The post Former NBA Chicago Bulls Nate Robinson Compares Zach LaVine to Vince Carter | #TheAltWithMel appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The circus is coming to town! NBA All-Star Weekend will take place in Los Angeles from February 16-18 and this year’s event promises to feature a ton of intrigue on court and off. For anybody paying extra attention this year, you can bet on the skills competition,

the dunk contest and the three point contest at Bovada.

Before you get in there, read the details here for more info about them, since Bovada was the same site pushing the Mayweather-McGregor fight heavy, you can expect there to be some special features.

The betting lines for Team LeBron vs Team Stephen aren’t out yet but expect that to come out tomorrow.

Respect-Mag rounded up some of the juiciest storylines that are a bit harder to throw money down on but definitely what people are watching for.

Will Kyrie and LeBron James share the ball?

LeBron shocked everyone when he selected Kyrie Irving for his hand-picked All-Star team. He could have chosen any number of elite players, but instead he picked the one dude on the planet who vocally declared he wanted nothing to do with him.

Don’t forget, Irving was so intent on getting away from King James that he reportedly threatened to undergo knee surgery to force his way out of Cleveland. We now get to see these two together again and it will be fascinating to watch them (try to) coexist.

Will LeBron go out of his way to set up Irving?

Will Irving freeze out LeBron and go balls-to-the wall in an attempt to win MVP honors? No matter what happens, we all win.

Will Superstars Court LeBron?

All-Star Weekend is traditionally a great time for schmoozing, but this year it could turn into a recruitment fair. Don’t be surprised if James Harden uses the weekend to try to convince LeBron to bolt to Houston, or if LeBron and Paul George spend their downtime hashing out a possible future with the Lakers.

Will Draymond Green Get a Tech?

No player has ever been teed up for a technical foul in an NBA All-Star Game, but that could change this weekend thanks to Draymond Green. The fiery forward has already piled up 14 techs and three ejections this season, and is easily one of the most combustible players in league history.

Will Nate Robinson Dunk Win Butler into Oblivion?  

The league has revamped its Celebrity Game this year to include several former pros like Paul Pierce, Tracy McGrady, Jason Williams, and Nate Robinson.

Most of them will barely work up a sweat, but it’s easy to imagine Robinson taking this exhibition way too seriously. The three-time Slam Dunk champ still believes he should be logging 30-minutes a night on a playoff contender. If he could dunk over Dwight Howard, just imagine what he can do to Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler.  

Will Kevin Hart Go too far?   

The NBA has decided to spice up its All-Star Game intros this year by giving the mic to Kevin Hart. It’s a fun idea in theory, but will the pint-sized comedian really be able to control himself when the cameras start rolling?

What will happen if he goes a little too far in making fun of Joel Embiid, or if he needs seven tries to correctly pronounce “Antetokounmpo”? Is this the year that we get to see a 5-foot-4 man get dunked on by a 7-footer?

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The post Scoop B: NBA All-Star Weekend Drama appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Los Angeles Clippers guard, Jamal Crawford has been in the NBA for 16 years!

Time flies when you’re having fun.

Drafted out of Michigan in the 2000 NBA Draft, Crawford is revered for his smooth ball handling ability and crafty scoring. That combo has won him three NBA Sixth Man of The Year awards.

Although a member of the Clippers, many folks out east remember Crawford as a member of the New York Knicks.

One guy who remembers J-Crossover’s talent is the man who traded for him, NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas. Thomas, once the Knicks’ President and head coach, had a keen eye on the Rainier Beach High School product. “I had followed Jamal since he came from Seattle to Michigan,” Thomas told me by phone on a recent episode of the Scoop B Radio podcast. “And I thought: a 6’6” guy with handles.”

Crawford’s best statistcal season came during the 2007-08 NBA season while with the Knicks. He averaged 20 points and 5 assists in 80 games for the orange and blue. “His body was just, his game was ahead of his body, if that makes sense; like the things he was trying to do out on the floor,” said Thomas.

“He was seeing the right things to do. You knew he was mature. And over the last couple of years, once his body caught up with his game, I mean, he’s been swinging points whenever he wants to.”

Hey did you see Crawford and DeAndre Jordan’s chemistry last night in the Clippers’ 120-108 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder yesterday?  It was a thing of beauty!!!

Remember Jamal Crawford S. Carter Reebok Sneaker Commercial? 

At one time, the Knicks had a roster that included Crawford, Stephon Marbury, Zach Randolph, David Lee, Wilson Chandler, Nate Robinson, Channing Frye, Steve Francis and Trevor Ariza. That’s a few championship rings, NBA All Star appearances and Slam Dunk Contest trophies attached to those names.

Disappointingly, the formula didn’t work out.

In a day and age where teams build through the NBA Draft like the once intact Oklahoma City team that included Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, as well as the current ‘Trust the Process,’ Philadelphia 76ers.

Imagine if that Knicks team had stayed together. “They were all under the age of 27 and that was a young team,” said Thomas “Had they been able to stay together and flourish, that would’ve been a pretty good team in the East.”

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The post Isiah Thomas on Jamal Crawford as a Knick: “You Knew He Was Mature” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.