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Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson Talks Transitioning From RESPECT.MAG to Basketball Society & What’s Next For Scoop B Radio

Courtesy of Brandon Robinson

Basketball Society, the lifestyle brand, and multimedia network announced that Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson will be joining their platform as a Senior Writer.

“I was proud to announce the addition of Brandon to the Basketball Society family as a Senior Columnist. Brandon’s work has spoken for itself as a 20-year veteran in entertainment journalism, and his love for the game of basketball is only rivaled by his unique ability to locate and highlight significant stories. We are excited to be the platform he chose to host and circulate his basketball content. ” – Martin Soaries, Founder & Editor, Basketball Society

Brandon will be focusing on basketball content as he makes his transition from his former role as Managing Editor and Columnist at RESPECT. Mag.  According to Scoop, this opportunity allows him to focus on his first love the game of basketball. Robinson says he will continue producing content that involves entertainment, politics, and sports through  Scoop B Radio, but wants to focus strictly on basketball as a writer.

The Hype Magazine correspondent Landon Buford recently interviewed the seasoned journalist about his discussion to depart from RESPECT. Mag and Steve Nash, Jason Kidd and Grant Hill being selected as members of the 2018 Hall of Fame Class. Also, Scoop B gives his Finals predictions and his sleepers in this year’s NFL Draft.

Courtesy of Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson

What are your thoughts on Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, and Grant Hill getting into the Hall of Fame?

It could not happen to three more excellent gentlemen. They all had the distinction of being members of the Phoenix Suns at one point in their career. I am happy for them because I have gotten to know all three of them and they are gentlemen. I just talked to Grant recently, and I missed his at March Madness Media Day, because he was out sick, and I reached out to him. I said, ‘Hey man I missed you.’ He has always been very approachable. It is cool that Grant Hill and Jason Kidd are going in at the same time because they were both NBA Co-Rookies of the Year in 1995. Steve Nash and Jason Kidd were teammates in the late 90s in Phoenix, and I had the opportunity to know Jason during my Nets kid reporter days when he was still in Phoenix. Even during that time. I knew back then that he was special just because of the way that he sees the court. Steve Nash, is more of the same; so I am happy to see all of them go in and I am also excited to see Maurice Cheeks get elected.

You had the opportunity to hang out with Jason’s son over the All-Star break. What is the news as far as the family since it was announced?

I have not spoken with anyone in the family upon the announcement, but his son, T.J. Kidd is a friend of mine and I am happy to see Jason Kidd and his family receive the recognition. Being that Jason is one of the top point guards of all time, I knew he would be selected one day. If it were not this year, it would have been next year, but it could not of happen to a better family.

Do you think Jason Kidd will have another opportunity to be a head coach in this league?

I do! There will be a lot of coaching vacancies. He proved in his first year with the Brooklyn Nets and as a coach of the Milwaukee Bucks that he could get it done.

I thought he would have had a longer window because of the existing talent on the team. Milwaukee, for the most part, is still very young in comparison to the veteran team that he had while being a head coach in Brooklyn. That vet team consisted of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, and Deron Williams.

With all the turmoil in Memphis do you think that would be a great landing spot for Marc Gasol still there and if Michael Conley can stay healthy?

I think he will have options of where he wants to go, and I would throw a wildcard out there, depending on what happens with Tyronn Lue in the next six months to a year. If the Cavaliers do not choose to retain Tyronn or Larry Drew, who is to say that that couldn’t be a possible option for Jason Kidd? We will have to see what positions are open and ultimately, he will have to decide the best fit.

You recently left Respect Mag as managing editor and columnist. What is next for you and Scoop B Radio?

Scoop B Radio has been around since 2016, and last year had 2 million downloads. We’ve secured some sponsorship opportunities, and I will continue to create content. We’ve had anyone from Pete Sampras, Allen Iverson, Too $hort, Dr. Ben Carson, Gloria Allred, Charles Barkley and Stephen A. Smith on there. As far as, what is next for me I recently announced that I’ve joined Basketball Society as a Senior Writer and I released my first article on Monday.

What is different about this opportunity that RESPECT was not able to offer you over the last year and a half that you worked there?

RESPECT has been incredible, and it was an opportunity for me after my departure from CBS. RESPECT was a lot of responsibility, whether it was editing my own work and the staff writers. I think this time around, Basketball Society allows me to focus specifically on basketball. I love entertainment and have intertwined my career into both. But basketball is my first love, writing at Basketball Society does that for me in allowing me to focus on the game. I plan on continuing to cover entertainment, sports, and politics on the Scoop B Radio Podcast side of things. But on the writing side, I’m keyed in on focusing on more of the basketball side of things as a writer and minus the editing responsibilities.

You had the opportunity to speak with first-time All-Star Karl Anthony Towns over the All-star break. Being that he is someone you have been covering since his high school days, can talk about his growth over the years and his 56 points outburst against the Hawks?

I am happy for Karl and his family. I had the opportunity to take part in a celebrity basketball game this past December in New Jersey and Karl’s father coached against my team. I’ve gotten to know Karl since 2015. We have mutual friends in both New York and New Jersey, but to be honest with you, what people are seeing in him is no surprise. He’s special. The 56 points the other day against Hawks helps his confidence, and he is a guy that can defend all five positions, take you off the dribble, can shoot the three, and take his opponents down low in the post and score.

In my opinion, he is a more fluid Rasheed Wallace, and I think what makes Karl special is that he is humble enough to take constructive criticism. He also had the advantage of being under the guidance of Flip Saunders and Kevin Garnett during his rookie year. I remember after he was drafted in 2015, I was in the back room at Barclays Center with Karl when he received a phone call from Flip and I heard Karl promise Flip that he would deliver him a championship in Minnesota. Even though Flip is no longer with us, I hope Karl can keep that promise.

What are your thoughts about Ben Simmons telling Karl Anthony Towns to continue playing the game they were playing on Twitch and don’t worry about the Atlanta Hawks?

I think Ben Simmons is right that he should not have been worried about Atlanta, but the dichotomy between the Sixers and Minnesota goes deeper than that because of the back and forth between Karl and Joel Embiid. All in fun, but I think that it gave him more motivation.

In your opinion is Harden a lock for the MVP this year and does he need start focusing on the defense side of the ball. Now that he is locked in for the next five years under a $200 million contract?

I think anyone that is paid that amount of money should be focused on both ends of the floor. He is getting paid more than Kawhi Leonard, who in my opinion is the best two-way player in the NBA. Also, in my opinion, Kawhi Leonard at this time of his career is what Richard Jefferson should have been 15 years ago on both ends of the court. As for James Harden being a lock for MVP, I think LeBron James is having another MVP-type season especially, since the trade deadline transition that brought Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson, George Hill, and Larry Nance. I think James Harden is the front-runner, but LeBron seems like he is having more fun, kind of like he was in high school.

Also, what LeBron is doing on a social level away from the game of basketball and how he handled the break up between him and Kyrie Irving, is admirable. Again, how he dealt with the ‘Shut up and Dribble’ situation, he handled that very well and on the court he is scoring at will, passing efficiently and leading by example. He is having a great year.

DeAndre Jordan has put his Los Angeles house up for sale. Is Houston his next stop?

Well, he is from Houston, there’s a checkmark, and that’s one city LeBron James will have his eye on as well if he ultimately does not return to Cleveland. We know that Cleveland was looking for a way to get DeAndre Jordan at the trade deadline, this season. I think both individuals would complement each other both on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. I do not see any issues between Chris Paul and Jordan seeing that they played together in Los Angeles previously, but maybe he wants to downsize his house.

The 2018 NBA Playoffs are right around the corner who do you have winning it all?

The Cleveland Cavaliers against the Warriors in six or seven games.

The NFL Draft is in Dallas will you be in attendance and who is your sleeper this year?

No, I will not be attending the draft in Dallas, and as far as my sleeper there is so much talent in the draft this year. I had the opportunity to speak with some of the individuals in this year’s draft. Darius Allensworth a defensive back out of California Berkeley, defensive back Chris Seisay from Portland State, Florida State’s Ermon Lane and Chapman University’s wide receiver Jacob Isabel. These individuals are prospects that I would keep my eyes on if I was any of the 32 NFL teams.

If you were in the Browns front office are you trading the number 1 pick or selecting another quarterback with Tyrod Taylor already on your roster?

Saquon Barkley is someone you can’t pass up on. If I were in the Browns’ front office, I’m not selecting a quarterback with my first pick. I would go with Barkley.

Who should the Giants take at 2?

They should focus on a wide receiver in case Odell is traded. I’m told they like Marcell Ateman out of Oklahoma State. They need someone at the wide receiver position that is complementary, and that was an issue once Odell went down. Also, they need to address a successor to Eli Manning in the draft.

Originally Posted on The Hype Magazine.

What do you think?

Written by Landon Buford

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