Former Pitt star DeJuan Blair's been struggling this season. After a solid rookie season, 2010-11 was supposed to be his breakout year and he was named a starter by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich at the beginning of the year.

That's why it was nice to see him turn in a nice performance Tuesday.

He's continued to start, but his minutes have been shrinking as Popovich has been going more to Antonio McDyess and Matt Bonner on the Spurs bench.

But Tuesday was a different story.

Blair went for 17 points, 15 rebounds, a block, and two steals Tuesday night against the Lakers. With Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol struggling a bit, he had arguably the best night of any player on either team.

After the game, he was understandably in a good mood:

"That’s the most fun I’ve had all season," the Spurs center gushed.

But still, he kept things in perspective:

"I don’t think championships get won in December," Blair said. "Every day counts, and there’s a lot more we can prove."

I root so hard for this guy and these types of games really make you see the potential he can have. Hopefully this is the beginning of something good for him.