Are you a Laker Fan? Follow these guys.

Lakers/NBA/basketball fan? These guys are worth your while.

These two assume that you have some knowledge of the NBA, especially info about the Los Angeles Lakers. From time to time they also drop an F-Bomb to make a point, thus ruling them out as family entertainment. That being said, if you are a Laker follower, an NBA aficionado , or a b-ball junkie who wants some smart yet funny analysis on the Purple and Gold, go tune in to the duo known as The Kamenetzky Brothers.

The Kamenetzkys (Kamenetzki? Kamenetzkies?), or the K Bros for short, are former writers for the LA Times and ESPN. The twosome, Andy [right] and Brian [baldy], provide coverage and analysis for all that is Lakers. During their tenure at ESPN (where I first heard of them back in 2009-ish), they were the primary writers for the ESPN LA Lakers blog, in addition to chipping in appearances in radio shows such as Mason and Ireland and Max and Marcellus. Today they run The Land O’Lakers blog and continue to do so, with a podcast episode here and there for extra measure.

So why do I want to highlight their work, Laker reader? Their strengths lie in their style consisting of both self-deprecating, pop culture humor and sharp, one-of-a-kind, Laker analysis. You can usually count on Andy and Brian to drop a pop culture reference to add a bit of silliness in their works. For instance, when they feel like the Lakers need to fleece another team in a trade, they will add this link in. But their humor really shows in the podcast; In one episode Brian recalled that he pronounced the name of music artist Flo Rida as “Florida”, not “Flow-Ridah”. They love to poke fun at themselves, and remain lighthearted whether talking about the Purple and Gold or Justin Bieber’s abandoned pet monkey.

The Kamenetzky Brothers formerly worked for ESPN Los Angeles and LA Times

But I think the humor is merely icing on the cake because it is their analysis and opinions of the Laker-scape that sets from apart from other LA sports writers and/or radio hosts. There are some bright spots in the group of LA sportswriters and radio hosts, but there are some really, really one-dimensional personalities. Two of them ooze Laker homer-ism in its worst form [to be fair, they work for the team]. One is a “Laker Cynic”, a ‘shoot any Laker who smiles’ prototype. One self-centered radio host cannot realize that he’s only as smart as the rest of his colleagues.

The content and commentary these guys produce have some “ah ha” moments, but a good chunk of their work only seem to preach to the Laker fan choir. That’s where the K Bros. come in. It’s not to say that Andy an

d Brian don’t write material similar to their contemporaries in southern California. But more often than not they present unique views on the Lakers without appearing overly contrarian or outrageous. In a nutshell, as I’ve tweeted:

“The @KamBrothers are who @ESPN_FirstTake should be emulating. Debate, yes, but with legit counterarguments, cooler heads #Respect “

Sorry I can't embed my tweet.

For instance, there is no question that Laker Land wants the Zen Master, Phil Jackson, to return to the Lakers front office, either as a coach [preferable] or a management person. But not so fast, argues the K. Brothers. Are we even sure that Phil wants to come back and coach when he has more to lose than gain? Does he even have the energy to endure the long grind of an NBA season at his age? Does his basketball knowledge help in this day and age when the league is smaller, faster and more pick-and-roll heavy? Are we certain that PJ can coach last year’s team to contender status? All of which are legitimate concerns that I never hear from anyone else.

Is Phil really as infallible as many would make out to believe? To the K. Bros [esp. Andy], no.

Then of course, the Kamenetzkys address Kobe Bryant. In their own words, LA treats the Black Mamba like a “half-basketball god and half political prisoner”, but again there is a list of questions. On a basketball level, we are all enamored by 24’s work ethic and offensive game. But the K. Bros aren’t afraid to remind their audience that Kobe’s off-ball defense has issues [to put it mildly]. They understand that Kobe’s presence can make playing/working for the Lakers uncomfortable, as criticizing Kobe isn’t worth it on so many levels [even if it’s warranted]. And most bask in Kobe’s winner status throughout his career, but is it just him, or is it also because he played on great teams set up by management?

Again, these are observations indicated by both Brian and Andy, while of course giving respect to one of the greatest players to ever lace up for the NBA. I can go on and on about what they write and how they write up, but if you are a Laker fan, or an NBA fan, two writers that are probably worth your attention are the Kamenetzky Brothers. The fact that they were nominated for ‘Best Sports Blog’ on the LA Weekly Poll highlights goes to show how good and captivating they are in covering the Proud Purple and Gold