Don, Hahn & Rosenberg — Hour 2: Knicks Expectations & That Guy Thursday

Date: October 16, 2025
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Podcast: ESPN New York

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode revolves primarily around the looming start of the NBA season, exploring expectations for the New York Knicks in light of injuries, coaching changes, and heightened fan pressure resulting from the underperformance of other local teams. The second half of the hour jumps into the recurring "That Guy Thursday" segment and a spirited breakdown of the latest headlines and fan reactions across New York sports.

Key Discussion Points

1. Broadcast Challenges & Don’s Frustration

• [00:33 - 04:09]
  The show kicks off with Don in a noisy arena, leading to on-air technical and environmental frustrations. The banter highlights Don's irritation and how the broadcast environment for live sports coverage can sometimes be chaotic.
• Memorable moment: Don's silent on-screen rage and threats to "log out" become a running joke, with Peter suggesting fans watch Don's facial expressions on YouTube.

“I really hope someone goes through this YouTube and isolates Don and makes a time lapse video of the anger over the last 30 minutes because it has been... fantastic.” — Peter Rosenberg [03:34]

2. Knicks Preseason Status: Injuries, New Coach, and Expectations

• [04:09 - 14:09]
  Alan reviews injury concerns:
  • OG Anunoby (ankle, day-to-day),
  • Josh Hart (back, hasn't practiced with team yet),
  • Mitchell Robinson (absent, workload management),
  • Karl-Anthony Towns (quad, day-to-day).

Discussion of how the Knicks, under new head coach Mike Brown, are introducing unfamiliar load management principles (“a word I want everybody to get used to,” Hahn notes [06:34]), unlike the Tom Thibodeau era.

• Worry arises about whether the Knicks can get off to a hot start with key rotation players unavailable for the preseason finale and possibly Opening Night.
• Pressure Point: With other New York teams floundering, the fanbase has shifted all its hope and scrutiny to the Knicks.
• Notable quote:

“There's this anxiety from the fanbase... Are we going to get any good teams? The pressure... is going to be on the Knicks to win opening night against the Cavs... Everyone else has frustrated us. Now, what can you do for us? It’s unfair, but it’s reality.” — Alan Hahn [11:19]

• Coach’s Tone:
  • Mike Brown preaches patience:

    “We know this is going to be a process. It's not going to happen game one, game two... We’re going to have our highs, we’re going to have our lows. Can’t get too high if it’s going good, can’t get too low if it’s not.” — Mike Brown (played by Peter/Alan) [08:44]

  • Don interprets this as preparing fans for a possibly slow start, warning:

    “If we’re sitting here and the team's like 3 and 5 to start the season, people are going to complain. People are going to have a problem with it.” — Don La Greca [09:39]

3. Realism About Knicks’ Ceiling & Load Management

• [14:09 - 19:57]
  Hosts examine realistic expectations for the Knicks’ win total and seed.

  • Load management means “no 60 wins.” “If you’re going to tamp down expectations… that’s a team that’s not going to win 60 games.” — Don [15:23]
  • Home court advantage (top three seed) is vital.
  • Team’s regular season fortunes might mirror the broader East, as Cleveland and Boston are also dealing with injuries.

• Quote on intensity for NY teams:

  “When you're a New York team and everybody's hyping you, it's almost as if they're the defending champions... they're gonna have a target on their back.” — Don La Greca [19:44]

4. Fan Caller’s Optimism & Hosts’ Pushback

• [20:29 - 23:39]
  A call from Nina in Los Angeles asserts the Knicks are “an easy lock for first in the conference,” praising chemistry, depth, and Mike Brown’s offensive philosophy.
  • Hosts counter that the Cavs still present problems, and the radical system shift is a genuine concern.
  • Alan highlights how both Detroit and Orlando could be the “annoying needle in their side” teams, comparing them to last year’s surprise baseball teams.

5. “That Guy Thursday” Segment

• [26:42 - 37:49]
  The hosts introduce the humorous and cathartic “That Guy Thursday,” where each shares nominations for individuals behaving in uniquely irksome ways in sports.

Notable That Guys:

• Brian Cashman (Yankees GM):
  • Called out for his evasive, noncommittal answers in the postseason press conference:

    “What areas of weakness do you want to attack in this off season?”
    “I'm not going to unpack that today.” — (paraphrased) Brian Cashman, [32:01]

  • Alan: “Just be regular for five minutes and just point out the obvious... Instead, you’re doing the ‘all is well’ thing... It’s an absolute disconnection with the fan base.” [33:00]
• Aaron Glenn (Jets Coach):
  • Criticized for defensiveness with media, deflecting questions about QB usage and decisions:

    “If I throw more and he gets interceptions, then you'll complain about that...” — Aaron Glenn (paraphrase), called out by Don [35:13]

  • Don: “Are you making decisions based on what the media is going to ask you in the press conference?”

Humorous & Memorable Banter:

• Don’s environment becomes a meta “That Guy” example. Peter jokes that Don’s desire for an in-arena background leads to unnecessary stress, stating Don could have had a private room “like a gentleman,” but chased the “good look out in the stadium and he nearly had a coronary” [29:57].

6. Jets & Giants Schedule Strengths — Hope & Caution

• [40:29 - 47:48]
  Alan outlines why the Jets could still manage a few wins, citing their “fourth-easiest remaining schedule in the NFL” [41:04]—and projecting about a 3-14 finish.
• Peter underscores that Jets fans should take small improvements as a win, hinting at the draft.
• The Giants, by contrast, face the “third hardest remaining schedule,” and while the defense and rookie QB Dart have shown promise, the hosts warn fans not to get irrationally hopeful for playoffs.
• “Don’t let the potential for the playoffs... get in the way of what you really want to do, which is just build this season and develop something.” — Peter Rosenberg [47:48]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Knicks’ pressure:

  “The pressure… is going to be on the Knicks to win opening night… so that everybody can just exhale and say, okay, we can settle in now, enjoy the season. Because if they don't, you're going to get that frustration whether they like it or not.” — Alan Hahn [11:19]

• On Cashman’s press conference:

  “Just give them something. And he didn’t do it.” — Alan Hahn [34:33]

• On Giants fans' temptation for unrealistic hope:

  “The difference between next Monday being 3 and 4 and 2 and 5 is two different planets.” — Peter Rosenberg [48:36]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:33 – 04:09: Arena/background technical woes, Don’s frustration
• 04:09 – 14:09: Knicks preseason injuries, practice updates, Mike Brown's cautious approach
• 14:09 – 19:57: Knicks win projections, load management, pressure as NY’s “hope” team
• 20:29 – 23:39: Fan optimism call, hosts’ concerns, surprise threat teams in East
• 26:42 – 37:49: “That Guy Thursday” (Cashman, Glenn, Don), fun banter
• 40:29 – 47:48: Jets’ soft schedule/the need for “small wins,” Giants' tough road and fans’ psychological rollercoaster

Tone & Atmosphere

• The conversation was candid, often irreverent, with the usual blend of sports expertise and comedy. They maintain relatability by framing fan anxiety as both rational and ridiculous, matching the mood of the New York sports community.
• Hosts are transparent about media routines and acknowledge both their own biases and the shifting, sometimes irrational optimism or pessimism of New York fans.
• “That Guy Thursday” gives a platform for light-hearted rants with genuine critique.

Conclusion

This hour provides a full-spectrum view of New York sports fans’ lived reality — hope, dread, high expectations and endless analysis — with the hosts predicting an unpredictable Knicks season and calling out sports figures for tone-deafness and lack of accountability. The episode’s playful combativeness, concern for realism, and sharp humor make it perfect for New York sports diehards and casual listeners alike.