quieted any suggestions that, at 37, he has rewound the clock significantly.

So this clearly won't be a repeat of last season, when the Spurs opened 20-4 and with Parker playing better than anyone imagined for a 19-year-old point guard from France picked No. 28 overall. But the Spurs should rebound OK, just like we say about the Lakers, in a West that isn't as 1-through-8 powerful as it has been recently.

Plenty of time remains to secure a top four seed, behind sprinting-away Dallas and Sacramento, and we still expect the Spurs to do so. More importantly, there are still no tangible obstacles to the summertime salary-cap flexibility that will allow them to re-sign Duncan and pursue Jason Kidd or a Michael Olowokandi/Jermaine O'Neal type.

Any panic, in other words, is premature.

Home sweet home? Hawks have wins, if not fans
Shareef Abdur-Rahim has a comforting message for the league. Yes, Reef promises, February's NBA All-Star Game will fill Philips Arena.

"There's going to be enough people traveling to Atlanta to support that game," Reef said with a laugh.

All-Star Weekend, mind you, might account for the only full houses you'll ever see at Philips, a sparkling new building that doesn't even get to half-full when the Hawks play. This naturally disappoints Abdur-Rahim, a Georgia native, but doesn't surprise him. He knew what to expect from fellow Georgians when he was sent home in a trade with Vancouver.

To the Hawks' credit, they're not allowing the empty seats to drain away their energy at home, like Charlotte last season. At least not yet. Atlanta is 8-2 at home, to somewhat allay the impact of its more celebrated trouble with turnovers.

"I'm used to it," Abdur-Rahim said, shrugging. "I would like for it to be different, but I've never really seen (Atlanta) be like a Sacramento. It would help you, but we can't blame anything we're doing wrong on the fact we don't have fan support."

As Reef remembers it, even the Dominique Wilkins era had plenty of empty seats at the unforgettable Omni (yes, we still miss the Omni organ). How does Reef know? "I couldn't afford to go to games (as a kid), but you couldn't see all the games you wanted to see on TV," he said. "They were blacked out because they didn't sell out."

	Tony Battie continues to be Boston's best middle man.

Battie's doing Baker's job
While Vin Baker has been predictably ineffectual, Boston has no complaints about the production its getting from Tony Battie. He's a power forward masquerading as a center, but Battie is averaging a solid 8.6 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 57.4 percent from the field.

Battie's also blocking 1.7 shots per game, adding some tangible interior resistance to his opportunistic offense. "This is probably the best Tony has ever played," Celtics general manager Chris Wallace said. None of which makes you forget Baker's struggles, but at least it softens the impact.

Test questions not easy to answer
More than one Stein Line reader has mailed in to ask why the NBA isn't drug-testing Portland's Rasheed Wallace and Damon Stoudamire after their recent marijuana arrests. One obstacle to providing a response: We wouldn't know about it if the league was testing them, unless there was a third failed test followed by a suspension.

Details about the NBA's drug-testing program, we were politely reminded last week, are confidential. At last report, veterans could only be tested once a season -- unless they test positive. Rookies are tested throughout the season. The first positive marijuana test results in mandatory counseling. Strike 2 is a $15,000 fine, and every strike thereafter results in a five-game suspension.

Back trouble back in the news
Hornets historians will note that Baron Davis has more in common with Larry Johnson than the rare privilege of a big payday from George Shinn. Davis has a back problem, the same ailment that eventually forced LJ to retire, and that's the last thing the Hornets wanted to follow them from Charlotte to New Orleans.

Davis is trying to play through the pain for now, though, with a focus on the religious stretching of his tight hamstrings. The Hornets would also like to see Davis shed a few pounds to ease the strain on his back -- he has looked on the heavy side, frankly, since the World Championships -- but they concede that their All-Star point guard is built like a fullback and will always have that stocky look.

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here.