The Late Night Happy Hour with Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

He's the author of "Thinking Basketball," the host of the "Thinking Basketball" Podcast, and the producer of the excellent "Greatest Peaks" series on his "Thinking Basketball" YouTube page. Hoops analytics guru Ben Taylor (@ElGee35) joins the Late Night Happy Hour, talking NBA greatness.

What was the inspiration for the series? How does he hone in on a player's peak? Which players had the most impressive ones?

We break down icons like Kobe Bryant, whose work off the ball and subtle movement with it helped free up his offense in surprising ways, and Shaquille O'Neal, who had far more nuance in his game than many people remember. How would Shaq translate to a truly modern game, spreading all the way to the 3-point line and beyond? What would that look like?

What about Larry Bird? What made him so great, and were he to enter the time machine to play today, would he be as dominant? Would his shooting ability, which wasn't fully exploited in the 80s, make him that much more unstoppable? Same with his passing on a floor that's much more open than his era... but then again, what about defense?

If there's a tough player to measure, it's LeBron James. We ask Ben a hard question: Just how do you pick a "peak" for LeBron? And how far off that place is he now? He has an answer for both. Finally we wrap with a discussion of Anthony Davis, who in Ben's mind has reached all-time great in one very interesting category.

Really interesting stuff, particularly for basketball history lovers and data wonks.

The Late Night Happy Hour welcomes The Athletic's Law Murray (@LawMurrayTheNU), who covers the Clippers, to the show for a look at the COVID protocols hitting the LAC, the changing roles for Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, Ty Lue's impact, and much, much more.

But we start with coronavirus putting the Clippers' stars on the sidelines for at least a few games as they've been placed in the NBA's contact tracing protocol. Is this a reality that's coming for every team, even those managing to avoid problems so far? Law thinks so.

He wrote a story about Paul George, who spoke at length about the fun he's having with point-forward, offense orchestrating responsibilities given to him by Lue. Are the Clips really enjoying themselves? Or is it a matter of trying to project a fun vibe, given the discord and turmoil of last season? And what about Kawhi as a leader? How has the dynamic shifted with the Clippers? Do they need a "public face," so to speak?

Nic Batum! What an impact he's made.

From there, we get into NBA culture. Law goes back to the old TrueHoop days, and has seen the evolution in NBA media. It's a different deal than other sports... how has it impacted the game? He makes a some great points about the influence of star culture on the game, and the way we talk about it, including the creation of heels and heroes, putting real people in roles they may not be comfortable with.

Finally, Law is an expert on Saturday Night Live. Historian levels of knowledge. We break down some of the bigger questions around the show. How does it survive in a post-Trump world? What does it mean for the show to be more about social media consumption than TV ratings? What are his favorite sketches and musical acts?

An awesome 80 minutes.

On Friday's Late Night Happy Hour, the Kamenetzky Brothers remember Hank Aaron, who died Friday at the age of 86. Plus, it's the 15th anniversary of Kobe Bryant's 81 point game, and a feud (of sorts) has broken out between Shaq and Donovan Mitchell, thanks to a very, very awkward postgame interview.

Well, it's not really a feud, but it was a moment pointing to a common criticism of NBA broadcasts.

We start with Hank Aaron, whose significance as a Black athlete breaking the home run record of a revered white man, and the work he did during and after his career, made him an icon of both sports and civil rights. But in that process, it's easy to forget just how dominant he was, and for how long. Not just good, not just a Hall of Famer, but truly one of the greatest few to ever play the game.

Aaron's greatness is a natural transition to the greatness of Kobe. January 22nd marked the 15th anniversary of his 81-point game against Toronto at Staples Center, coming just four days before the first anniversary of his death. It creates a real sense of mixed emotions in Los Angeles, and across the basketball world.

We remember that night, talk about the season that surrounded that game, and the MVP vote that came later.

Finally... It's Shaq vs. Mitchell. What was Shaq doing? And why does he always have to punch down?

The Kamenetzky Brothers welcome ESPN's social media and uniform guru Grant Goldberg (who also happens to be a fixture on Lakers social media) to the show, talking meme culture, NBA, great threads and more.

We start with Thursday's big win for the Lakers in Milwaukee. It was a great night for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who is without question a leader for most popular player inside his own locker room. His teammates love him, and when he plays well it gives everyone a boost. But broadly, is this the least unlikable Lakers team of all time? Even for non-Lakers fans? How was Thursday's game an indication of why Kyle Kuzma's contract extension matters?

We talk about his jersey re-designs for the Lakers. How does he decide what deserves a tweak? And why is he so right that the black side panels on the purple Lakers jerseys are an abomination?

From there, it's a conversation about NBA social media. How did it develop? Why is it so much more a presence than other sports? What makes the game, and the community, so well suited to the type of social media influence it has? And what makes for a good meme, anyway? Why does an image - this week, it's Sitting Bernie Sanders - go viral?

Finally, we finish with a gold-themed game.

The Late Night Happy Hour welcomes Jourdan Rodrigue and Rich Hammond of The Athletic. They cover the Rams, and host the "11 Personnel" podcast. And they were kind enough to go in for a deep dive into the 2020 season, and what's coming this offseason and beyond.

We start with a review of the loss in Green Bay. How much of the damage done by Green Bay to what had been a dominant defense was tied directly to Aaron Donald's health? How much was the brilliance of Aaron Rodgers? What needed to happen for the Rams to win that game?

It wasn't a great ending for Brandon Staley, but nonetheless it was a tremendous season... which is why he's now coaching the Chargers. So what changes next year with (presumably) Raheem Morris as defensive coordinator? He is, notes Rodrigue, an excellent coach. But he's different than Staley, and that means new personnel and a new system for the third straight season.

Back to the offense, and that means questions about Jared Goff. Is there any real chance he's not the starting QB next year? Does Sean McVay really believe in John Wolford as an option going forward? Would they sit a QB making eleventybillion dollars? Because releasing him is a VERY tough pill to swallow from a salary cap standpoint. But it leads to a great question from a viewer -- Does McVay think Goff is holding him and his offense back?

From there, it's a look at free agency. The Rams are in a tough spot, with important players poised to leave and limited ability to fill those spots through the Draft and free agency. So is this going to be a doomsday summer?

Can Cam Akers be a truly special, transformative running back?

Finally, as is always the case when Jourdan comes on the show... it's bird talk! Tonight, we play a round of Rate That Bird.

Nate Duncan, of the Dunc'd on Podcast Network, NBA TV and the Hollinger and Duncan pod, joins, talking Lakers vs. Everyone, the Clippers, Eastern Conference contenders and more.

Among the topics...

-Where are the relative weaknesses in the Lakers, relative as they might be?

-Have the Clippers made real improvements under Ty Lue? Is he a better fit as a head coach?

-What's up with the West? Are any of the teams bunched up in the middle of the pack poised to make a move to challenge the Lakers and Clippers? Is Phoenix for real? What's wrong with Denver?

-What about the East? Is Philly for real? How is Brooklyn going to make it work?

Great insight from a great NBA voice.

The Lakers rolled the Pelicans on Friday night, running their record to 11-3. With about 20% of the season gone already, things are looking pretty good. To talk about that, and much, much more, Aaron Larsuel, host of The Official Lakers Podcast, joins.

We start, though, on Aaron's grotesque, surgically repaired (sort of repaired, at least) right hand. It's really gross, and doesn't work properly. That leads to questions about what is the bare minimum score a grown man should be able to achieve bowling? And is bowling a better first date option than mini-golf?

From there, we get to the Lakers, and LeBron James, who is essentially playing basketball like a Jedi. So much control, with incredible returns for every ounce of energy he's putting out on the floor. 18 years in, his ability to control a game is still unmatched. How does that impact the team around him? Especially since that control is paired with a great deal of contentedness and joy? It's a huge factor in the Lakers constructing the type of team chemistry they've displayed over the last year-plus.

Especially now, in NBA seasons where chemistry has never been more important, thanks to COVID-related NBA protocols.

We ask an interesting hypothetical -- How would 2010 Kobe have handled the bubble? As a player? As a leader?

And as the discussion turns to comparing eras in the NBA, Aaron puts out some takes on Larry Bird that might even get die-hard Lakers fans to actually defend a Celtic.

Few people in LA radio have had a career as long or as diverse as Matt "Money" Smith, starting with his days at KROQ and now at AM 570. He's been a Lakers pre- and postgame voice, the voice of the Chargers and more.

He joins the Happy Hour for what became a great discussion of the evolution of radio, whether around sports or music.

We start with old tales of fun feuds with Joel Meyers, former Lakers broadcaster, now with the New Orleans Pelicans, and that morphs into a discussion of guys like Chris "Mad Dog" Russo and old school sports radio locals like Lee Hamilton. When did radio go from the omniscient oracle sports voice to a show like "Petros and Money," where guys have the freedom to just kinda do what they want? Where sports isn't necessarily the focus? Why did it move in that direction?

(For anyone out there who loves Lakers great/broadcaster Mychal Thompson, you'll appreciate some of these stories as well...)

From there, it's a long discussion about music, and radio's influence over what became popular in the 90s and early 2000's. It was the last era of radio truly driving tastes in rock. What was it like to be in the center of it, working at KROQ? What made that station such an influencer of music culture during that time? When did radio stations lose that ability to influence?

It leads to an interesting segue - What's the difference between music that's cool, and music that's popular?

Finally... Prince. Who was both.

Changing gears, it's time to talk some wrestling! Bill Hanstock, author of the great and comprehensive history of WWE, "We Promised You a Great Main Event," which published in October and can be found wherever you get your books. (If you can, pick a local spot!)

We start with a look at Vince McMahon, the WWE and how it has maintained staying power despite some legitimately sordid events in its history. What accounts for the staying power?

What has made McMahon so successful?

From there, we get into some of the characters. What has made certain people - Hulk Hogan, The Rock and so on - pop? Why are they so appealing?

Hanstock unpacks the infamous "Montreal Screwjob," in which McMahon undercut Bret "The Hitman" Hart, which led to his departure from WWF.

We move on to viewer questions, including Bill's opinion on the most influential wrestler of the last 50 years, and the worst gimmick of all time.

The Rams pulled off the upset Saturday in Seattle. Can they do it again this week in Green Bay?

Joining the show to break it all down is Kirk Morrison (@kirkmorrison), pre- and postgame host for Rams broadcasts on 710 ESPN, NFL host for Sirius XM and all around football oracle.

We start with coaching, and why it's so critical to the NFL game, more than in other sports. From there, it's on to the topic of the week - what do the Rams do at quarterback? Is it Jared Goff or John Wolford? What does having to ask the question say about where Goff is in his career development?

Can the Rams defense clamp down on a Green Bay offense that has scored fewer than 30 points only one time in the last seven weeks? Can the Packers slow down Aaron Donald? Can Jalen Ramsey slow down Davante Adams?

Finally, Kirk shares a great story about securing some sweet Kobe-related cleats back in 2007, we get game predictions.

Few guys break down the game as well as Kirk, and this hour is no exception. It's only Wednesday, but Saturday is right around the corner. Get prepared!