Raptors News

Raps!
Last Game:
Raptors 131 - Knicks 113
09-10 Season Record:
40-42

HHN Contributors

U-E Sampang
Lawrence Dushenski

Guest Bloggers:
Payal Doshi
VOTE NOW! Pops Needsah Nickname!
Written by Romy Aquino   
Thursday, 19 March 2009 18:01

Pops!

Who is he? Nana Papa Yaw Dwene Mensah-Bonsu

Whether it's a combination of the Raps being that bad this year and Pops Mensah-Bonsu being that good, either way, Pops Mensah-Bonsu has been an immediate impact player for the Raptors. Whether he's hustling for boards, blocking shots or jamming it home, he's been tearing it up. He has spent some time in the D-League, played with the Mavs and most recently had a short stint with the Spurs but now until the end of the season, Pops has an opporturtunity to show his stuff with the Toronto Raptors.

And if you don't know him, now you'll know:

 

Anyhow, he's been making some noise around the league and he broke out against the Pacers scoring a career-high 21 pts and grabbed 8 boards, now he warrants his own nickname. I've asked bloggers from around the blogosphere for their help. Thanks to Jeff @ Pete Marasmitch for helping me get this started.

Here are the candidates:

"The Whale Hunter"
(submitted by Scott at Ridiculous Upside)


"RUN PMB"
(submitted by myself, Romes of HHN)
Pops runs the floor, he hustles. PMB for Pops Mensah Bonsu and....I'm a huge RUN DMC fan.


"Pops Mensah-BONZAI!"
(submitted by Scott at Raptorblog.com & David from Pounding the Rock)
Why have Bonsah, when you can have BONZAI!!!!......Danielson!


"Big Daddy"
(made famous by Raptor play by play, Matt Devlin)
One word: Weak. I`m sorry, I hate Devlin nicknames.


"The Mayor"
(found on ESPN.com during his time at George Washington)


"The British Bulldog"
(I heard this on the FAN590 but not sure who originated it)
But Eric Smith liked it, he was basically saying "Why have The Junkyard Dog when you have the British Bulldog"


"The PM"
(submitted by myself, Romes of HHN)
The Prime Minister AKA Pops Mensah AKA Prime Minister Pops Nice (3rd Bass reference for all those who don't know), especially when Big Z gets the Gasface after a nasty Pops dunk.

 

"Big Poppa" (submitted by Sam from Raptors Republic)
I love it when they call him Big Poppa/he gets up in the air/cause he's a true player

 

"Mad Hops" Pops (submitted by U-E of HHN)
In case you didn't know, check the video footage

 

On the left panel you'll find the poll, cast your vote, and get it Poppin'! Voting ends on March 27th.  If you think you can do better, post your ideas in the comments section below.

Ballhype: hype it up!

Photo credit: (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)


Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
Digg! Reddit! Facebook! Technorati! StumbleUpon! BallHype: hype it up!
Comments (19)Add Comment
...
written by Nat77, March 20, 2009
with a name like POPS does one really need a nickname??
...
written by forker, March 20, 2009
How about "Tokyo" in homage to his whale hunting name
...
written by drivell, March 20, 2009
What about "HOPS" as in "Hump on powerful steroids"
...
written by Mirco, March 20, 2009
special poppy
...
written by Jeff W, March 20, 2009
I like the Mensah-Banzai one myself.

FYI, I discovered this while researching: There's a subtle but significant difference between "banzai" (an exclamation associated with kamikaze attacks) and "bonsai" (the art of miniaturizing trees). I'm sure you'll agree "Bonsai" wouldn't describe Pops very well.

Thanks for linking to Pete Marasmitch.
...
written by Doc, March 20, 2009
Romy ... "The British Bulldog" nickname came from one of our members at Raptors Forum (Acie) when he emailed Eric Smith and Eric gave kudos to Acie on air a couple times. Just wanted to clarify that with you as to where its origins came from. smilies/wink.gif
...
written by Jeff W, March 20, 2009
Doc is right, Romes - a Raptors Forum member did email it to E. Smith. Sorry I didn't credit that when I sent you my nicknames list.

BTW, remember the "cuckoo for Roko Pops" idea, tying in Ukic? Here's another: the British Bulldog/Roko B. Ware tag team.
...
written by RMarbone, March 20, 2009
Definately Pops McGee (homage to a Tenacious D song)
...
written by Blake Murphy, March 20, 2009
What I called him on my site on Tuesday - "Notorious PMB aka King Daddy Bonsu aka Poppa Diddy Pop aka The Greatest Raptor Ever aka Whale Slayer."
...
written by Chicago Fan, March 20, 2009
how about "mercenary", because he will resign with a different team when the season is done.
...
written by romes, March 21, 2009
Thanks for the info, I've heard it from Eric Smith on the FAN590 but had no idea who originated it. Thanks Acie @ Raptors Forum!
...
written by romes, March 21, 2009
Oh man, that would be a hilarious photoshop.
...
written by Hypz, March 21, 2009
His nickname should be LOCKDOWN. I'm tired of all these cheesy ones, we need something more creative. LOCKDOWN reflects how he plays, and is creative at the same time
...
written by SwirskySoldier, March 22, 2009
Where's the Swirsk when we need him.... forcing a nickname on someone always ends up sounding cheesy and weak (like the entire list above). It will happen, just give it time.
...
written by San Fran, March 23, 2009
I voted for the one Eric Smith said on 'Hoops' the other week while re-counted the nickname he heard a fan say/write along the way.
...
written by Dean, March 23, 2009
Because he was universally beloved at GW, "The Mayor" stuck. I like "the Prime Minister," but I'm a strong believer in nickname consistency. Besides, "Pops" is pretty solid all on its own.
...
written by Adam, March 23, 2009
How about...

Gotta have my Pops...Pops Mensah-Bonsu that is
...
written by Andrew, March 25, 2009
I went to GW when he played there, and they called him The Mayor and King Whale Killer, because that's what his name translates to. Plus it sounds cooler than Whale Hunter. Students used to bring inflatable whales to games and stuff.
chopard watch
written by chopard watch, April 18, 2010
If you are looking to get the watch at a much cheaper price then it is better to go with the chopard watch.A replica watch is manufactured taking a original replica chopard watches as an example. The quality of the chopard watch is maintained to high standards such that they last for a long time as the original watches. There will not be a single difference between the original one and the chopardwatches. Here you can find not only quality but also the latest
updated designs that will fit to your taste. You can find the perfect match to your taste with the chopard watches
Rolex Thunderbird replica

Write comment

busy
< Prev   Next >
 

Hoop Heads North

Hoop Heads North is a collection of basketball opinions, rumours, news, ramblings and rants with a Canadian flavour courtesy of three hoops fans from the Maritimes.

We love the NBA, we love Canada, we love the Toronto Raptors, we love Steve Nash, we love Rick Fox, we love Bill Wennington, we love Jay Triano, we love Chris Bosh and goshdarnit, we love Dr. James Naismith.

Follow Us

   

Search HHN

About Bloguin

Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics.

Advertisers

The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.

Bloggers Wanted

The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.

The Bloguin Login

The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!