In a way it’s been too long because we should have had Kevin O'Connor on sooner. The man delivers coverage that’s both comprehensive and prolific, plus he amiably powers through any backlash. I’m curious about how he does his thing and so I asked. Oh, and we discussed Elon Musk too.
The following outline comes courtesy of our resident intern, the astute Sam Schuette:
What’s the best way to watch games as an analyst?
Watching one by one in the morning vs watching five different monitors all at once
Clips vs full games
Reacting to draft hits and misses
Killian “The French Cam Payne” Hayes
How to react to a miss on a prediction/ranking
Going from covering one team to becoming the NBA generalist
The added pressure of knowing everything about all 30 teams
Getting thick skin by growing up on the internet
How arguments on online forums and comment sections can teach mental resilience
Yes, the goddamn Lillard trade standoff we can’t avoid in any pod
Similar situation to Durant in Brooklyn
Waiting it out is more appealing to Portland than it seems
Changing team allegiances as a journalist
Rooting for the Lakers and Heat as a Celtics fan?
The temptation to root based on how the outcome validates a take
Controversy over KOC’s Elon tweet
When Musk responded to a troll tweet about Kawhi Leonard’s trade destination
Separating what a person does from what they say
Liking someone’s actions more than their words
Kevin Garnett as a basketball muse
The power of the individual player in changing a team’s culture
J. Kyle Mann, Caitlin Cooper, and underrated NBA writers
KOC’s on-air partners
Big Wos the “takesman”
Chris Vernon’s Dolan-Putin analogy