Hello all. We're going to try and start anew here at Bank Shots after a rough initial outing. Just a little information on me and what to expect:

I graduated with a degree in journalism from from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio in 2006. I've worked for a few small papers and helped out in small, part-time roles at the Express-News. After seeing newsrooms across the country shred their staff I bailed on those dreams and am pursuing teaching, so this blog will serve as one of the last outlets for my writing.

Being from San Antonio I am a huge Spurs fan. I try and keep a grounded and unbiased take on all things NBA but this blog will probably be a little Spurs-centric. That being said, I want to stop short of calling this strictly a Spurs site as I often have thoughts on the entire NBA in general.

There will be the mandatory lists from time to time (best players, teams, overrated, underrated, All-Stars, etc., etc.), columns, a few attempts at humor and while I won't do game recaps--there are newspapers still in existence after all--I will try to maintain a semi-daily feature titled "Bank Shots" with random thoughts across the NBA.

In addition to my work as a freelance and staff reporter over the past few years I've also worked as an artist from time to time and will post paintings as they come up.

I'm a Spurs season ticket holder for the first time and using that and Twitter I'm hoping to have live game comments for anyone who cares to follow along.

I follow a lot of different blogs and writers. 48minutesofhell.com, Kelly Dwyer on Yahoo Sports, ESPN TrueHoop and Bill Simmons are among my regular reads. I've never been a big stats +/- guy. Though I do see value in them I believe they simply serve as something that should narrow down what you look for then allow for an eye test.

Now, as far as what I expect. I'd like for you guys to comment on anything you'd like: Whether you have tips for my writing style (like or dislike), my opinions. Mostly I just want to have some healthy basketball discussions here. Thanks and enjoy.

Big Blue Boys Scouts are outdated. True, there are very few who don't recognize Superman but when was he last time he was relevant? You would probably have to go back to the days of moon pies and drive-in theaters from which he was created.

Or, if you want to go by basketball terms, when big men still ruled the Earth.

The thing about comic book characters, however, is that true icons never truly die. They simply get revamped. Placing modern twists on legends while keeping true to the spirit of what they represented is never easy. Dwight Howard simply makes it look that way. 

Perhaps, that is why we have willingly accepted Howard taking on the mantle of Superman even as the first one still roams the paint.

Our heroes have changed. As our world has become more complex, so have the figures that fill the funny books, giving rise to brooding anti-heroes and anti-establishment.

Flawed heroes-like Allen Iverson-are appreciated for being relatable. Displaying abilities far beyond those of normal men but troubled with the same temptations.

Then there are those like Kobe Bryant, blessed with God-like abilities, who fall prey to their own arrogance or personal demons only to seek redemption towards the end. Their journey from riches to ruin, and back again, enticing scores of followers.

But for every Spawn, Punisher or X-man that has risen and fallen from prominence, it is the simplicity of Superman that has stood the test of time.

Why? Because he represents what draws us to comic books in the first place: The ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Wonderment. Fun, plain and simple.

 

The Devil's greatest trick was convincing the world he didn't exist. Michael Jordan's greatest feat was convincing it that basketball greatness is measured only in 6-foot-6, 40-inch verticals.

And whether we are aware of it or not, it is the legacy of Air Jordan that has made the Kobe v. Lebron debate so heated in its intensity.

His career arch mirroring Jordan-his transformation from high-flying champion to cold-blooded midrange tactician-Kobe Bryant has been labeled by some (mistakenly) as the greatest player. And it's an almost rational and somewhat comforting logic by those who advocate Bryant as the best:

Michael Jordan is the best that ever played. Kobe Bryant is the player most similar to Michael Jordan. Therefore Kobe Bryant is the best.

It's certainly a logical argument. It works within the framework of what we know and holds true to our values.

But much like the theory of creationism sufficed before being supplanted by Darwin's theory of evolution, a new player is laying claim to the title of world's best player. And once again questioning people's faith is creating quite a stir.

After all, how many were persecuted for believing the world was round? Or that everything revolved around the sun?

Outside of his jersey number, very little of Lebron James resembles Jordan. At 6-foot-9 and roughly 270 pounds, James physically is more comparable to Karl Malone than Jordan. His style, while jaw-dropping, lacks the level of artistry of Bryant and his template, Jordan. It's more violent than creative. More raw than refined. Sort of like a young Shawn Kemp.

As ESPN TrueHoop Henry Abbott put it, "(Lebron) just doesn't move like the best player in the world".

That's where this debate gets heated. What, exactly, does the best player in the world look like? Bryant fits the mold as the greatest difficult shot maker in today's NBA. In some ways, he may even surpass Jordan in this regard. This is why everyone agrees they would pick Bryant over everyone for the honors of last shot.

But as Bill Walton use to say, never mistake activity for achievement. Or, in this case, skill set for dominance. The NBA might be defined by creativity, and certainly Bryant has more of it than anyone else in the league, but it is ruled by dominance.

Lebron James does not have Michael Jordan's skill set because, quite simply, he doesn't need it. Whereas Bryant might be able to execute an intricate set of feints and jabs to get off a shot, James can simply blow past his defender and rise over the rest of the defense.

Jordan remained so dominant late in his career, in part, because he convinced an entire generation that his success was keyed into his highlights. They served to mask what he and few others understood: Basketball is a simple game ruled by efficiency and intelligence.

Bill Russell define these traits. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson carried them on. The two best players of the past decade, Shaq and Tim Duncan, understood it. And despite being un-Jordanesque visually, James owns it too.

Simple and efficient in a way completely unlike anything we have ever seen before. And while these final two rounds of the playoffs may not decide the better player, James has at least opened up eyes to other styles of greatness.

Let the debate continue.

Don't let the headline fool you, Lakers beat my Spurs legit. I can accept that there just wasn't enough in the tank to overcome a hobbled Ginobili. There might not have been enough to counter with a healthy one.

Still, does anybody find it funny that the two teams in the NBA Finals are the ones that had there former legendary players engineer obviously lopsided trades to the most storied franchises in NBA history? And then before it can be discussed the NBA throws the no flopping rule out there. w

I found it very appropriate that Jerry West was out to handle the post game ceremonies. Seeing as how he handed over the piece that kept Kobe with the Lakers on a silver platter. Kobe deemed it a "donation", not a trade. On the radio, West refused to get into it, flip flopping more than a political cartoon of John Kerry.

If only Kevin McHale MC'ed the Celtics ceremony.

Don't get me wrong, I will watch the NBA finals as enthusiastically as I do any decent matchup. I hate to be that guy, and don't take this post too seriously, but just throwing that little bit of information out there and hoping some of you will run with it.

Something strange occured while the nation attacked the Spurs on everything from dirty play, flopping, and destruction of the NBA and Western civilization as we know it.

Spurs fans got a taste of being the bad guy. And you know what? I kind of like it. After years of criticism for being too soft to be a dynasty its a little funny our silver and black would be associated with the Raiders black and silver.

While I suppose it would be good to show some class and look the other way, might as well revel in rooting for a team hated by every other fan base in the league--Especially Suns fans. If you're still reading just know your team still sucks, your coach is fired, and Amare and Boris still got of the bench on their own.

With all that being said, I give you--in no particular order--the top 10 reason a good chunk of New Orleans fans are Douche bags.

1.) Bandwagoners. Going into the season it was obvious Chris Paul was amongst the most electric players in the NBA and a top flight point guard. Did that stir excitement? No. New Orleans still ranked towards the bottom of the league in attendance until after the All-
Star break when a playoff spot was secured.

2.) A continuation of take one. New Orleans has now shown shaky support for two of the most exciting players in NBA history, so what's to make people think its going to change? New Orleans should still be the Jazz. Instead they banished LSU icon Pistol Pete to Utah.

3.) In a town of voodoo and superstition, why would you change up something that was working? Where were the yellow shirts? The change to white was just bad karma all over it.

4.) For a couple of days Hornets fans and Suns fans were one and the same over Robert Horry. While the Spurs victory will last only until the next series, all the YouTube shots of Horry and Bowen the past two years will last forever.

5.) Speaking of YouTube, reason five is New Orleans' media. Putting a byline and credit over a blog that just takes YouTube clips and puts them on a page. That's just horrible journalism.

6.) Because Robert Horry hit more than David West's back. Those threes were big.

7.) Refusal to take blame. It was the refs fault in San Antonio and somehow Robert Horry's fault in the grand scheme of things. A rule of thumb, you can't blame the President for something as complex as the levies when you can't handle something as simple as a mascot routine.

8.) For David West looking like someone pooed in his cereal the entire series. Smile guy.

9.) Throwing ice onto the floor. Real mature. [And yes, I know chanting Robert Horry while West is writhing in pain is also. I don't condone it. Am saddened by it. But F-- it. You want a villain now Spurs fans are more than happy to oblige].

10.) Woooooo. Wooooooo. Wooooooo. Wooooooo. Wooooooo. Woooooo. Wooooooo. Woooooo. Woooooo. Nothing's lamer than coming up with an unoriginal chant for a player scoring just to try and get the home crowd involved. Woooo. Woooooo. Wooooo. Wooooo. Wooooo. Wooooo. I'm not sure why everyone wanted the Hornets to advance. Wooooo. Wooo.