Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson: NBA Insider Bally Sports

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BirdDogs off, we promise you. All right, welcome back in. Zach Yelb's show on CBS Sports Radio. You know, I got here to CBS Sports Radio in 2018, and I was doing the weekend overnights.

And when you're doing a show from 2 to 6 a.m. Eastern, it's tough to get people on because a lot of sane people are sleeping. But someone that always made himself available, whenever we needed to talk about the NBA, was Brandon Scoopee Robinson. So we're at the Victor Binyama press conference today.

Who wasn't at the press conference if you're in the media? And I turn my head to the left and I'm like, oh, it's Scoopee. So Brandon Scoopee Robinson, kind enough to join us in studio right now. Lead NBA insider at Bally Sports.

His career has skyrocketed as well. Scoopee, appreciate the time as always. How you been?

Hey, I'm Brandon. First time caller. Genuinely, genuinely a great opportunity to come here, man. I'm glad to see your rise as well. It's cool to see both of us being young and taking the national scene by storm.

Congratulations on your success. Well, I appreciate that. So I finally got to see Victor Binyama today. And I said I thought he was an alien. I know LeBron James has said the same thing, seeing him in person, getting to be around him today.

Just what was your reactions and thoughts? I have to be honest with you. This was my second time seeing Victor. You're well experienced. I'm growing.

So I'm not 75 growing, but this is what I'll say. The first time that I met Victor was actually in January in Paris. I was at the Pistons Bulls game and he's with his mom. And quick, funny story. And I'll give you the edited version. So he walked past me and I looked up and I said, damn, you're tall as sugar honey iced tea.

You know what sugar honey iced tea is? His mother looks at me, who's very tall. She goes, he gets it from his mama. And I was like, word.

And she was laughing. But to me today, I wasn't surprised by his height. But what I will say is I like his intellect.

I like his skill set. But the stoicism at the podium gives me Tim Duncan vibes. And I don't say that just because he is a spur in 24 hours. I say that because I just think he fits that system so well. You don't really see rah rah guys in San Antonio. Stephen Jackson is the exception to that rule.

And it was short lived. But I think for me, you saw the signs in San Antonio back in the spring and you saw that they were going about this reset a certain way. And I think he fits. It's so cool to see that you've seen the France experiment, the French experiment with Tony Parker.

But as my geometry teacher in high school would say, Victor Winbignano is a horse of a different color. You have the tall and lankiness of a KD. You have the explosiveness of a Tracy McGrady. You have the European flair.

And I don't like to use that term just because. But you have the European flair and the understanding of the American game like Giannis Antetokounmpo. And to be so mature and to have just this world experience at 19, I think San Antonio is a great sandbox to play in to to grow your career. I'm happy for him, for him to be a success because the hype is just out of this world. What is he going to have to accomplish? That's like asking a gold medalist in the Olympics in wrestling. What is it going to take to succeed in the WWE?

You've won already as a gold medalist. You just take that experience. You take mentors and you have your circle and you just grow. I think a lot of times we put expectations on people and those expectations are others expectations. His personal goals and his expectations should be his. I think we have not seen the level of hype that Winbignano has has has graced us with since probably 2003 when LeBron was there and he exceeded those expectations.

So if that's the guinea pig, he's in good company. You look at what LeBron was able to do. He got to an NBA Finals with the team, I'm going to say this politely, that was not very good four years into the league. What is the immediate impact of a Victor Winbignano? Because you're right, Scoopy, he's going to the perfect situation for him.

So it's interesting you say that. I had some conversations with some Spurs officials when I took a trip to San Antonio back in the spring and I was kind of just gauging. What was life like for Tim Duncan when he was there? What was life like for DeJounte Murray when he was there? And what was life like for Kawhi when he was there? And the conversation with folks in San Antonio was this. Duncan, as great as he was, did not like talking to media. He did not want GQ features.

He wanted to just be in his own world. Kawhi, similar, but I think San Antonio had growing pains in the aspect of this is what it's like to have a star with a team, meaning like the Uncle Dennis's, who was, you know, a Kawhi's trusted adviser and just, you know, even challenging Pop. I think for many years, the Spurs has been a college type system where the coach was the face, the sun rose, shined and set on the coach. I think you see that with figureheads in college basketball like John Calipari and others. And I think for Victor Winbignano to directly answer your question, I think he's a mesh of some of all of those guys.

He has the team. But seeing Victor Winbignano in San Antonio makes me think about when we watched The Last Dance and we talked about or rather the documentary talked about how Michael paid attention and his team to tennis players. And it wasn't just being a basketball star. When I look at Winbignano on the podium today and just getting to know him, the smile, the French accent and more, it gives me tennis star vibes. I felt don't don't don't yell at me.

Don't troll me. But I felt like I was looking at Sampras. I felt like I was looking at Agassi.

That just happens to be seven foot five. I think he's the type of guy that crosses over to so many different markets. I think he has the potential to be a guy who, if you're a hip hop fan, could appear in a DaBaby video, but could also could also appear in an entourage reprise episode. I think he has that marketability, that international appeal.

And I was saying this before before you came in. Sometimes you view the NBA now from the way that I care about it, the offseason number one, the playoffs number two, and then it's a regular season number three. I want to see this guy play. And this guy makes me care about the regular season because I'll be watching a lot of Spurs games.

And whenever he's in the area, I'm going to want to go and see him in person. Yeah, that's that's that's really why I, I, I come from the Black Baptist Church. And we often say this thing called I felt it in my spirit. There was just something that I felt in the spring about San Antonio. And I just said this felt like Ewing coming to New York. This felt like LeBron in Cleveland. This felt like women Yama in San Antonio. And I feel like there are going to be people who come to San Antonio to be in the presence of of what could be potential greatness. I don't want to put the cart before the horse, but San Antonio to me has always been the New England Patriots of the NBA. They may not win every year, but they're that fifth cup of wine at the holiday party.

They sneak up on you and they win. We've seen this before. I didn't like it early before the lottery happened. I wasn't really feeling Detroit prior to Monti becoming head coach to meet women. Yama just symbolizes we want more pop. We want more Greg Popovich, the Greg Popovich effect, coupled with the international appeal of women Yama, in addition to them figuring out what they're going to be. I've spoken to several guys on that Spurs team just about what that season this year was like. And they told me that certain guys have told me that they learned a lot from pop and pop learned a lot from them.

I've made a reference to the baby. The Spurs were insufferable this past season. They were losing all the time. We know about Greg Popovich is political stances. We know about just what the Spurs have done.

But to me, this adds years into his life, both personally as well as professionally. If he stays the course with this team as to does victim women Yama Brandon Scoopy Robinson in studio with us at Guildshow CBS Sports Radio. You had a viral clip today. We were talking to Brandon Miller and you're asking him, you know, who's the goat? Is it LeBron or or is it Michael Jordan? Then he goes, well, to me, it's Paul George.

How'd you react to that one? Well, I got to be honest with you. That debate to me is is is insufferable. And and I think LeBron and Mike aren't even the same player. And I really did not expect Brandon to say that.

But my guy brother Justin text me today and he was like, I know after he said that quote, you were like, yes. And I was like, yeah, but I just think, number one, this shows that the NBA is getting younger with players. I mean, there were guys that I talked to today that, you know, there's certain players that cam the Pistons are looking at him. And he wasn't even from what he told me, wasn't even born in 2004 when the Pistons won their championship against the Lakers years ago. I think we're looking at different perspectives.

It doesn't just have to be one brand and another brand. I also think it's in the debate on who's the goat. We have to give credit to the late Kobe Bryant, I think because of his untimely passing. We the gap between Michael and LeBron is getting that much greater. But I don't think it's a fair comparison because I think Kobe is more like Michael. LeBron is Magic Johnson with a better jump shot. That's always to me, size frame 6869 point guard that does what he does. The Paul George comparison to me, what Brandon said to me today.

Number one, he's often compared to Paul George, but I think you also have to differentiate the difference between your favorite player and who the goat is. Those are two different conversations talking about the Clippers since Paul George gets brought up. I guess some conversation is Paul George going to be on the Clippers come the fall.

I haven't heard anything that suggested currently that that's the case. I know that there have been a lot of conversations pertaining to what happens after pick three in the draft, including Portland. No relation to the Paul George situation. But I think the Clippers are in a situation where it just has not worked. And I've always felt that this past season was the make or break season as it relates to what they do next. But what do you replace Paul George with if if that's what you're going to do?

I think you have to really figure what comes with that. To me, the thing that the Clippers have lacked, particularly last season and the year in the season before that was a distributing point guard. And so, you know, with the Chris Paul Bradley Beal deal, not done, done. You look at do you offer picks as well as other assets to the Washington Wizards to bring in Paul to bring in Chris Paul to make the Paul George and Kawhi experiment last a little longer?

I personally would like to see Paul George in the Clippers uniform come September with the added bonus of a bona fide point guard accompanying them. The biggest problem for me has just been the health or the lack of it with Kawhi and Paul George. And that's why with all those jobs that were open this year, I thought maybe Ty Lue who has to be frustrated because that's got to be the most maddening thing in the world. But you know, you have a team that's good enough, but then injuries just keep on unfortunately popping up and nipping in.

You know what? I thought maybe Ty Lue was going to be on the move this off. Well, from folks that I've spoken with across the league, it intimated to me that Milwaukee was considering Ty Lue. You saw the smorgasbord of coaching firings anywhere from Milwaukee to Philadelphia to Phoenix. Personally, I felt Milwaukee would have fit, particularly because Ty Lue is such a player's coach. You've seen the wonders that he did in Cleveland. You saw how he carried over after after Doc Rivers was let go with the Clippers.

I personally felt that the two teams that he would have fit were Philadelphia or Milwaukee-Phoenix. Not so much, but I'll add, prior to Steve Nash being hired by the Brooklyn Nets some time ago, Ty Lue was someone that Kevin Durant wanted and so much so, sources have shared with me that Kevin Durant called Ty Lue and said, yo, I want you to be the coach of that team. And he said, you got to talk to Kyrie and let me know what he says and have Kyrie called me. I'm not sure whether Ky called and I don't want to start the Kyrie rumor mill today.

But what I will say is this. What I will say is the fact that he's wanted so much, the fact that he stayed with the Clippers, they got to have something up their sleeve because to stand put and to operate as business as usual, I think that you're risking the injury bug again and business being as usual. Scoopy Robinson here with us, assuming Jalen Brown's not going anywhere, which I'm going to say I think that's safe to assume right now. You have Jason Tatum as well, and they're close, I guess, on trading for Kristaps Porzingis.

How do you think the three of those guys will gel together if that is that Jalen Brown's not going anywhere? Well, Washington has been a cacophonous noise that's just been star after star, you know, leaving. From the perspective of Kristaps Porzingis, one of the things I often visit Washington Wizards games in our nation's capital. And to me, Kristaps Porzingis on that team with Bradley Beal, as well as Kyle Kuzma. They were a talented team that just injuries were not their friends. And I think the issue with Robert Williams, the third and his health kind of forced Boston to have to find big men that can benefit them. Now, when you look at Kristaps Porzingis over the years, you wonder, one, if his health was going to stay stable. He did play very well this season in Washington. And but I think for the the the ultimate goal for the Celtics to win a championship, they had to get better. I sat down with with their owner with Grossbeck during the playoffs.

And one of the things that he said to me was, we've been there before. We didn't get the T-shirt. We didn't get the keychain. But we're trying to win this whole thing. They came up short against the Golden State Warriors in the finals and they're trying to get on the right side of this because, you know, losing to a Miami Heat team who had less of a support staff than they did. That's just unacceptable. And so I'm not surprised that the Boston Celtics went out and did what they needed to do.

But I still think there are some pieces that are missing. Personally, if Chris Paul decides to do a buyout with the Washington Wizards, this is just me talking. I would consider the Boston Celtics in addition to the Clippers and the Lakers. How do you make that work, though, with Chris Paul? From a salary standpoint, when you're paying Christopher Zing is what you are. And then Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown, though, I took algebra twice.

That's like someone's got to go. The mathematics is not my friend. Geometry. I had a guy on my right. I could copy off him. So I understand basketball. So this is what I'll say. I'll say that if you take the mathematics out of it, I will say from a stylistic standpoint, he makes sense because you need more of a distributing playmaker.

That is a veteran. To me, Malcolm Brogdon was that. But I think you need more of an old, reliable, steady point guard that that is a basketball mind alongside Joe Mazzola. I think that while I do think that their guards that they do have are cool, I don't have a problem with them.

I think they're missing that. And I think adding a big man that can benefit both Tatum and Brown, the law firm that is Tatum and Brown. And you have a point guard that can round that out. I think that makes them a very dangerous team.

That's just my opinion from the mathematics standpoint. Chris Paul has to make some decisions. I know he's promoting his book and he's and he's making his rounds and he's shining out in the streets. But at the same time, if you want to win that championship that people often criticize him for and I hope he gets. I think he should consider the Boston Celtics. Last thing I'll ask you.

And it's a two part question. Brandon Scoopy Robinson, when we take a look at Damian Willard and Zion Williamson, will Dame be back in Portland come the fall and will Zion be back with the Pelicans come the fall? Well, the thing that has been brought to my attention today is that the Portland Trail Blazers are still figuring out whether they build with the number three pick and keep Damian Willard or do they go out and make a trade?

Damian Willard is in a very interesting situation that Kevin Garnett was in in Minnesota right before he was traded to the Boston Celtics and then won a championship. Now, when you look at the numbers, when you look at the personnel, you look at the Brooklyn Nets and you look at the assets that they have. I think they have a lot of tradable assets on that team. You look at Cam Thomas, you look at Cam Johnson. If they don't give him the number that he wants and you think, how can I make this team better alongside my Cal Bridges? You also look at that Brooklyn Nets team and you look at who they also have. They have Nicholas Claxton, who to me during the regular season held his own against Joel Embiid. But you need you have guards.

You just have to kind of fortify and strengthen what you already have in that system. To me, from a personnel trade perspective, Brooklyn makes the most sense to me. It always made more sense than Miami did because Miami has been steadfast and not wanting to move Tyler Herro.

To me, Brooklyn makes sense. But to me, being somewhere for 12, 13 years with Damian Willard, do you stay loyal and not win a championship or do you go elsewhere? That's something internally that he's going to have to ask himself.

I won't speak for him. Portland also has to make some moves and make some changes. If I'm Portland, I pick up the phone and call that brother Sean Marks and see what's going on. And then what about Zion? I mean, from people that I've spoken with within the Pelicans organization, to me, Brandon Ingram is the leader of that team as it relates to star power. C.J. McCollum is the vocal leader of that team.

Zion, to me, at 22 years old, I know I didn't have it together at 22 years old. I know there's a lot of extracurricular stuff that's going on with Twitter. They suspended that young lady's account. Yeah, about time. I think if you ask me today, I say he stays. If I look at the draft tomorrow and I see what else they add, I might say he's gone.

I think that if he stays at the draft, I think come free agency period beginning next week, it may be a different conversation. Brandon Scoopee Robinson, great stuff. Appreciate you coming on in. Make sure you check him out. There's a great job on Twitter. He's everywhere today at Scoopee. He was the one that asked the question to Brandon Miller, and now it's all gone viral and does a great job for Bally Sports. Subscribe to the Scoopee Radio Podcast on all streaming platforms as well.

Make sure you do that, and he's been grinding. I remember when you were doing videos with the Nets when they were in New Jersey. Man, I was 12 years old and a praying mom who found my late mother, found my talents and honed them in. I wanted to text her today, but she's not here, but nonetheless, I know she's up there watching. And she's definitely guiding you throughout all this, and it's just been an incredible journey to see the career that you've built up and the way that it's unfolded. Appreciate you coming in. Thank you for the opportunity to be myself.