Last week at the NBA’s trading deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers re-created their team.

Within an hour, the Cavs traded Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert, Dwyane Wade and their 2018 first-round pick.

In turn, they added youth, grit and shooting by nabbing George Hill from the Sacramento Kings, Rodney Hood from the Utah Jazz and coupled them with Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. from the Los Angeles Lakers.

At the end of the day it’s all love ?

A post shared by Bleacher Report (@bleacherreport) on Feb 11, 2018 at 3:07pm PST

Yesterday afternoon, the NBA’s national television audience got a glimpse at the new-look Cavaliers when they Kyrie Irving-led Boston Celtics.

The Cavs won the game 121-99. LeBron James finished the road win with 24 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. Jordan Clarkson  had 17 points.

Can a newly cemented Cavaliers team take on a Golden State Warriors team in the NBA Finals in June?

Press Play above to hear my discussion with the Bud and The Manchild Show.

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The post Scoop B: Cleveland Cavaliers create team in LeBron James’ image, beat Kyrie Irving’s Celtics, spoil Paul Pierce’s return appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Since the start of the NBA season, folks have marveled at the play of the Kyrie Irving-led Boston Celtics and the emergence of the rising Philadelphia 76ers, led by Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.

Also along the Northeast Corridor, the New York Knicks have played inspired basketball with their star Kristaps Porzingis. Also in New York, the Brooklyn Nets have accrued a promising roster with DeAngelo Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie, Allen Crabbe Jahlil Okafor and Caris LeVert. The consistent play of Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has been inspiring to watch.

At 30-10, the Celtics are ahead of the pack in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving. Photo Credit: SI.com

Sitting at seeds nine through eleven in the East, the Nets, Knicks and Sixers would not make it into the playoffs. It’s realistic to believe that the Knicks and Sixers could make the cut, when it is all said and done.

But could the Nets join the other three?

Well, it would take a Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards and Miami Heat skid to do so.

I discuss that notion on Chicago’s D & Davis Show. Press play above to listen. 

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The post Scoop B: At seasons end, could the Celtics, 76ers, Nets & Knicks all make the NBA Playoffs? appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

New Edition and Bel Biv Devoe founder Michael Bivins (pictured far left) tells Scoop B Radio about his most memorable Christmas gift. Photo Credit: gripmagazine.com

Hey, did you know that the Boston Celtics’ matchup this evening against the Washington Wizards at TD Garden marks the first time in franchise history that Boston hosts a home game?

A legenary team never having a home day on Christmas?

Wow!

Yep, according to CBS Local Sport Sports Boston, all of Boston’s other Christmas Day appearances were either on the road or at neutral sites.  The Celtics are 14-16 in their Christmas Day.

Speaking of Boston, Michael Bivins is from Boston. A founding member of both legendary groups, New Edition and Bel Biv and Devoe, he’s been part of historic songs like Candy Girl, Poison, Under The Blue Moon and Heartbreak.

But check this out, in a chat with with Bivins, he told me that he once felt like a member of the Boston Celtics when he got the ultimate Christmas gift: a retractable basketball hoop that he had in his bedroom.

“You cold not tell me that was not a member of the Boston Celtics in my projects bedroom,” Michael Bivins told me.

Check out Michael Bivins and Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson’s chat on Scoop B Radio Overtime

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The post Scoop B: Michael Bivins says he thought he played for the Boston Celtics at the Boston Garden when he once got a basketball hoop for Christmas appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

NBA 2K18’s alternate cover featuring Kyrie Irving in a Boston Celtics uniform. Photo Credit: Sporting News

NBA 2K’s Ronnie Singh dropped by Scoop B Radio and Chatted With Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson about a myriad of topics like Hoodie Melo and changing NBA 2K 18’s cover after Kyrie Irving was traded to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas. Press Play Below To Listen.

In late August the Cleveland Cavaliers struck a deal with the Boston Celtics that shipped Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 first round pick and and the Miami Heat’s 2020 second-round pick.

While that was great in the NBA world, there was one significant problem: NBA 2K18 had been promoting Kyrie Irving as the game’s cover athlete and he was donning Cavs garb.

For years, folks talked about a ‘Madden curse.’ Now it seems that a NBA 2K curse is ‘a thing’ for cover athletes too!

It all started in NBA 2K14 when Irving’s former teammate LeBron James leaves the Miami Heat to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014. The following year Kevin Durant graces NBA 2K15 and goes to the Golden State Warriors in 2016. Paul George lands on NBA 2K17’s cover and heads over to the Oklahoma City Thunder this summer. And then enter Irving gracing NBA 2K18!

Here’s the million dollar question: How difficult is it for NBA 2K brass to switch covers?  “I think it’s more of a headache than a lot of people think,” NBA 2K’s Ronnie Singh told me on Scoop B Radio.

NBA 2K 18 has amended the cover of the game with Kyrie Irving now donning a Boston Celtics uniform. Photo Credit: 2K Sports

Singh, better known to 2K gamers as Ronnie2K believes that the offseason trade and the need to update an NBA 2K cover is all in good fun. “The manufacturing doesn’t happen overnight,” he said. “We don’t turn on a switch and the games are produced. There is a lot of effect to retail, you know? Like there is signage that will  be there that is going to be Cavaliers.”

Meanwhile, Irving has had a decent NBA preseason. His best preseason game was his third against the Philadelphia 76ers.  Irving posted 21 points, and 3 assists in 25 minutes. Uncle Drew also went 5-7 from downtown. “He was such a focal point for the NBA this offseason,” said Singh.

“That’s a huge conversation piece. It is nice that people relate that huge transaction in the league to thinking about how it affects a 2K cover, so all in all it’s a good thing. But yeah, obviously there are procedural things that are difficult about it, but nothing that we are challenged by. We make it work.”

Forbes’ Brian Mazique reported late last month that 2K tweeted out the link to print out the new inserts that can be used to replace the outdated cover showing Irving in a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey.

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The post NBA 2K’s Ronnie2k Says Changing Kyrie Irving’s NBA 2K18 Cover From Cavs to Celtics is ‘more of a headache than a lot of people think’ appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

NBA 2K senior producer Rob Jones. Photo Credit: Hoops Hype

NBA 2K’s Rob Jones Dropped By Scoop B Radio With Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson & Discussed His Personal Journey and the new NBA 2K18

Unless you’re the man upstairs, nobody knows the interworking of the popular NBA 2K video game better than Rob Jones.

Jones, a senior producer of visual concepts at 2K has been part of the game since it was only available on Sega Dreamcast and the game boasted Allen Iverson as their cover athlete.

On Friday, NBA 2K18 was released on a day marked as 2K day. Although you can go head to head with your friends at the house or online, NBA 2K18, the 19th game of the NBA 2K series, features an all-new new Neighborhood feature.

In simpler terms, Neighborhood ties together game modes and allows for virtual interaction with other people playing the game. You can text message Lavar Ball, TNT’s Ros Gold Onwude and others. “The neighborhood is big because basketball is about competition and we’ve always known that but it’s also the lifestyle and it’s also social,” Rob Jones told me on Scoop B Radio. “The neighborhood is this open environment where we’re all together and socializing and doing things together and I’m still competing in basketball in different ways whether it’s mini basketball in the 2K zone or playing in the park, or playing in pro-am, or playing NBA games.

Added Jones:

“We’re giving you these different ways to play but instead of compartmentalizing it like well I got to go to the pro-am instead it’s all in one place and it’s unified so all of your rewards are the same. I mean the ultimate reward is I start with my guy at a 60 and I want to be a 99, the only way to do that last year was to play My Career this year it doesn’t matter you play whatever you want to so we are letting you dictate the way you want to play our game.”

NBA 2K producer Rob Jones discusses NBA 2K18’s Neighborhood game mode with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson. Photo Credit: Brian Mazique

In between his busy schedule of navigating folks through the new version of NBA 2K18, Jones discussed his journey of being with the company since 2011.”It’s big because it tells me that people appreciate our game and it shows me how far we’ve come,” he said.

“We go back and look at the older games some days and we’re like: ‘man basketball was in sad shape back then.’ Even though for people who were playing it, it was like they were phenomenal, but we’re way ahead of where we were when we first started.”

Speaking of past to present, being part of the 2K family for some time, Jones said he has a few favorite installments of the game.

The floor is yours Mr. Jones:

“2K7 because it was the first game that gave me a glimpse of fluid basketball and 2K11 with Mike [Jordan] on it so it’s hard to top those two,” he said.

“The next one would be 2K14 with the story LeBron and I think ’18 is about to sneak in. I think we’re breaking the odd year curse when people would say we only put a good game out in odd years but I think 2K18 is going to be pretty good.”

Ahh yes, the odd year NBA 2K NBA curse.

For years, folks talked about a ‘Madden curse.’

Now it seems that a NBA 2K curse is ‘a thing’ for cover athletes too! 

Kyrie Irving’s Boston Celtics alternate cover. Photo Credit: Gamespot

Most recently,  Kyrie Irving, an NBA champ with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 is now a member of the Boston Celtics. NBA 2K18 had been promoting Irving as the game’s cover athlete, donning Cavs garb. This is the first time that a player on NBA 2K has been traded before a game has been released, but it’s not the first time conspiracy theorists have put together their theory.

It all started in NBA 2K14 when LeBron James left the Miami Heat to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014. The following year Kevin Durant graces NBA 2K15 and goes to the Golden State Warriors in 2016. Paul George lands on NBA 2K17’s cover and heads over to the Oklahoma City Thunder this summer. “I think it’s coincidental first of all,” Rob Jones said. “Secondly I think that free agency in the NBA as we know it has changed dramatically over the last three years and I think you’re going to see more of it.”

Jones thinks that the trend will continue and he likes the real life attention that it brings. “We just happen to be picking  the guys who have the most to gain by leaving,” he said. “For whatever reason they are making these choices, so it’s not a curse. It’s just that the ‘loyalty’ aspect is just no longer the way I came up on it. So I think you’re going to see more players making these choices to go to different teams every year.”

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The post Scoop B: NBA 2K Senior Producer Rob Jones Names His Favorite 2K Games & Discusses NBA 2K18’s New Neighborhood Mode appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Sports & Entertainment journalist Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson at a recent taping of Scoop B Radio at New York’s Power 105.1. Photo Credit: DJ Manny El

So you think journalism is for you? Interviews, transcribing those interviews, managing personalities, freelancing, staff writing, podcasts, breaking news, getting content aggregated…all of those terms are par for the course for today’s millennial journalist.

Although I began my career at 12 years old, hosting Nets Slammin’ Planet, the Nets’ official kids radio show with Albert King, Lynn Wilson and Nets play-by-play guy, Chris Carrino, my footing in journalism out of school was not strictly in sports.

I wrote about lifestyle stuff too!

I recently sat down with Black Enterprise Magazine’s #AskBE Facebook Live chat with Selena Hill and discussed the journey.

Black Enterprise Magazine’s Selena Hill and RESPECT Magazine’s Managing Editor and Columnist Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson. Photo Credit: Angie Vasquez

While Chatting with Hill, I talked about building strong working relationships with a-listers.  I did so with  Shaquille O’Neal, Rihanna, Carmelo Anthony and Charles Barkley during my three year run as a staff writer at The Source Magazine.

Connecting with both the Cleveland Browns’ Jabrill Peppers while he was in high school and the Boston Celtics’ Kyrie Irving when he was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers pre-LeBron James were both beneficial.

I mentioned how working at my family store  in Harlem, Men’s Walkers taught me about business.

Freelancing at places like the Brooklyn Courier, Queens Times Ledger, SLAM Magazine, and MaxPreps were essential to my growth.

After those opportunities, I transitioned over to CBS where I hosted the hit show,  Brown & Scoop  and became a contributor at CBS Local Sports and CBS Sports Radio.

Following CBS, I found my way to RESPECT Magazine where I became a columnist and managing editor.

Lastly, just like Lavar Ball and Lonzo Ball created their own brand with Big Baller Brand, Scoop B Radio is leaving an impression in media, also.

I shared how taking partnerships and becoming a brand ambassador to brands like Cleveland-based Cleanlife Energy, Sony PlayStation, XBOX  NBA 2K, Volare France and Adidas were all musts.

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The post Scoop B: A Candid Talk About Entrepreneurship, Branding, Journalism & Media/Brand Ownership appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

NBA 2K 18 has amened cover of game with Kyrie Irving now donning a Boston Celtics uniform. Photo Credit: 2K Sports

So the Cleveland Cavaliers struck a deal with the Boston Celtics that shipped Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 first round pick and and the Miami Heat’s 2020 second-round pick.

RESPECT Magazine’s Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson joined ESPN’s Ben Troupe and B.J. Bennett “3 and Out” to break down the trade.

While that was great in the NBA world, there was one significant problem: NBA 2K18 had been promoting Kyrie Irving as the game’s cover athlete and he was donning Cavs garb.

The trade made official last night AND Irving’s new 2K18 cover got a facelift too!

Looks like 2k18’s cover problem wasn’t a problem ? pic.twitter.com/mDSALJ8jSn

— Kofeem Abdul-Jabbar (@KofieYeboah) August 31, 2017

For years, folks talked about a ‘Madden curse.’ Now it seems that a NBA 2K curse is ‘a thing’ for cover athletes too!

Why, you ask? It all started in NBA 2K14 when Irving’s former teammate LeBron James leaves the Miami Heat to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014. The following year Kevin Durant graces NBA 2K15 and goes to the Golden State Warriors in 2016. Paul George lands on NBA 2K17’s cover and heads over to the Oklahoma City Thunder this summer. And then enter Irving gracing NBA 2K18!

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The post Scoop B: Post Isaiah Thomas Trade, NBA 2K18 Switches Kyrie Irving’s Uniform From Cavaliers to Celtics appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.