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- [00:00]
A
Todd, sometimes fraud gives you movement. It sounded like it moved.
- [00:04]
B
Han, you heard a squish. And Rosenberg shake gently to assure complete activation.
- [00:09]
A
Hello. This isn't North Dakota. This is New York.
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B
This is Don Hahn and Rosenberg.
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C
The best threesome I've ever heard on.
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B
ESPN New York and streaming live on.
- [00:21]
A
YouTube 300 one of the big city. Don Hahn and Rosenberg with you until 6:30. I am coming to you live from Salt Lake City, Utah. I'm able to ch another state off my bucket list. Alan, Nice. I've never been to Salt Lake City or Utah. I was here on a layover, but they say that doesn't count.
- [00:39]
B
No, you got to step foot. How's the weather?
- [00:41]
A
Step foot and it about 60 degrees. I went for a walk after breakfast and there is something honestly to seeing mountains. Now. We've all seen mountains on the east coast, but when you go, when you come out here and you see those mountains in the distance, it is pretty breathtaking. If you go to places like, you know, Colorado and Utah, it is pretty cool. So to see them out in the distance was very nice. And of course Alan Hahn is at the Garden as the Knickers Knicks get ready to take on the Sixers later on. How are you, buddy? Everything good?
- [01:10]
B
Yeah.
- [01:11]
A
Yeah.
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B
Looking forward to, to this game tonight. It's going to be interesting tonight after what happened last night. Got so many people texted me after that game last night and said like that. That's. That's my favorite game of the season. Now it's still early, but you know, like the fun of the NBA cup, that was a fun game, but there was just something about playing shorthanded, not giving in, not giving up, getting. Getting contributions from players that you had to Google because you didn't know they were on your team. There was a lot to that. And then Brunson being Brunson in the end, like it. So let's see what they do tonight. Now it gets a Sixer team that's been sitting around since Sunday.
- [01:51]
A
Right.
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B
This NBA cup schedule, man, it's a, it's a little. We got. It's a problem that the league definitely needs to consider more than you know, whether or not they should play at Cameron Indoor Stadium. How about make sure whoever wins, whoever has to play in the final, needs a couple of days after that.
- [02:07]
A
I'm glad you say that because again, we were both on board with it. All right? And I don't want to make this a whole show because we got lots to get to Darnold with a big win for Seattle yesterday against the Rams. Best best of both worlds for me. I wanted the Seahawks to win, but the Rams still covered by the the half point. So I got my 3 point play already out of the way which is nice. And we'll get into a lot of different things as King is now off the board for the Mets or Yankees. He resigned with the Padres. But I don't want to make this a whole show on the worth of the NBA cup and all that. I think everybody has already had their say but whatever they do, however they try to improve it. Maybe instead of focusing on how to make it more interesting for the fans, how about making sure that it doesn't screw with the regular season. All right. And you know, you gave the stats, you give them now. And how the two previous champions, the Bucs and the Lakers fared after winning the cup.
- [03:01]
B
Yeah, I'm going to talk about this on MSG pregame tonight if I get a chance to. It's amazing. We already said the Knicks played Wednesday and they had to fly Thursday. I'm sorry. The Knicks played Tuesday. They had to fly Wednesday to play Thursday in Indianapolis. Right. Last night, first game of back to back which they played tonight. This starts a stretch of four games if you count Tuesday in six days and then they do a one and done fly to Minnesota, play a game, come back and then play noon on Christmas Day. Then after that game guess what they do then they go on a road trip. So it's like you get one day. So the previous two teams. So the Knicks win that game last night but they had a couple of guys had to sit. We'll see who will end up playing tonight. There's a couple of guys like Hart and Towns were out last night. They're probable for today. That's good news. But here's the previous two winners and how things this is a hangover that everybody's worried about with the NBA Cup. Never mind the the winner ended up losing in the first round. That's irrelevant. That's four months later.
- [04:11]
A
Yeah, this how great those teams were to begin with anyway.
- [04:14]
B
Yeah, that's another thing. And, and then Bucks last year had tons of injuries but this was more the concern for me and I looked it up. The Bucks last year had two days off after winning the cup. They went on. They lost that game and went on to lose five of their next eight. The Lakers won the first one two years ago they had three days off before their next game. They lost 10 of the next 13. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of the cup being meaningful and that game, you know, having some type of like, you got to play hard for this. You're going to want this. If I know it's going to lead to number one, you're throwing me right back to the wolves into the season. Number two, there's a hangover that we're seeing trending wise that the Knicks are going to try to try to stop this year. But when you look at the schedule ahead for them, it's something I'm keeping an eye on, that's for damn sure.
- [05:09]
A
I think if the Knicks bottom out, you know, God forbid this year.
- [05:14]
B
Yeah.
- [05:15]
A
Get bounced, something happens and they don't, they don't get their destination. I can't see them losing in the first round. But if something like that were to happen, the NBA would have to look at this. They would have to.
- [05:26]
B
Oh yeah.
- [05:26]
A
And because you know what's going to end up happening, Alan, is that if the trend, because you know, it's all analytics, it's all trending, that if you're a team that has aspirations to win a championship, you're going to strategically make sure you don't make it to Vegas.
- [05:40]
B
Who say, right, like you may, I'm.
- [05:42]
A
Going to have my low management game be the game leading in so I don't get to the knockout. I don't want to go to the quarterfinal. Right, right, Tank, the quarterfinal. Exactly. And then the league would have to do something about it because that's going to look bad.
- [05:53]
B
Or the semi. If the semi is now at home, you're not going to Vegas anymore. Remember, the semi is going to be on the higher seeds home court.
- [06:00]
A
Right.
- [06:00]
B
So if you had that as a home court game, maybe you tank, maybe you'll say because that's the last game that counts. But you don't want to go to the final because that game doesn't count right towards your record. And if you win it, there's history, there's this, this thing that happens to the winner. So yeah, it's something they should address and that's why I'm bringing it up. Because the league needs to hear about it. Yeah.
- [06:22]
A
And they got to figure something out. Like they don't want to go on a long hiatus, but you don't know who's going to win this. Right. That Indiana game was scheduled, but they, they mess with the schedule. Depending on how things work going into this anyway, just make sure that you get three, four days off so that you have chance to rest because you don't want to ever get to that Point where they're not going to make it look obvious. But, hey, I think it's better off if we don't win this. Because. Because. Let's take a look at the Knicks. You know, the Knicks are a team that's going to compete for a championship this year and for the foreseeable future, you would think, right? Well, they've already got the cup in their back pocket, so next year they'll be like, I don't. I don't have to win this again, but I'm not going to go through what we went through last year. So let's just, let's strategically lose in, in the quarters of the semis, make it look, you know, if you're the league, you don't want that.
- [07:08]
B
No.
- [07:09]
A
So as much as you don't want to have any downtime, like, you know, two, three days without any NBA basketball, just make sure that the winner and the loser get a nice parachute so they're not killing themselves to make it where they're going to try not to win.
- [07:24]
B
Give me a couple of home games. Give me at least two days off in between. Exactly. Let me get one day. They like that night they got you doing all the crazy stuff in the locker room. They're taking video of everything. Get the next day where it's like, all right, exhale, fly home, get a day off at home, reconvene, and then a couple of home games. But the problem is they don't know who's going to win this thing. So how do they know who should be home and who shouldn't? It's, It's. It's hard to decipher, but I wanted to point it out because, A, it needs to be out there, and B, because what the Knicks have ahead of them right now, schedule wise, like, I'm. I want to keep an eye on this. I want to see, like, is this going to impact them? Are they going to start, you know, running out of gas? A little bit. And last night was a great example of in the post Tibbs era, which a lot of people were on tibs about stuff where they said, we're going to arrest some guys that are banged up. And they were. And we're going to go deep into our bench. We have guys that we have been preparing for this moment. And like, everybody but Yabacelle came in the game and did something positive. Everybody, so. And obviously, Jalen Brunson. Here's the story of what happened last night with Jalen Brunson. He did not have a great game. He was. You could see he was getting worn down. And the Pacers still have some guys that love to beat him up and love to defend him. Nemhardt's one of them. And late in the game, Brunson missed a 3, and it looked like he was trying to do a kill shot. Missed it. And that's one of those. All right, well, he missed that. They're probably gonna lose. Then he dribbles it off his foot, goes out of bounds. That was terrible against tough defense. And he looked exhausted. Siakam hits two free throws. Knicks get the ball. Nemhard. Nemhard, like, they have a foul to give. So Nemhard uses it on Brunson. And I mean, instead of just fouling him, he, like, kind of shoulder checks him to the floor and immediately realized, like, that was too. That was excessive, and tried to help him up, but Brunson, like, didn't even take his hand. Like, no, no, get out of here.
- [09:22]
A
You know, the old Emmett Smith. The opposite of Emmett Smith. Emmett Smith would make sure that I don't want to have to get up on my own. Help me up.
- [09:28]
B
But, yeah, no, it was Brunson's thing is he doesn't want the other team to ever help out, help up someone. So he always says, stay down till one of your boys get there. So. All right, so now there's a take, Val. Now there's less time on the clock. The Knicks call a timeout. They have a huddle. Brown draws up a play. They come out of the huddle. Brunson walks by Brown. He's got a look in his face like he's pissed. He looks at Brown, he goes, I'm going for the win. And Brown's like, all right, you do you, man. Like, all right. So whatever that play was, we never saw it. As he's walking out of the huddle, Brunson's eyes are locked on Nemhard, and Nemhard can't even look at him. Nemhardt's got, like, looking down at the floor, like, because he knows, like, that was excessive. I know that foul was excessive. It pissed him off. Brunson gets the ball, goes right back to the same spot where he missed the three, drilled it. And then he does his celebration, and he stares right at Nemhard. And then he gives, like, the. The three signal towards Tyrese Halliburton on the. On the bench. And I mean, that's cold blooded, making that shot to win the game, a game they had no business winning. And you could just see he Was exhausted. But something pissed him off and, and he's like, you know what? Blank that I'm taking this one and you like. There was no doubt in my mind when I sort of look in his eyes when he came out of the huddle down right away I said, is there any doubt he's making this? Is anyone doubting that he's going to make whatever this shot is? He's making it.
- [10:57]
A
Yeah.
- [10:57]
B
So it tells you a lot about what he is and what he's about and, and Mike Brown talking him up as mvp. He's. He's got a case, man, the way he's been playing earlier this season.
- [11:09]
A
And I wish that Nick fans, some Nick fans would appreciate him more because we still get that odd phone call that he's not a star, that you need that other guy. I just wish that they would appreciate what he brings to the table already, the national media where you don't win with a guy that small is your best player and all that. And I think he feeds off that. I just hope Nick fans really appreciate having. And I think for the most part they do. But when you start talking about Giannis, you need another guy. You can't win with a guy that small. He's. He's not a true superstar. We still get those calls nights like last night. And I know it's the Pacers and they're beat up and all that, but that would have been an ugly loss and it didn't happen. Now you fast forward to today. No embiid for Philly.
- [11:49]
B
Right.
- [11:50]
A
And the Knicks are six and a half point favorite at home. Yeah, but you know, it's still very fluid. Right. Like they won last night, but now you're taking on a better team. If you lose tonight, who plays fast, that's going to be. Well, they lost because it's the second of back to backs and they had to play on Tuesday in Vegas, like so it's still very, very fluid as far them being affected by what happened on Tuesday night in Vegas. But we'll see.
- [12:15]
B
Yeah, yeah, that's exactly it. We're gonna see what, you know, the residual effect over the next week. That's what I'd keep an eye on. Like do they start to look tired?
- [12:28]
A
Well, that's pretty glaring.
- [12:31]
B
Yeah. We saw it last year that the team got tired, but it was because there was an overusage of the starting five. There were a couple games, I remember a back to back San Antonio, Charlotte. They looked awful. They just had nothing in the tank. And then when they tried to use guys off the bench. These are guys that never played, so they just like, what were they going to do? They hadn't had zero rhythm. So what they're doing this year, last night was a game they would have lost last year. And that's coming from a guy who is. You know, obviously I'm a Tibbs apologist. I think the world of him as a coach. But the approach that Mike Brown has brought this year, you can see it in. There's evidence of it in different areas. Last night was one of those areas because Tyler Kolek has become a revelation off the bench. He's been phenomenal, and he was a guy that, you know, you didn't know. Could he make it? Could he not make it? He's. He's showing you that he can. And then, you know, these guys, these big men, they're bringing off the bench. Trey Jemison, like, did you even know he was on the roster?
- [13:29]
A
No, I do not.
- [13:30]
B
No, of course not. Ariel Huckporte, like, they're coming in just playing their ass off, but they're also prepared. They know what to do. They don't look lost. And that's. To me, that says a lot tonight. If you get cats, probable hearts, probable, your starting five should be intact if they both play. And so you should be fine in a game against a Sixer team that's got some juice because they play really fast. They're not a great team, but they're a tough team. And they haven't, by the way, you know what? Last time they played Sunday. They haven't played since Sunday, Don. So.
- [14:04]
A
And. And so where was that game on Sunday?
- [14:08]
B
I don't know, but I think it was home.
- [14:09]
A
Yeah.
- [14:10]
B
So, you know, or at Atlanta, something like that.
- [14:13]
A
Yeah, no, no, real travel.
- [14:15]
B
And that's.
- [14:15]
A
Listen, almost to the point where it's probably too long not to play, but listen, that. That's gonna. That's gonna affect things for sure. So that's still very fluid. But a fun win last night, a fun moment, and it's cool to hear, you know, Nick fans that you were around, you know, reacting. I was. I was on the plane, so I. I wasn't able to see it in real time, but just coming back and seeing the way that they won, watching the highlights, seeing the reaction from Nick fans that. I know it's only a game in December, and they've got, you know, much bigger games coming up, but that's cool that they looked at it and said, you know, this is the best win of the year.
- [14:48]
B
Because you just see. You're seeing something. Yeah. Like, you know, you know how you know what you're looking at, right? You watch a team play and you're like, nah, that. That's legit. And then there's times where it's like, nah, they're getting lucky. You know, they're pulling that win out of their ass. Like, there's this. Isn't that. Like, this is. No, this is a very prepared team that's ultra competitive, that has a star that in clutch moments, makes big plays. And they. They don't ever want to concede anything. That was pretty. That was a pretty impressive game. Even though, again, we all know the Pacers are ravaged with injury, but the Knicks didn't have their full lineup. They were missing some major pieces.
- [15:26]
A
Sure.
- [15:27]
B
And yet. And they were down 16. Any other team would have been like, now we're done. Especially the second half. They cut it to 1, then it went back to 11. At some point. Don't you just human nature tell you that's not our night?
- [15:40]
A
Yeah, it's not our night. But exhausted, you know, we got a game tomorrow.
- [15:44]
B
That.
- [15:44]
A
That's when you really can see. Yeah, it's big. Hey, it was a. It was a big night for the Garden captains. Right. Brunson with the big shot to beat the Pacers. J.T. miller wins a game in overtime. That would have been even getting a point in St. Louis had they lost that game. The way they played against Vancouver. St. Louis is not good. Another loss for the Rangers, even in overtime or the shootout would have not been good. So Miller gets the goal in overtime. He's been very clutch for them this season. Anthony, what is that in overtime? It's at least two.
- [16:13]
C
He's got three.
- [16:15]
A
Three, I was going to say. I know he had the two recently. So three of his 10 goals have been in overtime. So that was a nice win for the Rangers. We had a great game last night between the Rams and the Seahawks. We've got a big weekend of college football coming up starting tonight. Alabama and Oklahoma, which you can hear on 1050 tonight. And then we'll join that game in progress after the Knicks. And then tomorrow at noon, Miami and Texas, that game is going to be on 10:50am as well, at 12 noon, because the Rangers have an afternoon game, so some big college football, NFL. But we're starting with the Knicks, and people want to react to them at 1-800-919-3776. Let's dive into it, and let's start it off with Dave who's in Boston? You're on espn, New York. What's up, Dave?
- [16:58]
C
Hey, gentlemen. So before I get into my NBA cup point, Don, I just want to say I'm so happy you are the voice of the Devils after the great Doc Emmerich. I. I think I look forward to listening to you because I would listen to Doc and Chico even when the Devils were not very good, just to listen to me. So now that you're the voice, I look forward to listening to these games for you. I'm hoping the Devil's not good here.
- [17:22]
B
That's great.
- [17:22]
A
That's. That means a lot. Thank you so much, man.
- [17:26]
C
But for the NBA cup point, I think I, I agree with what Alan said a couple of days ago, where the game should not only count, but also there should be like another added something on top. So instead of having like 50 wins, you have 50.5 wins because now we won the NBA cup. So that turns into like a tiebreaker to make it more meaningful.
- [17:46]
B
Oh, I agree. Yeah, Dave, I do think that has to be discussed that. By the way, are we sick and tired of hearing about how much money the players are getting every broadcast? Somebody had to mention the money. Okay, we get it. That's not a positive. Fans, I agree with you. Dave's right. You should add something that is incentive wise for the team, but that fans also will see as valuable. Because I agree. Give me that ability. Like, it's an extreme. But an automatic bid to the playoffs this early in the season, that. That's pretty strong. There's another one that says, like Dave said, now I have the ultimate tiebreaker. Every tiebreaker I win, so I get the higher seed. Right. Home court advantage throughout the playoffs in your conference, that's also interesting. Right? That's something. But there has to be something. So as a fan, you come away with it feeling like, all right, they won this, you know, this cup, and that's kind of cool. But what's even better is we get in the playoffs, either we're already in or like the X is next to your name in December, or we know we have home court the whole way, and that's huge no matter what seed we are.
- [18:59]
A
And for the winner, it lives for the immediate future as a positive instead of the negative of how it's going to affect us with all these games piling up. And if somebody got hurt. Yeah, I'm with you. But right now I think their biggest task is going to try to make sure that these games don't pile up the way that they have. So you don't see those stark numbers that you saw with the Lakers and the Bucks after winning it. Let's go to Ted Natru. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, Ted?
- [19:26]
C
Hey, guys. How you doing?
- [19:27]
B
Hey, Ted.
- [19:28]
A
Good.
- [19:28]
C
You know, so, so, so last night, you know, well, in the cup game, I expected coming into last night then to have a champagne hangover. And I sport that. So I bet Matheran to score. And I was very impressed, you know, because I thought the game was going to be close. I was very impressed how the Knicks battled after winning that because it was a natural letdown spot which no one's really talking about. Like, it's a very big letdown spot where the way that they showed and the fight that they showed and the depths, it was awesome. I really did. I'm really getting into this team. I really think they're really playing well. And I have one thing to add about the NBA cup and how it can matter more. I would love that if you win the NBA cup during the playoffs, when you get to go up one seed. So let's say you finished with the seven, you would get to move up to the six. If you finished at the two, you would get to move up to the one.
- [20:24]
B
I get it. It's like the old Ted. It's like the old. When you win your division, you automatically get a top four seed. Like that's the old. The old rule used to be that. And they took it away because they wanted the records to matter more. But this is different. You win the cup, you automatically are a top four seed.
- [20:43]
C
Yeah, I think that might be better than even my, you know, you know what I suggest and I kind of like that. If you win the cup no matter what.
- [20:50]
B
Yeah. I'm into anything that makes. It makes the. Makes the game. Like the word that Mad Dog used saying inauthentic. He's not wrong. But. So how do you put. Make it more authentic. It's got to have true meaning. Not just a trophy.
- [21:04]
A
True.
- [21:05]
B
But.
- [21:05]
A
But the thing is, is that it's not all equal. Right? Like, because will it matter if you move up from a seven to. Well, maybe because of the plan it does. For a 6 to 5, it's not going to matter. Well, you move up to 2 to 1, it's going to matter. So there's going to be some years it matters and some years it doesn't matter. And I got to be honest with you, I know we can talk about, well, you should have won the cup. Well, what if what? If I played shorthanded in the month of December, I'm playing without my best player, the way it goes, and I don't win the cup, but I overcome it. I keep my head above water, and then I'm amazing. In the second half of the season, I finished with the best record in the NBA. I beat you every single time we played you in the regular season. And now when you win the cup, now you're gonna leapfrog over me. No, no, no. That doesn't seem right. Now. That won't happen all the time either. No, but you could see there be years where it's like, really? And we could win that again.
- [21:59]
B
We could. We could. We could spitball this for a while. But there has. We can agree on this. There's going to. There has to be one thing. Out of all the ideas we've been kicking around, there's just got to be one thing. That's all. But that's behind us. This whole cup thing's behind us. I'm looking ahead. This Nick team in that win last night just with Ted said, there's just something happening with this group. Which is why I said what I said yesterday. Some people were not happy when I said, this is not the time to trade for Giannis. And if you're Giannis, you don't want them to trade for you right now. You need to now what he said last night about how. Well, it's my agent and I'm here. He should be saying that now until July. Don't. Do not force a trade in February that you're going to regret. Wait this out. It'll work out best for everyone if you wait this out. But Kenny. Hey, Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. You know, one of the perks about having four kids that you know about is actually getting a direct line to the big man up north. And this year he wants you to.
- [22:58]
A
Know the best gift that you can.
- [22:59]
B
Give someone is the gift of Mint Mobile's unlimited wireless for $15 a month. Now you don't even need to wrap it.
- [23:05]
A
Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment.
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B
Of $45 for three month plan equivalent.
- [23:11]
A
To $15 per month required new customer.
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C
Offer for first three months only.
- [23:13]
A
Speed slow after 35 gigabytes if network's busy. Taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com as you know, managing maintenance, repair and operations is never easy. But for the ones who always rise to the challenge, Grainger has your back. From professional grade products you can count on to fast dependable delivery. They're there to help you keep things running smoothly. Plus, their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions. And because Granger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by thanks.
- [23:51]
B
For listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast.
- [23:54]
A
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
- [23:56]
B
Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.
- [24:04]
A
Game Time is brought to you by Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey because when it's game time, Alan.
- [24:14]
C
It's Tommy time.
- [24:15]
A
It's Tully time.
- [24:17]
B
You're so disappointed.
- [24:21]
A
Knicks host the Sixers with coverage immediately following us at 8:80. At 6:30 coverage of Oklahoma. Alabama will be on 10:50 starting at 7:30. Will join the game in progress on 880 after the Knicks.
- [24:33]
B
You want to watch this game? You want to watch that game.
- [24:36]
A
The ice the Islanders host The Canucks at 7 and the Devils are out here in Utah for a nine o' clock face off against the Mammoth.
- [24:46]
B
908 puck drop.
- [24:47]
A
908 puck drop it is Tullamore II, the original triple distilled, triple blended and triple cast matured Irish whiskey. Be sure to grab a Tullamore Dew or try the new Tullamore Dew. Honey, during today's action, glasses up to enjoying Tullamore Dew responsibly. Talking a little nicks to start. We'll get into the football a little bit. It is a football Friday and Of course at 4:30 we've got fraud Alert Friday. Blanderson Hooper always wants to talk next. You're on ESPN New York.
- [25:12]
C
How's it going guys?
- [25:14]
A
It's going.
- [25:16]
C
So before I get to my real nick point, just a little tongue in cheek here for motivation for the, for the Cup. I think that moving forward that whoever wins the cup should decide home field advantage for the World Series and the motto should be this time it counts. Not sure what you think about that.
- [25:34]
A
But I never thought it was good when baseball did it, so I can't imagine it would, it would work there. But I get, I get your humor.
- [25:44]
C
So my question is, and Alan, you touched on this before. So one of the things that we've been talking about since the beginning of the season is the need for a backup point guard and another big do you think based on like the last couple of games that Kolik has shown enough that we need another big but we can kind of forget about the idea of looking for a more experienced backup. Do you think that he has shown that he could be capable of being that guy behind Brunson?
- [26:13]
B
He has until February 5th. And Deuce McBride also has not been playing. And what Mike does once McBride comes back is going to be interesting because they. They are two very different guards. And so one is a great three point shooter and a dogged defender. The other one is an outstanding quarterback on the. On the court. And he can shoot.
- [26:36]
C
You know, he knows how to be a point guard.
- [26:38]
B
No, he's not. That's what I mean. But there's minutes there, and you got to figure out who's going to do it. I want to watch, though, because like anything we saw. I'll tell you what you remember Linsanity. Jeremy Lin looked unbelievable until everybody started taking it serious. And then all of a sudden, it was game planning to stop him. And once that started happening, Linsanity was over. So I think with Kolik, you gotta see now when teams start saying, hey, this guy comes in the game, this is what he does. This is what we're taking away. Can he adjust? Can he handle it? Can he. Can he handle being put in ISO against athletic, bigger guards who are going to seek him out and try to take advantage? Watch tonight, the sixers have a lot of. A lot of athletic guards. And when he's out there, do they go hunt him and find him and try to like, exploit him or can he handle it? So these are all things we've got to learn now that. Now that he's got our attention, how does he now adjust as other teams adjust? And now that he's on the scouting pole, all those things. T.J. mcConnell has done it for 10 years in the league, so it's not that it's impossible. And T.J. mcConnell was an important piece on a team that went to the finals. So Kolik.
- [27:47]
C
And that's what Brown was talking about after the game?
- [27:49]
B
Yes, sir.
- [27:50]
C
Like, specifically said, like, that's the kind of player you think he could be.
- [27:53]
A
So.
- [27:54]
B
Yep, that's exactly why I tweeted the the old Yoda and young and baby Yoda meme last night.
- [28:01]
A
But you make a good point. You know, if we. We're noticing, the rest of the league is noticing now, he's going to be a part of the game plan, no surprises. And that's truly where greatness comes in when they can game plan for you. They know you're coming and you still can't be stopped.
- [28:15]
B
Right.
- [28:15]
A
And the Linsanity analogy is a good one. Because as he. They started to get filmed, they started working on him and then he kind of came back down to earth. I'm not sure what Houston was thinking. And they were proven wrong after that contract. And you know, Connor, who we love still like curse the Knicks to this day for not re signing Linsanity. But that turned out to be the right move, which was hard. Now we. Obviously Kolik hasn't reached that level yet, but it's still showing you that he's raising some eyebrows not just in New York, but more importantly around the NBA.
- [28:45]
B
Yep.
- [28:45]
A
And on that topic, we go to Roy and Patterson. You're on. Don Han, Rosenberg.
- [28:53]
C
Hey guys, you know what, Han, you turned around and mentioned something or another that I wanted to go ahead and bring up with regards to that insanity with Kolik.
- [29:05]
B
Yep.
- [29:05]
C
But I also wanted to go ahead and get an idea of what your thoughts are with regards to. What's that? Quickly, in his second year, how would those two with Cola compare with quickly?
- [29:19]
A
Yeah.
- [29:19]
C
And how would you know. What's your, what's your thoughts on that? Thank you guys. Happy holidays.
- [29:27]
B
That's a really good one to bring up because it is, you know, quickly became a sixth man of the year candidate because he was just so good off the bench. He'd get hot. He could carry offensively, he was trying to become a point guard. He still is where he's a facilitator. He can run an offense, but that guy could score, man, he could get on burners. And I don't know if like Kolik looks more like a floor general where he understands passing. He always knows where the open man is. Very smart, he can run an offense, get you organized. Those are all things that are very different from Quickley. But impact off the bench like Quickley had a couple years ago. Yeah, like that's something I'm waiting to see is can he, can he do that? I love the fact that he and Brunson together. You talk about taking pressure off Brunson or he doesn't bring the ball up the floor against pressure because Kolik can do it. And then Brunson plays off the ball and they have a telepathy right now. Like Kolik's got a great telepathy. He knows where people are, especially his best player. Those are things that are emerging with him. So I just need to see more like that. I'm like, you know, I never want to get too crazy when somebody starts to play well. Okay, this is great. But let's see it consistently now over 10 game span. Then you can really start to buy.
- [30:41]
A
Into it and that's part of the regular season. For a team like the Knicks. For some teams, the regular season is just to get in.
- [30:47]
B
Yep.
- [30:47]
A
For other teams, it's evaluating. Are we going to make a move at the deadline? Are we not going to make a move at the deadline? You might play your way into not wanting Giannis this year. You may play your way into not needing a backup for Brunson. You may play your way into. Boy, we really need to improve this defense or maybe not, or this bench. That's why you play the regular season to find out. Now, it's still early, but you might get to a point where, hey, this could be. This could be pretty big. This could be a lot of fun and not have to make all of those moves. Let's go to Gill in Brooklyn. You're on espn, New York. What's up, Gil?
- [31:22]
C
Gentlemen, what's going on? Hey, Alan. Kudos on the cold call. It's just what you said. You're not going to know what he's about until teams start gearing up towards him and coming at him on the offensive side or playing him defensively. The second thing that I wanted to talk to you about, I don't know what it is, why we can't get a versatile three. I don't look at what's the name as a, as a three. Og, as a three. And I don't see what's the name. Yeah, I don't see him as a 3. We need a versatile degree.
- [32:05]
B
So give me an example, give me an example. Like could you name, name somebody that you would say is like a versatile three.
- [32:13]
C
Right now the way the league is. Because I don't watch the league as much as I used to. I'm going to say a three in the, in the likes of like a panar King, a guy that can create his own shot. When you, when you clear the. Clear the side for him.
- [32:28]
B
Right.
- [32:28]
C
Somebody like that. I just need somebody that can score and don't have to worry about a point guard getting him the ball. He can bring the ball up and get his own shot. We haven't had that in so long. I think that's going to show rear his head because as you know, in the playoffs the defense turns up and then that's why. What's the name? Brunson in the playoffs? Yeah, he gets his, but it's harder to do because defense are now able to key on you. When you have a guy that can create his own outside of Brunson then your offense can open up. And I think Mike Brown, what he really wants to do with this offense, it's key to have a three that can create his own shot.
- [33:13]
B
Gil, love you, man. Brunson averages 30 a game in the playoffs. His. His numbers go up. They have wings, lots of them. Two of them that are elite. One's going to be an all Star and OG Anunoby. Hart is also a wing. Now, create your own shot. I understand what you're saying, that they don't want to play ISO. They don't want to play that way. They really want to play in the flow. They want slashers, cutters, guys that can run, finish on the break, rebound that's versatile. I can make the corner 3. I can crash and get offensive boards. I can. I can lead the break, which is what Hart does, Bridges does. Anunoby is one of the best corner three shooters in the league. Like, that's what you're looking for. Clarkson isn't really a wing, but it's sort of. He's more of like a small wing. He's a guy that creates his own and scores for himself. That's why they got him. Look, Yabasheli has not worked out, and that's a. That's a big. That they've. They need to figure out, like, is he here or can we move him and get somebody else in here? That's really fits the way we want to play. That's an area that I think they're going to focus on more than what Gil's talking about. I don't think you want to add someone else to this group that needs his. Needs to get his shots. And they don't really want to play ISO anymore. They don't want to do it that way.
- [34:35]
A
And listen, I know he was reaching for an example. Yeah, hall of Famers are not available.
- [34:41]
B
Well, that's the thing. If I wanted him to say Kawhi Leonard, then I'd say, well, you're not getting him.
- [34:45]
A
You're not getting. You're certainly not getting anybody to the level of Bernard King either.
- [34:49]
B
Well, Bernard King's a great example. Right.
- [34:51]
A
It's a good example, but also an example of something that's really hard to. No, listen, they're in really good shape. Things need to be improved for sure, but I just didn't like it. I'm glad you. You corrected him on the. You know, the points aren't going to be there in the postseason for Brunson. They have been.
- [35:07]
B
His numbers go up.
- [35:08]
A
Just embrace the Madness, people. He's a great player.
- [35:11]
B
He's a star. All right?
- [35:13]
A
Not saying I don't need a little help, but he's the man.
- [35:15]
B
But he's a killer, man. Did you. You have. Please go back if you can and watch the last minute of the game with about 40 seconds ago. He misses that three. It's a good look. Just misses it. Then he turns it over. I'm telling you, watch it back. It's 40 seconds of your life. But when you see the look in his eye when he comes out of that huddle and he's just looking right at Nemhard like, like I'm about to tack your hide up on the wall.
- [35:41]
A
And then do it.
- [35:42]
B
Oh, and then he. Cold blooded, man.
- [35:44]
A
Yeah. Stone cold killer is what they. What he is, what he needs. He's big in the postseason. What are the Knicks always looking for? A point guard. They could take the last shot. How many great players have we had in recent vintage? But not necessarily the guy that you had that much confidence in to take that last shot. So embrace it, man. I know that sometimes certain teams feel like they can't have nice things. The Knicks have a nice thing. Is it enough to win a championship? We'll see. But you have a nice, better than a nice thing. And he's a great Jalen Brunson.
- [36:15]
B
And he's a really good. Like, he's a great guy too. Like, so he's local.
- [36:19]
A
It's really, it's the play. Perfect storm, 1-800-919-3776. More your calls. We'll pivot to football at 4:00'. Clock. Fraud alert. Friday at 4:30, we're going to move our picks to 5:30. Yep. Because Allen's got to run for his Nick coverage, we want to be able to give him time to give his picks. Hopefully we hear from Peter. Maybe this is the week that for the first time ever in the history of the station, somebody's going to tap out.
- [36:43]
B
I got a thumbs up from him when I said picks at 5:30.
- [36:45]
A
But you know the thumb. Thumbs up is not a pick.
- [36:48]
B
No, it's an acknowledgement.
- [36:49]
A
Unless you want to use it to pick your nose.
- [36:52]
B
Thumbs up. These days you got bigger problems after Josh Hart. Thumbs up now. It means something completely different to me.
- [36:57]
A
Yeah, that's a good point. So we might get goosed at 5:30. We're not really sure.
- [37:04]
B
Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
- [37:08]
A
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
- [37:09]
B
Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.
- [37:17]
A
So we got the thumbs up from Peter that at 5:30 he'll have his pigs. Now does that mean, Anthony, that he'll be calling in with his picks or just texting him to you?
- [37:24]
C
Oh, if you think I'm actually gonna.
- [37:26]
B
Get more than that from him, you're sorry, you're sadly mistake.
- [37:29]
A
Well, all you got was an emoji.
- [37:32]
B
Thank you.
- [37:32]
A
Now he doesn't do his picks when he's here, so by, by reminding him two hours before that he needs to do picks. Then maybe he'll use those two hours to make picks and not just decide at the last second.
- [37:46]
B
I should have.
- [37:47]
C
I sent the spreads.
- [37:48]
B
I sent the spreads to him when I sent them to you guys earlier in the morning at 8:30 when the show started at. And then when we decided when we were going to do picks, I texted him picks 5:30 today and he gave me a thumbs up.
- [37:59]
A
Okay, well good. Now you know. So we'll see. We shall see. Let's continue with the phone calls. Jeremy, he's in the truck. You're on ESPN New York. Hi, Jeremy.
- [38:10]
C
Hey.
- [38:10]
A
Yeah.
- [38:11]
C
How we doing guys?
- [38:12]
A
Good.
- [38:12]
C
I listen all the time. This is for you, Allen.
- [38:17]
B
What's up?
- [38:17]
C
I know it's easy, but D.J. mcConnell. You compare McCollock to McConnell. Why is that, I wonder?
- [38:26]
B
Well, why do you think? Backup point guard who handles the ball really well, really smart, tough, undersized, but very like. Use his iq, use the ability to pass, create shots for himself. Tough like he's very similar. Two similar guys.
- [38:47]
C
Yeah, but he could score a lot better than McConnell. I watched him at Marquette. Yeah, I mean, if he got more time, he'd be averaging, you know, 15 points at least.
- [38:57]
B
Well, we're gonna find out. We're gonna find out. Well, McConnell, Chris Paul.
- [39:05]
A
Chris Paul.
- [39:06]
B
Wow. Well, you know what? Will you tell you what, from your driving at, Jeremy, from your lips to God's ears, if he could play like Chris Paul, I'd love to see it because I love the kid. Be great.
- [39:15]
A
What's your angle, Jeremy, towards something here?
- [39:20]
C
I'm just saying. I mean, let's leave the skin color out of the picture. We don't need to even go there. He's a poor general, like you said.
- [39:27]
B
I didn't hear him out of the picture. What am I leaving? What.
- [39:33]
C
Skin color? He's not.
- [39:37]
A
But, but you brought up Mike Brown. Bought it up. Mike Brown used the comparison. So I think it's a flat one. Used the comparison. A white man used the Comparison. I don't think you were the one that brought up race. Alan just rattled off 10 reasons why they're in common, and their skin color was not one of the ten.
- [39:57]
B
That's weird.
- [39:58]
A
Jeremy. You brought it up, you made it an issue.
- [40:02]
B
I don't even think about it. To me, I'm just looking at they were playing on the same floor and I'm like, you know, McConnell's carved out a nice 10 year career, but Kolik is a second round pick who early in the season there was a question of whether or not he'd even be on the roster this year. And look at him work his ass off to become somebody that is very valuable, that Brunson trusts. And he actually is trying to emulate Brunson a lot in the style of play, which is really good. But I looked at McConnell last night and I'm like, you know what? Cola can have a career just like McConnell and he could be a really. McConnell was a huge part of that team going to the finals last year, so.
- [40:37]
A
So you just coincidentally compared him to another white man with not having to stretch at all. Because you gave 10 examples. Why? They're very close. Yeah, he made the stretch. Comparing him to a black man. And Chris Paul, who made the stretch, who threw the Hail Mary, you or Jeremy?
- [40:57]
B
I don't know. I'm pretty comfortable with, I'm pretty comfortable with my comparison here.
- [41:02]
A
Hey, listen, you know what? If it didn't catch a fish. Not today.
- [41:05]
B
If you, if it offended you, Jeremy, that's a, that's a you problem.
- [41:10]
A
I. I'm just saying, just when we go over the transcript, the only person that brought it up was Jeremy. So that's on him. Spike and St. Pete, you're on ESPN New York. Merry Christmas.
- [41:23]
C
That's the world we live in, guys.
- [41:24]
A
Let it go.
- [41:26]
C
Let me tell you something where I saw last night. I love Alan Han, Alan Hans, my hero. Because he's me. Obviously I'm a foot shorter than him, but he's me. 40 years ago, you neglected to say one thing, and believe me, I'm not casting aspersions. Clyde yells out, hey, Brunson, what about the one you dribbled off your foot last night before you caught that, right, Clyde.
- [41:50]
B
Clyde's something else in those. Yeah, but he also is giving him kudos as well because he's saying you were clearly tired and yet you still came up with a big shot.
- [42:00]
C
Yeah, and then Brunson, I think they went from a pin down to a curl. They changed the play. And Mike Browns Goes, hey, just go do your thing. So this is the beauty of the game last night, and I'm very disappointed because I was wrong. Preseason. Now, I love what Mike Brown's doing and I'm a Tibbs guy. I am a Tibbs guy. And sometimes you fall into the right thing. Maybe this was with you and Don getting his dream come true. I'm so happy for you kids. I really am. Bottom line, last night my guy Yabbercelli gets on the court. He looks about 40 pounds Overwatch way. The only one in the league you could sit on a seesaw with is Andre Drummond. But Drummond's at least getting 12 rebounds again. Don't touch this team. If the win Knicks win the chip and beat Denver okc. Don't touch this team. You don't want Giannis on the team, Leave it be. And Tyler Kohlik is blessed. He referred to him as the Lord last night. He says, thank God the Lord for Tyler Cole. Tyler Cole, my best friend, said this to me this morning. He is so, so lucky to practice with Brunson. He does his layup like Brunson now the open palm, left hand. He come and he could see the floor. He pulls back his shot. Looks a little. Needs a little help. It's a little hurky jerky. The kid gets five assists, five steals. The Knicks had 31 assists last night, 31 dimes with two guys. I had to look up and by the way, last comment and have a blessed Christmas. God keep me well and you guys and your families. I just want to see one more chip and I think we're close. I think it's a tight circle for within two years. Tell me I'm right.
- [43:35]
B
No, no, I've said this going into the season. I think this is the closest they've been in over 30 years.
- [43:40]
C
No, I think it's 50.
- [43:43]
A
Well, 94, they were very close. 94, they were very close. Thank you for the calls. 99, not so much, much.
- [43:51]
B
You too.
- [43:52]
A
Thank you.
- [43:52]
B
Yeah, 99 was a bit of a surprise, right?
- [43:54]
A
That was the lockout and everything. They were what I think they were an eight seed that go.
- [43:58]
B
They were a very good team, but they didn't come come together until the playoffs started. And then they were just really good. Then they got, you know, they got banged up, but I don't even know at full health, they could have beaten that spurs team. To be honest, if I'm really being honest, that would have been really.
- [44:10]
A
That was done. That was a forever team and all that. But here's what they've done. You know, I don't know, we want to talk championship or what, Whatever. They have played to the point where they're at least worth seeing if, as presently constituted, they can go for it. I think they played to that level now. That could change. A month from now, it might look different, but right now, going into play on December 19, they have played worthy of keeping it intact and seeing what this team can do. And if they continue to play the way they're playing, even if they end up as the second seed to Detroit, you're going to want to see this thing. And then during the off season, you could say, okay, we need a little extra here, but little extra there. But don't be surprised if we get to the off season. And the. The popular opinion, the consensus would be, don't get Giannis. You're starting to see it happen now. Yeah, if they play well, that might be the opinion when we get to the summer.
- [45:03]
B
It's funny that that's. I. You know what? Dom wouldn't. What a great problem to have.
- [45:09]
A
Yeah, right, right.
- [45:10]
B
Like to. To. To. To do something that in June, that when you get to July and Giannis is like, oh, okay, I'm ready. I want you to trade for me. And the Knicks are going, I'm all set. We don't have to. We kind of like this team. We don't need to blow it up.
- [45:23]
A
That would be.
- [45:24]
B
That. Would that be something? That would be all these years of begging for a superstar and chasing a superstar, right? And all the superstars telling you no. Kevin Durant, LeBron James, right? And then now the superstar wants you, and you go, I'm good.
- [45:41]
A
Before we close, this is what Mervyn Queen, Queens are saying. You're on espn, New York. You want to keep this team together, right?
- [45:47]
C
Of course, man. Something weird happened to me, guys. I've been watching the Knicks less in a weird way, because in my head, I'm like, they're good. I'll tune in, like, every second or third game or for 10 minutes. And I'm like, finally, we don't have to make a move out of desperation. And what you guys are saying, that someone could want to come to us. Guys. Also, Tyler Cole, like, first of all, I speak Skip. Happy holidays to you guys, man. You guys are fantastic. Having friends. Friends that you. You can't always talk to a friend. They're busy this night. But I could turn on the radio and listen to you guys, and you sound like my homeboy, but thank you. And Tyler colic Like the little engine that could. Why not his points feel like they count for more. It's good for the team, the crowd and a feel good. And I want to ask you guys like what you think about like what you're saying, keeping the game together, but the team together. But there's always like a good guy that might, you know, we can claim somebody gets waived, that there are the roles.
- [46:47]
A
You're always fine. Even the best teams fine tune things. We're talking about the, the needle mover type move. Every championship team will pick somebody up at the deadline just to kind of fill. But we're talking about maybe not wanting Giannis not having to make that big time play. And Merv, thank you for the phone call, but no, they could still even if you love the team, come the deadline, there might be still a move to make, but it'll be for depth. It'll be an ancillary maintenance move, more so than a move that you feel you absolutely, positively have to make to make a run.
- [47:22]
B
Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know how the sausage is made, man. I just want to know. It's good. Hear more of Don Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.