Things to Smile About at the Half Way Point

There has certainly been a lot to digest for the Raptors franchise and fan base after their humiliating loss to the lowly Bobcats on Friday.

This self-reflection also coincides with the unofficial half way point of the NBA season as teams will take a break this weekend for All Star festivities.

While the stars of NBA showcase their talents in Orlando, the Raptors will be left to play over the last half season in their heads.  What’s gone right? What hasn’t worked? And where do we go from here?

The Raptors promised to “pound the rock” this season.  Thus far we have seen it only in spurts.

Some games, like the recent effort against Boston and New York, fans have seen the effort and the focus on defensive intensity.  Other, like the debacle against Charlotte, have shown that the Raptors have a long road to go before they are back in the upper echelon of Eastern Conference teams.

The defense has not been consistent, the scoring has not been there night in and Night out and obviously Demar Derozan is not having the type of season he or anyone had hoped thus far.

But let’s try to accentuate the positive and focus on some things that are going right for this young team as we move forward.

Andrea Bargnani

Obviously it is a small sample size and we won’t really know until after the All-Star Break if his ascent to super stardom is for real or not, but he was terrific when he was on the court.

Bargnani seemed to put all of the negativity behind him and focused on his strengths.  He scored at will when he was on the court because he had the confidence in himself.  He abused the defensive mismatches coaches had on him and brought his game inside and out.

Had it not been for his time on the shelf, Bargnani would have been a serious contender to be in Orlando this weekend.  He has played like a star and Raptor fans should be very excited about what is to come from this young man.

Team Philosophy

Some may argue that the Raptors don’t practice what they preach, but the tough talk about defense has, at least, caused a focus change.  The Raps aren’t last in the league in points given up.  They just can’t seem to score that much either.

They wanted a focus on defense coming into the season and it is beginning to take shape.  Some players (james Johnson, Demar Derozan) have shown more improvement than others (Jose Calderon, Amir Johnson) but the effort is there and Dwane Casey has got this team very focused.

It cannot be denied that although the Raps have dropped a lot of games, they’ve been competitive and have earned rave reviews from opposing coaches.

All a credit to coach Casey

Surprise Performances

Although there have been well documented short comings this season for players like Demar Derozan.  There have also been a few pleasant surprises.

James Johnson has played a valuable role for this Raptors team and has been a bit of everything for them.  A rebounder, a late game defender, a shot blocker, an energy guy off the bench.  If he can score more consistently he may become a very potent threat for this Raptor team going forward.

Hands up if you thought Aaron Gray would be starting games at center for the Raptors this year.

Gray has played very well in limited minutes and seems to fit the mould of a Rasho Nesterovic.  He plays fairly sound basketball and is always under the basket battling for the ball.  Gray has given the Raptors added defensive presence, some size under the basket and another rebounding threat.  He has been a nice surprise.

His story is even more remarkable given the fact that it looked like he may not even play this year because of an irregular heartbeat. Definitely a feel good story.

Andrea Bargnani's emergence this season has been one reason for Raptor fans to be optimistic about the future.

Hanging with Best

The Raptors play their best ball when they are up against tough opponents.  Miami, New York, LA, Boston are teams the Raptors have played tough this year.  The team shows that it can raise its level of play to meet those of elite teams in the league.

The Raptors just need to do this against the lesser teams in the NBA.  It is, ultimately those teams that they will eventually be fighting with for playoff position in the next few years.  It would be nice if we could raise our game to a higher level for teams that we are supposed to beat.

Return of the Mack

Jose Calderon gets a lot of slack for his porous defense and deservedly so, but he has been on another level offensively this season.

Jose has always been a solid shooter, posting an impressive FG% most of his career, but this year he’s actually being told to shoot.  In the past he would give way to the Chris Bosh’s and Hedo Turkoglus but now coach Casey is calling his number more often.

Jose is having a stellar year on the offensive side of the court, but does continue to need assistance on the defensive end.  Some games Dwane Casey’s system hides his deficiencies, others, his defense is giant beacon on the basketball court.

Still, so far this year, Calderon has been something worth smiling about.

So Raptor fans, maybe things aren’t that bad after all.  While the team is losing games and increasing the likelihood of a top five draft pick, there are some positive signs to tide us over until the off-season.

The second half is going to be long and hard for the fan base in Toronto but at least there are a few reasons to watch and hope for the future.

The ship may not be moving quickly, but at least it’s pointed in the right direction.

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Kristoffer Pedlar

The Zan Tabak Herald

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Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @Zantabakherald

Bosh and Colangelo: A Messy Divorce

When any relationship ends there is bound to be bitterness.  Very rarely do former partners hang out and “shoot the breeze”after a break up.  There are often hard feelings and things you blame the other side for.

In Toronto the latest divorce between basketball team and star player has finally gotten to the finger-pointing stage.

It has not been a picture perfect off-season for Bryan Colangelo. Much is left to be done to get the Toronto Raptors ready for competition next season.

First, Bryan Colangelo had his turn talking about how things didn’t work out with Chris Bosh and where it all went wrong in his opinion.  And now Chris Bosh has taken his turn setting the record straight.

Colangelo came out on the FAN590 recently and implied that Bosh had talked with people over the All-Star break and came back a different player.  He didn’t play through pain at a pivotal moment in the season and wasn’t the dominant player in the second half of the season that he was in the first half.  That ultimately helped cost the Raptors what seemed like a sure-fire playoff berth.  “Whether he was mentally checked out or just wasn’t quite into it down the stretch, he wasn’t the same guy. I think everybody saw that, but no one wanted to acknowledge it.”

Colangelo went on to add that the Raptors were never really an option for Bosh during free agency and much of the decision-making on Bosh’s future had been done long before July 1st.  “I never felt we were in the game. There was too much out there, too much built up for him to take an easy out here…”

Bosh refuted these claims, in a recent interview with Rogers Sportsnet, saying he “never gave anything less than his best.” “I play this game as hard as I can everytime I step on the court.”  He seemed to take personal offense to the insinuation he had given anything but his best.

Colangelo had a right to say what he said although it did come off as a little harsh and is definitely getting blown way out of proportion by Raptor fans and media in both Canada and the U.S.  Many Raptor fans held the belief that Bosh would leave after the season was through and that he played poorly in the second half, along with the rest of the team.  Hedo Turkoglu probably helped hide some of Bosh’s effort issues with his off-court distractions and clearly lackadaisical play.

Bosh didn’t quit on the team, of that I am certain.  He played his heart out down the stretch and tried, in vain, to get the Raptors to the playoffs.  One needs only look to the Golden State game down the stretch where Bosh lay on the floor inconsolable in a defeat as a thrilling victory slipped through his hands.  Perhaps, in the back of his mind though he was starting to think about free agency.  Perhaps he took a bit longer coming back from his injury because he didn’t want to hurt his future.  That is fair.

It is hard to argue Bosh quit down the stretch, but it was clear something changed at the All-star break. Was Colangelo justified in questioning his commitment to the team?

Colangelo feels a little jilted by Chris Bosh and for good reason.  The Raptors offered him more money than anyone else and he barely looked Toronto’s way.  Colangelo and the MLSE  tried effortlessly to make Bosh the focal point of everything in Raptor land.  Bosh was consulted on trades and free agent signings.  His friends (Jarrett Jack) were brought on board to help keep him happy.  He was given everything that a #1 guy in this league is given.  This is where Colangelo went wrong.

Chris Bosh was never meant to be the focal point of the team.  He is a power forward and it is hard to point at a top-tier team in this league that is built around a power forward.  Jermaine O’neal, Shawn Marion, Hedo Turkoglu all came in to help Chris Bosh along with a plethora of other role players and no mixture of players ever really got it done.

Chris Bosh should never have been made a focal point of the team.  This is Colangelo’s mistake.  It is ultimately what cost him the power forward in free agency.  The fact that Colangelo is now talking smack about Bosh really isn’t necessary.

Even Hedo Turkoglu has weighed in on the subject, claiming that Bosh “isn’t the type of player to quit o his teammates.”  He also took shots at the organization on his way out of town saying that “no one wants to go there anymore.”

Obviously Hedo Turkoglu is far from an expert on anything other than Pizza and Balls.  But his comments ring loudly in a city that hasn’t seen a winning team in a long time.  Hopefully this isn’t a sign of things to come for this team or this city.  Fans have come to see Vince, Tracy, Antonio, Delgado, Sundin, Halladay all leave town for greener pastures.  The city has a wee bit of a complex when it comes to its star players.

Colangelo’s words came at a time when he is feeling very frustrated.  The Jose Calderon-Tyson Chandler deal fell through at the last-minute after it had been reported and Matt Barnes publicly announced his signing before it was completed and then ended up not happening.  The organization has gotten a little bit of flack for the large contract handed out to Amir Johnson and now the war of words with two of the teams high-profile players.

Colangelo was mearly speaking the voice of the fans.  But sometimes the vice of the fans should come from the fans.  Many felt Bosh was gone, checked out, packed and ready to go to LA, Chicago or Miami at the end of the year.  He received mixed reactions in his last appearance at the ACC, in a suit.  It was clear there was going to be hard feelings.  But from the GM?

Yes, to the casual fan, Bosh did look like a different player after the All-Star Break and his numbers dipped right along with everyone else’s.  Maybe there was something going on, Colangelo talked about it during the season and Bosh never refuted those claims.  Maybe Pat Riley, Lebron and Wade had this planned all along.  But there is nothing that can be done about that now.

Bosh couldn’t get the job done as the #1 guy and Colangelo couldn’t build a team to compliment him.  They should share the blame in this mess.

Chris Bosh will be booed upon his return to Toronto, of this I am also certain.  He was this city’s best player and he left town for nothing.  That hurts if you’re a fan.  What hurts more is that he realized what Colangelo could or would not.  Bosh isn’t a #1 player.  Bosh is off to Miami to be a #3 player behind Lebron and Dwayne Wade.  That is what burns Raptor fans up.  He was our number one, our first, our last, our everything and now he is happy to be another teams #3.  For that Bosh will hear the boos.

As for Colangelo, I think it is fair to say that the honeymoon is now over.  He came here and rebuilt this franchise from its darkest days into a perennial playoff contender and Atlantic division champions in one year.  He will now have to work his magic again.  The Raptors have once again lost their number one player, find themselves owing a lot of money to players who don’t necessarily deserve it, and don’t have the luxury of being able to tank for a high pick in this market starved for a winner.  Colangelo and his brain trust will have to put on their thinking caps or Bosh won’t be the only one getting booed this season at the ACC.

Sometimes in a divorce, both sides lose out and trying to throw the other under the bus will only help in losing the respect of the ones you truly care about: the kids, or in this case the fans.

So are you Team Bosh or Team Colangelo?  I’m thinking the way to go is Team Raptor.

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Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @zantabakherald

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Kristoffer Pedlar

The Zan Tabak Herald

Raptors Lose an OT Heartbreaker at the ACC

It wasn’t quite the start to the not-so-second half that the Raptors had in mind.  Playing against a Memphis squad that was on the second night of a back to back, the team got down early in the first, but battled back and had control of the game with under a minute left.  Five unanswered points in the last 40 seconds from the Grizz erased a 16pt fourth quarter from Chris Bosh and sent the game into Overtime.  The Grizzlies looked every bit a team ready to take aim at a playoff spot in the extra frame.  Mike Conely and a seemingly unstoppable Rudy Gay, snatched a victory away from Toronto in overtime, ending their eight game home winning streak.

Mike Conely drives past Jose Calderon. Conely was a key to the Grizzlies' Overtime victory over Toronto on Wednesday night.

The Zan for Three

Lonely All-Star

Chris Bosh had a monster night for the Raps.  He had 32 points and 10 boards on the night with 16 of them coming in the fourth quarter.  It seemed Bosh had single handedly propelled his team to victory until the wheels fell off.  Bargnani was the only other starter that scored in double digits.  If the Raptors are going to win ball games, especially in the dying minutes of games, someone else is going to have to step up.  Hedo, Jack and Derozan were not really factors and the Raps were thoroughly outscored in the first and third quarters.   A better effort is needed from the starting five to give their All-Star a little help.

Trade?  No Way, Jose!

Calderon did not play great defense on Rudy Gay at the end of the game and let Conely walk right in for the game tying points at the end of the fourth, but are you sure you want to hand the keys to this team to Jarrett Jack?  No offense to Jack, he has had a great year thus far, but he is far from consistent.  Jack was a non-factor tonight and it was Calderon that brought the team back in the second and fourth quarters.  Without his effort off the bench this game would be a write-off.  Calderon and Jack compliment each other well.  When Jack is having an off night, Jose is there to take the lions’ share of minutes and vice versa.  Not to mention Jose has made the second unit a force to reckoned with. If you subtract Jose from the equation; nights like tonight will be much, much worse.  Hold on to the depth that has gotten you this far.  You’re welcome, Mr. Colangelo.

Hockey Mentality

Toronto is a hockey town, no matter how hard I wish for it to be otherwise.  This team is beginning to find a personality that mirrors the city it represents.  Amir diving for balls?,  Antoine Wright getting stitched up and returning minutes later?  These are the characteristics of fighters.  Tonight the second unit fought for the victory outscoring the Memphis bench 43-9.  The Raps may not have come out on top, but that kind of effort from your bench gives you reason to believe the team is almost ready for the fight of a playoff series.  That, is of course, if the starters can get their act together.

Zan of the Night

Rudy Gay.  The Man was unstoppable and his shot was falling.  He was the difference maker, especially down the stretch, and the Raptors had no answer for him.  Chris Bosh also deserves mention as he was a one man team in the fourth quarter and deserved better support from his starting unit.

Not Zan of the Night

Hedo.  I don’t know if it is the mask or ball or whatever, but this guy needs to step up.  Like yesterday.  He is a key to our fortunes down the stretch and into the playoffs and if he is going to play like this:  He can take his ball and go home.

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Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @zantabakherald

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Kristoffer Pedlar

The Zan Tabak Herald

Raptors All Smiles at the Break

Toronto Raptors, old and new, were all over Dallas at this weekends All-Star Game.  There were plenty of reasons to smile if you were a Raptor fan.  First came Demar Derozan, easily earning a spot  into the Dunk contest at the first ever NBA Dunk-In.  He finished second in the competition using two of the more creative dunks we saw during the event.

Sunday, of course, Chris Bosh was front and Centre for the East team hitting one of the highlight dunks of night and the two free throws to secure victory for the East side.  He was a strong candidate for All-Star MVP in front of his hometown fans.

Derozan delivers one of his more impressive dunks at the Dunk Contest in Dallas.

But these aren’t the only reasons Raptor fans should be smiling.

This break comes at a time when the Toronto Raptors are playing some of their best basketball and are vying for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.  They’ve scored 100+ points in 10 straight games, have won 8 in a row at home and have a very favourable schedule down the stretch.                     

Not only that, but don’t look now, they are 4 games back of the “mighty” Celtics.

Raptors All-Star Chris Bosh is a big part of the turn-around as are ‘young guns Demar Derozan and Sonny Weems (who was also on hand in Dallas).  The Raptors are using a combination of youth and experience to win ball games this season.  Chris Bosh is providing the leadership and dependable hands down the stretch. He is a teacher  and mentor for the younger players on the team.  A role he played this weekend in Dallas, showing Weems and Derozan around.

Bosh is becoming a vocal leader and an "Elite" player as the Raptors reach for the playoffs in the second half.

The All-Star Break is a time for players to reflect on the accomplishments so far this season and a time to focus on the task ahead of them; earning a playoff spot and, ideally, home court advantage.

Home Court would present the Raptors with a huge advantage in any playoff series. The Raptors are one of the most efficient teams on home court and have been gaining confidence with their recent run of wins at the ACC.

The Break has  been a fun learning experience for Weems and Derozan who have been able to ‘hang’ with the Elite of the NBA.  An experience that may prove beneficial as the Raptors finish out the season.

Derozan may  be teaching his Raptor mentor, Bosh, a thing or two as well.  Bosh joked after the dunk contest, “I’ve watched him do some stuff, but…that little between-the-legs thing, about five years ago nobody could do it, now he made me think I can do it. I might try it , you never know.”

He didn’t, by the way.  But there were plenty of jokes and smiles this weekend in Dallas.

And why not?  There is plenty to smile about if you’re a Raptors fan.

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Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @zantabakherald

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Kristoffer Pedlar

The Zan Tabak Herald