Author Archives: Jeremiah McNama

by | July 5, 2011 · 11:08 am

Valanciunas looks strong in USA loss

Jonas (and I’m going to keep call him that because it’s easier to spell than his last name) dropped 30 and 15 in a losing cause against the US today.  It looks like it was a great showing nonetheless. Have a look at the postgame interview and highlights. Sounds like Jonas is highly respected out there. My favourite part is when his teammate says having Jonas out there is like having two players on their team. Bam! With all the booing and complaining out there immediately after the pick it looks like BC drafted a stud. Silly us.

Here are the numbers; Jonas is second in scoring at 21.4 a game, first in rebounds at 13.4 and first in blocks at 3.6. Yikes. Putting on a clinic.

Next game is tomorrow against Egypt. (Yeah, I have no idea how this tournament works, but you can follow along here)

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by | June 18, 2011 · 11:51 am

A Case For Casey

For a second I’m going to pretend I know what I’m talking about when it comes to picking the right coach for the Toronto Raptors. Because let’s face it, I don’t. I’ve never met Lawrence Frank. I’ve never talked to Dwayne Casey. Hell, I didn’t even know Dwayne Casey existed until the Mavs went on an incredible playoff run. (Ok, maybe I heard his name several times when it came to coaching candidates, but it sure as hell didn’t register.) But here’s what I do know.

Dwane Casey has an NBA ring.

Lawrence Frank does not.

Is there anything else more important? Probably not.

Dwayne Casey is supposedly the man who somehow got Dirk Nowitzki to finally play defense. Again, I have no idea if this is really true. But everyone is saying it, so it must be right, right?

Secondly, he was part of a coaching staff who held a team together, as one, for the entire NBA season. This last point I can’t stress enough.

In a league where players have a tendency to be selfish. Where playing time becomes a point of contention. Where guys like Mike James and Sonny Weems develop Jordan complexes. He was part of a coaching staff that held a locker room together like they we’re best friends from grade school.

That’s everything. Chemistry in this league (or any league really) is what wins championships. Ok ok, yes you need the talent. But the Heat had talent and look where it got them. What the Heat lacked was cohesiveness. Too many egos, not enough shots. Take Bosh even, stating after the game that he should have had more touches. That’s bad chemistry. That’s poison. Might as well get it over with and sleep with a few of your teammate’s wives.

In Dallas you didn’t hear Kidd complaining about Barea. You didn’t hear Jet complaining about Dirk shooting 1 for 12  (I love how his nickname really took off in the last couple weeks). Nope. What you had were 12 players (more like 9) who we’re all on the same page, all knowing their roles.

So yeah, we may be picking a coach just because his stock is high. And yeah, we might overpay. And yeah, we might look back and say, “shit, that was silly, we just picked him because he won a ring and that sounds pretty good”. But you know what? The logic sticks. And I’m sure over the next couple days we’ll tweeting and blogging about a new coach in town. A new coach with a brand new ring on his finger, or a championship belt, or a blinged out necklace, or whatever the hell Mark Cuban wants to buy his NBA championship team.

Jeremiah McNama
Zan Tabak Herald

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by | August 6, 2010 · 3:07 pm

The key to Raptor’s success still lies overseas

How can we ever win?

Star US players leaving in a hurry. Big name free agents looking elsewhere. It’s a never-ending cycle of American players disliking something different. Like different is a bad thing.

Four years ago, when Bryan Colangelo came to town, he went European. Today as we collectively lament over the loss of Chris Bosh, I understand why.

Going European may in fact be this team’s only chance to win.

Take the Blue Jays. Throughout the late 80s they cornered the Dominican and Puerto Rican markets. Built a roster full of international talent and then filled holes with key American players.

On the streets of the Dominican you wouldn’t see a Yankees hat or a Boston Red Sox hat. You’d see a Blue Jays hat. Or Tony Fernandez uniform.

Maybe the same can be done for the Raptors.

If the Raptors can continue to build relationships internationally it could reap rewards. Scout heavily overseas. Hold basketball camps in Europe. Promote Bargnani in Italy. Bring in a coach like Ettore Messina.

Bring in non-American players who don’t care what anthem is played before every game. Who don’t scoff at seeing kilometers written on speed signs. To them it doesn’t matter. US or Canada, both are not home.

So while I do think it’s important to draft the best player available, maybe it’s also important to pick a Ricky Rubio over a Johnny Flynn. Maybe we’d see a legion of Raptor Rubio jerseys in Madrid. Like Alomar jerseys in Puerto Rico. Creating a future generation of basketball players who actually want to play in Toronto.

So next time you see Bryan Colangelo drafting a European. Or hiring European. Or scouting European. Don’t scoff.  Don’t post your outrage on forums. Or vent about the trails of another European experiment. Understand that it could be part of a long-term strategy. And quite possible our only chance at building a winner, in the only non-American city in the NBA.

Viva la Raptors.

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Jeremiah McNama
The Zan Tabak Herald
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by | April 14, 2010 · 10:11 pm

There’s always next year

No, he didn't look like a guy ready to leave. It's going to be an interesting time leading up to July one

You have to hand it to them. The Raptors came out tonight and played their hearts out. For 48 minutes we saw inspired basketball, so much so that we saw Toronto put up an all-time best 131 points in regulation. But, as we all know, it was all for not. Because Chicago came out and beat the Bobcats. The fate of their playoff lives were in Chicago’s hands. A situation the Raptors should never have been in, in the first place.

Let’s move onto the final three for the season

Hedo, take a seat

How fitting was it that Hedo was in foul trouble all game? I agreed with Leo Rautins for the first time all season when he said “Hedo never really got on a roll”.  It’s kinda like we’ve been waiting for him to get on one all season. But it never came.  Never ever. He’s been a complete and utter disappointment for us this year. One can only hope that he comes back a little more comfortable in our offense and puts up better numbers in 2011. Please, dear God, let that happen.

One positive to take

Ok, there may even be a few. Now that the Raptors finished 9th (I can’t believe I’m even typing that ) Toronto gets to keep their fist round draft pick.  Yes, it’s going to be somewhere around 14 or 15, but you never know what type of player you can get in that range. A Danny Granger comes to mind.

The other positive? The fact that we blew out the Knicks to end the season. What’s not to love about that?

Rookie shuts em up.

Yep, he came out and put up his best numbers of the season. Some 22 points on 8 of 10 shooting. And a spectacular dunk on top of that. Maybe the best he’s had all season. It was an up and down year for the Kid. But it was nice to end it on a high note. He’s only going to get better. We talked at length at how he has the potential to be an Iguodala type guy. After watching this season, I think those expectations are a little high, but he’s going to be a very solid player.

Zan of the Night

Big Bargnani

He was great. He looked large and in charge and was clearly the best player on the floor for both teams. It’s a good thing too, he might be the best player on our team next year. Shit.

Not Zan of the Night

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is my least favorite day of the year. It means we’re months and months away from seeing another Toronto Raptor game. It really does make me sad.

Plus the foul

On a happy note we just want to thank everyone for following our blog for the season. It was our first go at it and we love it. But this isn’t the end of  the line for us. We’ll keep at it in the off season. It’s going to be an interesting one!

All the best to you guys,

Jeremiah McNama & Kristoffer Pedlar
The Zan Tabak Herald
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by | April 9, 2010 · 10:39 pm

Altanta Hands Toronto a Loss, as the Raptors Cling to the 8th Spot.

Amir with the throw down. He's been one of the few bright spots for the Raptors this year.

Another game against Atlanta, another loss. That team is too athletic and too talented for us to beat at the best of times, even with Chris Bosh playing. The good news is, Chicago lost to New Jersey. God knows how that happened. But it should set up an interesting game against the Bulls on Sunday. A game that more or less decides who plays in the post season and who doesn’t.

The not so curious case of Hedo

Hedo Turkoglu has had a terrible year. No question. But let me paint you a picture.

Last year, with the Magic, he had 29 games where he scored over 20 points. This year? 7. That’s a big time drop off.

But here’s what’s interesting. With the Magic he took over 1000 shots. With the Raptors, only 600. Jay Triano has got to find a way to get Hedo more involved in a game. If not this year, then next year. His scoring average is the lowest it’s been since 2005. And I’m not sure it’s totally his fault.

Does any body care?

Looking around during the fourth quarter, the Raptors were all smiles. Laughing and joking and talking it up with the Hawks. If the Chicago Bulls managed to win their game last night we’d be one game out of the playoffs. We need to show some passion. Our team was down by two possessions, their season is on the line, and no one seemed keen on forcing the action. It’s furriating. Just because Chris Bosh is gone doesn’t mean the season is over. Let’s show some fight.

Basketball Gods, what did we do?

Why have you forsaken us? Every single year, something goes wrong. Our best players continually leave our team. The high risk signings we pick up, rarely turn out. And the one year, the one year, we get the first pick in the draft, is one of the weakest years in draft history. (The year before we could have has Chris Paul. The year after, Kevin Durrant)

Show us some mercy Basketball Gods. And now we’re clinging on to the final spot in the East, we lose Chris Bosh with a….broken face? Hedo is totally banged up. And now Antoine Wright seems like he’s gone for a few games. What’s it going to take to turn this franchise around? A little good fortune would be appreciated. Please for the love of god, show us some mercy. We could use a little.

Zan of the Night

Josh Smith

The guy’s a monster. When it comes to people talking about the best players in the game, he rarely gets a mention. But he most certainly should. He’s Mr. Consistency – bringing it every night

Not Zan of the Night

Andrea Bargnani

It’s not that he had a bad game. Although it struck me as odd when he didn’t play the end of the forth… It’s just that he needs to step it up a notch. He hasn’t developed that killer instinct that Dirk has and here’s hoping he can take a step towards.

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Jeremiah McNama

The Zan Tabak Herald

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by | April 4, 2010 · 12:05 am

Raptors stumble, but walk away with a win in Philly.

The Raptors took care of business yesterday afternoon against the Philadelphia 76ers. It was closer than most of us would have liked, but while Philadelphia played hard, the Raptors executed consistently down the stretch for their third win in a row. Now let’s move on to the good stuff.

Antoine Wright

I read an article a couple days ago, I think it was maybe Doug Smith, wondering if the Raptors might let Antoine Wright walk this summer because of the emergence of Sonny Weems. But after yesterday’s win, you couldn’t convince me that was the right call with a gun to my head.

Antoine Wright played phenomenal.

He’s our best defender, he hits open shots and he plays smarter than any player on our team. He also continually sneaks in to grab rebounds when no other Raptor player is in the vicinity. He was the only guy in a red jersey trying to grab the ball after Jack missed his free throw at the end of the game. And he did this at least 3 times yesterday.

He’s crafty. He’s smart. He’s a hard worker. And he’s still damn young. If BC lets him walk I will be very surprised.

Sonny Weems

Speaking of surprised, I read today that BC almost waived Sonny Weems when he was acquired last summer. Raise your hand if you’re glad he didn’t. This kid is really finding his own in the league. He hits jumper after jumper and he gets after his man on D. And the point that I keep forgetting is – he’s a sophomore. A second year player. He’s a diamond in the rough and I’m glad Colangelo dug him up.

Hedo Turkoglu

It’s good to hear that Turk has been putting in extra time in the gym. Hard work hasn’t exactly been his calling card in the league. A Turk who’s healthy, in shape and on top of his game is going to speak volumes if the Raptors make the playoffs.

Plus the Foul

Jay Triano

Marc Stein, one of the most respected and connected ESPN reporters I know, reported today that Jay’s job isn’t safe, even if the Raptors make the playoffs. To this I say, no way, no how, impossible.

Jay’s job is as guaranteed as they come. Mostly because he’s done a good job (his defense switch with Jose guarding Kapono, Weems on Holiday and Wright on Iggy is a perfect example) and especially since the team is still paying Sam Mitchell THIS year.

Zan of the Night

Chris Bosh

No offense to Sonny, Jose, and Andrea, who all had great games, but Chris’ stat line is impossible to ignore. 28 and 12 is what we’ve come to expect. But 7 assists on top of that is special.

Not Zan of the Night

Andre Iguodala

Yes, he scored a season-high 33 points but his poor shoot selection down the stretch gave Toronto the win.

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Jeremiah McNama
The Zan Tabak Herald

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by | March 27, 2010 · 9:42 am

Chris Bosh takes some heat, as Carmelo sinks the Raptors

The Raptors played hard against a Denver squad Friday night, but eventually blew a 12 point lead in the fourth quarter to lose by one. There were lots of good signs however. Mainly, that we were winning for a second. But at the end of the day, the team walked away with an L. Is there such a thing a moral victory this late in the season? Maybe not. But one can hope that a strong showing against a team like the Nuggets can lead to just a little bit of momentum leading into the final 11 games of the season.

A hate on for Chris Bosh

Just when you thought the Raptors were going to beat an elite team, Carmelo Anthony responded with an emphatic dagger.

Reading blogs, write ups and forums I get the feeling there’s lots of hate out there for Chris Bosh. It’s the first time in my life I can think of  a guy putting up numbers like, 18 points, on 50% shooting, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists, and people are still upset.  Yes, he missed a late free throw that would have put the team up by 3, but that happens all the time in the NBA. At the end of the day, Carmelo hit a fantastic shot and the Nuggets squeezed out a win.

The one thing I will say is, he needs to clean up his turnovers. Averaging 4.8 giveaways in the last four games. Ouch. And he needs to get to the line a little more. Dropping his average by 4 trips per game in the last month. Ouch. Come to think of it. Maybe Dave Feschuck is right. Read his thoughts here. Ouch.

Speaking of big shots…

Mr Big Shot is the best nickname in the NBA. Partly because it’s ridiculous. But mostly because it’s utterly deserving. Admittedly, I don’t get the chance to watch many Nuggets games, but whenever we play Denver Mr. Big Shot comes through. Every time. It’s entirely defeating, from a guy who’s entirely likeable.

Come back to Toronto Chauncey.

Here’s a good sign

I mentioned there were good signs from the game but here’s the most important. We outrebounded a team. Let me rephrase that, we thoroughly outrebounded a team. By 20 to be exact. Leading the charge was Andrea Barganani with 15. Not a typo. And Chris Bosh with 12. Rebounding’s important for a couple reasons. One, it means guys are playing hard. And two, it means it means guys are playing physical.

Plus the foul.

You want big games? How about the next two. Sunday against Miami and Monday against Charlotte. If we can win these two, it would go a long long way to not only securing a playoff spot but also sneaking out of the dreaded number 8 seed.

Zan of the Night

Carmelo Anthony

He’s really stepped up his game this last year and he sucked the air out of the building last night. Over the last five years, he’s kind of played second fiddle to Wade and Lebron, but this year we’ll see his name on MVP ballots

Not Zan of the Night

Our Point Play

I want to come into just ONE season without a point guard controversy. Jose? 3 points and 6 assists. Jarrett, shoots 2 of 11. Get together guys. Have a beer. Work it out.

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Jeremiah McNama
The Zan Tabak Herald

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by | March 20, 2010 · 4:37 pm

The Importance of the Next 15

60 quarters. 576 minutes. 15 games.

That’s all that remains in the regular season for the Toronto Raptors. And while it was an up down year, mixed with some good and some bad, how they play over the next 15 will not only effect what playoff seed they land (if any) it will also decide the fate of the franchise moving forward.

If the team plays well. Similar to how they were playing before the all-star break. They should be able to get the number 6 or 7 seed. Doing that will land Toronto either Boston or Orlando in the playoffs. Two teams the Raptors have a chance at defeating.

If they play poorly and continue to slide down the standings. They’ll either sneak into eighth and have to face the Cleveland Cavaliers or they’ll finish ninth and miss the playoffs all together.

Both would be disastrous.

1 down, 14 to go. The Raps took care of business last night against the Nets - despite Terence Williams'' best effort.

Without stepping forward. And by that I mean advancing into the second round. Chris Bosh will almost certainly leave the team. That would leave Bryan Colangelo up the creek without a paddle, forced to salvage what he can, by utilizing a sign and trade.

What happens next is anyone’s guess. But starting from scratch seems likely. Two to three years of lottery picks followed by a rebuilding process. Ladies and gentlemen, that sounds like day one.

Being a fan of this franchise has been tumultuous at best. Over the course of past 15 years we’ve seen the playoffs five times and the second round only once. That’s 10 years of bad basketball. Starting over would feel like another punch in the gut to a franchise that has continually struggled to get respect.

15 games. 60 quarters. 576 minutes.

It’s the biggest 15 games in franchise history. Let’s hope the team makes them count.

Let’s go Raptors.

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Jeremiah McNama
The Zan Tabak Herald

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by | March 14, 2010 · 11:30 pm

Raptors’ Slide Continues As Losing Streak Stretched To 5

Another game, another loss. The Raptors continue to search for answers as the Portland Trail Blazers took care of business on home court. Take solace in the fact that it was a loss against a solid team and the Raptors played with more heart and passion than we’ve seen in the past few games. But a loss is a loss, as they say, and the Raptors now sit just a half game ahead of Chicago for the final spot in the Eastern conference.

Statistical anomaly

If you were to look at the stat sheet without knowing who won the game, you would have assumed the Raptors walked away with the win. Shooting 56 percent for the night compared to 46 for the Blazers. Comparable stats in assists, turnovers and rebounds. It certainly doesn’t have the appearance of a 10 point loss. I guess sometimes, the stats don’t tell the tale.

Changing of the guard

Well that was interesting wasn’t it? Jay Triano opting for Jose Calderon to start the third. I can’t remember the last time I saw a bench player start the second half without an injury in the starting lineup or foul issues. It goes to show you how desperate this Raptor team is for a win. One has to wonder however; why mess with the psyche of your team midway through the game? It was a roll of the dice by Triano that didn’t necessarily pay off. Mostly because Jarrett Jack seemed to force his game a little coming off the bench in the third. Perfectly understandable to say the least.

It starts with Bosh

After ripping the team in the media the night before, Mr. Bosh has a monster game, scoring 29 points on 9 of 14 shooting. Sure the Raptors didn’t walk away with a victory but Chris Bosh certainly did his part.  No, he wasn’t exactly Kobe Bryant to finish the fourth, but he never has been that type of player. The question then becomes; is Chris Bosh a player who deserves the maximum amount of money in the offseason? Or is he a complimentary player who should earn slightly less?

Plus the foul

The schedule giveth and the schedule taketh away

Oh, how we laughed when the Raptors schedule looked easy in February. Not so funny now, however. A tough four game road trip that couldn’t come at a worse time. And now, we play Atlanta and Oklahoma at home. Two very tough teams. And a game, on the road, against New Jersey, on the second night of a back to back. Is there no mercy?

Zan of the Night

Nicolas Batum

The Frenchman certainly came out of nowhere to have a great game against the Raps. Going 7 of 9 in 30 minutes of action.

Not Zan of the Night

Andrea Bargnani

The big Italian didn’t have a great game, scoring 11 points. His career remains mostly inconsistent despite taking a few steps in the right direction.

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by | March 11, 2010 · 12:42 am

The Kings Destroy The Raptors, As The Team Searches For Answers.

The writing was on the wall. After playing their hearts out against the Lakers the night before, one might assume the Raptors would come into Sacramento and play like a team on fire. Desperate for a win, to stop their slide down the Eastern Conference standings. Sadly, just the opposite occurred.

The team was outplayed and out-executed by a spirited Sacramento squad. And after the Kings posted 43 points in the third quarter, the game was effectively over. Leaving the Raptors to look long and hard in the mirror, as they continue to drop in the standings.

CB4 and getting to the line

Chris Bosh had a bad game tonight. Sacramento took away his drive for the majority of the game forcing Chris to make shots. Unfortunately for us, his jumper was off, shooting 30 percent for the night.

The concern though is how little we’ve seen Chris get to line since he’s returned – averaging 3 attempts per game. That’s 6 attempts lower than his season average. A remarkable drop off.

Tyreke Evans and the rookie race.

Evans makes tough shot after tough shot. The kid has got it. The game seems to be effortless for him. This season, as a whole, has been one of the best Rookie of the Year races I can remember. Maybe not the flashiest. It’s a three horse race between Curry, Evans and Jennings. And for my money Evans gets it. Before I saw him tonight, I would have said Curry.

Is the ship is sinking?

My writing partner put it best. If the ship was pointed in the wrong direction over the last few games, it’s most certainly sprung a leak and is starting to sink. It’s gut check time. Not sure if it’s going to take a team meeting, or a tongue lashing from Jay, but something has to be done to turn this second half around. They did it before and they can do it again. Maybe a little positive thinking is key.

Not Zan of the Night

Chris Bosh

Tonight was one of his worst games of the season. He hasn’t quite looked himself since returning from his ankle injury.

Zan of the Night

Tyreke Evans

His first career triple double. The Raptors couldn’t find a way to stop him tonight. Although, not many teams have.

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Jeremiah McNama
The Zan Tabak Herald

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