The Spurs threw Croshere the lifeline, putting down a low-cost bet on the 6-foot-10 shooting forward. He has 10 days to show the Spurs something that might cause them to ask him to stick around a while longer.

"This is the way this worked out," Croshere said after a morning shootaround at the Wachovia Center, his first with the Spurs. "You don't question it. You just try to make the most of it."

Croshere became available after being waived by Milwaukee in a cost-saving move on Jan. 6. When the Spurs contacted him not long after, Croshere says, he was "instantly interested."

Most readily identified by the nine seasons he spent with Indiana, Croshere, 33, has averaged 6.8 points and four rebounds in his career, while shooting 40.8 percent from the field.

He made his Spurs debut with 7 minutes, 17 seconds of mop-up duty in Friday's 109-87 loss to Philadelphia, scoring his only points on a drive and dunk.

The Spurs are under no delusions that Croshere is the missing piece needed to strike fear in the rest of the Western Conference. But they think he might be able to help.

He has 10 days to prove them right.

"It's the kind of thing we'll often do during the year," said coach Gregg Popovich, who once brought in Glenn Robinson and Damon Stoudamire as midseason additions. "We'll take a look at other people, in this case a veteran who has been a solid player in the league. We have 10 days to let him get used to what we do and see if he fits into the program in some way."

That will lead Croshere to do something else he's never done before. He will wear No. 22 for the Spurs, after donning 44 in his four previous NBA stops. His preferred number, once worn by George Gervin, has been retired by the Spurs.

No more buzzer-beaters: Heading into Friday's game, the Spurs were 7-2 in games decided by three points or less, winning more such games than any team in the league.

That included a 108-106 victory over the 76ers on a Tony Parker buzzer-beater earlier this month.

The way Popovich figures it, all the Spurs are doing is tempting karma.

"What goes around comes around," he said. "Ours will come on the other end. The law of averages always catches up to you."

The Sixers made Popovich seem prophetic Friday night by hitting buzzer-beaters in each of the first three quarters.

No Brand: Despite pregame rumors to the contrary, Elton Brand did not make his long-awaited return for Philadelphia on Friday. He missed his 14th consecutive game since suffering a separated shoulder Dec. 17.