Alan Hahn (1:43)

A lot of. No, there's still. They got the. We haven't really gone through some of the NHL stuff right. We got what we should do, a little ticker at some point soon. Rangers and Islanders and Devils all have done some things today.

Peter Rosenberg (1:54)

Nothing. Nothing overly spectacular, but we'll probably go. I think ENN could be a time to kind of catch up on a lot of that.

Alan Hahn (1:59)

But fair enough.

Peter Rosenberg (2:00)

But the big story today at 5:03 in the Big city is what we thought was a non story is starting to build a lot of momentum and that is the possibility LeBron James becoming a Knick. They seem to be a team that can make it work with the free agent acquisitions they had earlier today and last night that they could trade, you know, OG or Mitchell Robinson or maybe Cat to Los Angeles and make it fit with LeBron James. So that works from a Knicks standpoint where a lot of the teams can't make it work financially or with the players. That's number one. Number two, it's a clear destination for LeBron. If he can come to New York and win a chip with The Knicks, their first in 52, going on 53 years, it would cement his legacy. Four championships with four different teams and all that. And a wide open east where he might have the appetite of wanting to come to the Knicks, who have a better chance to win now with him than they did in 2010. At least that's the feeling I have. 2010 they would had obviously been in the conversation, but he felt like he had an easier road or a better chance to win joining Bosh and Wade in Miami. Now he's going to be 41 years old. So it's a different world than it was in 2010. But Allen, you were talking to some people, something that you were dismissing yesterday. Seems like it's not out of the realm of possibility that it could happen.

Alan Hahn (3:25)

Yeah, the more I thought about it after the show yesterday, the more I was wondering to myself, do I really want to completely dismiss this possibility out of the gate? And I think the initial reaction is because we've seen this movie before. We've seen where LeBron and others have used New York, the Knicks and the desire for so many people in this market to get a superstar to play at the Garden and especially somebody of LeBron's level. It goes all the way back to 2010 and we all. Anybody that's old enough to remember 2010 and that whole summer and you know, he really did leave a lot of people in New York believing that maybe he would come here. It didn't happen. There was another time as well where it was a thought. But. So I just asked a friend of mine, like, do you. Do you think like this is just a leverage play? He really doesn't want to leave the Lakers. Right. And I was told that's not true. Look at the Lakers and watch what they do. Because if this is LeBron's last season and there's a reason, remember I told you about that video. Somebody. They were at dinner in New York. He was here for Fanatics Fest.

Peter Rosenberg (4:31)

Right.

Alan Hahn (4:31)

And he was at dinner. He was with Kevin Love and Kevin Love's wife. It was LeBron and Savannah, his wife. And there was another couple at the table as well. And it's like there was this sort of video that was leaked, which is so bizarre because if you're sitting at a dinner table with people like, you know exactly who's there. So if it gets leaked, you know who leaked it.

Peter Rosenberg (4:51)

Right, right.

Alan Hahn (4:52)

But it was this video that leaked of LeBron saying that Savannah wants him to retire as soon, you know, sooner rather than later. So it could be within a year. So this could. It starts the hint of, you know, this could be my last year. And then his agent, Rich Paul, puts out this very cryptic, curious statement after LeBron James picked up his option. $52.6 million for next season. And LeBron is windy. Brian Windhorst said this yesterday on one of the ESPN shows, I think the free agency show, that it's the first time LeBron has, like, a situation where his contract, that there's no other year. Right. Like there is nothing after next year right now for him. And it has this feeling like this could be it. The farewell tour. He wants to win a championship. He wants the Lakers, and that's what Rich Paul said in the statement, to build a team that can win a championship.

Peter Rosenberg (5:55)

And.

Alan Hahn (5:55)

And so he wants to see what the Lakers do and figure out his future from there. Which is pretty much saying, if I don't like the moves you made, and I don't think this team is good enough to win now, and I know you're trying to build around Luca, I might want to go somewhere else. And the one thing that stood out to me was leaving it so open ended. Okay, so let's see what the Lakers do. Well, the Lakers really haven't done anything so far in free agency, while other teams, the Houston Rockets especially, have gotten really good. The west is tough. You have the Thunder, who won the championship. They're not going anywhere. The Rockets have just built something. It looks like a juggernaut they're building there. We know Minnesota is really good. You know, like, you're seeing the teams that are going to be tough to get through. Denver has done some things. And I just said to myself, I wonder if we need to think this out. Then this morning I got a text from somebody in the league who said, like, you know, let me talk to you. So the video that I did, the video that they Posted of us from yesterday's show where I'm like, it's not happening. The New York thing, forget it. Let it go. You know, it would cost too much. I just found every reason to dismiss it. And he was like, are you sure you really want to do that? And he started telling me, like, think about it. LeBron likes to control the narrative. He likes narratives. It's a big thing for him that if you're going to go out with, you know, end your career, do you really want it to be, hey, the Lakers lost in the second round, blah, blah, blah. Like boring, right? Because they're building a team for Luke and not for LeBron. The east, if you look at it, and it's just more and more, the Detroit Pistons just lost another player. So, you know, Beasley's suspended because of the betting thing. Dennis Schroeder signed with the Kings. He's gone. Tim Hardaway Jr. Just signed with Denver. He's gone. Those are all important pieces they had that were part of a good Detroit team. In Detroit, all they added was Caris LeVert. They still didn't have a center. So the idea that Detroit's gonna take a big step next year. Right now, they look like they're taking a step back. We already know Boston step back. They wanna reset. The Pacers just lost Miles Turner, who they were supposed to have re signed. You thought that was coming, but they aren't. They let him go. He's going to Milwaukee. Now. You'd think, okay, well, maybe Milwaukee will be good. Well, they just waived Dame Lillard and they're eating like $100 million. And there's a report that Giannis is not happy with this at all. And we've all waited for Giannis to finally say, I want it. So Milwaukee could be a mess. We know Indiana's not going to be the same. They're not going to have Halliburton already now they don't have Turner. Miami Heat's done nothing. Atlanta's done some things, but not enough to make you go, oh, my God, they could be a contender. Right? So it all leads to one team in the east now that's left other than Cleveland. The Cavaliers are who they are, of course, from last year, but there's only one team that everybody's looking at like, wow, if there's ever a time they can win it, who's that team?

Peter Rosenberg (9:06)

The Knicks.

Alan Hahn (9:06)

The Knicks.

Peter Rosenberg (9:07)

Yeah. That's it.

Alan Hahn (9:07)

So if LeBron likes the fun narratives where he's the center of it and he's the conversation And I have told everybody, LeBron James is the face of this league. Make no mistake. We keep trying to find the next guy. There ain't no next guy till this guy's gone. It's LeBron. So if you're the NBA and you know the west is stacked, do you really want LeBron closing out his career as one of an also ran team in the west, or do you want them in the epicenter of everything?

Peter Rosenberg (9:44)

It changes the mecca of basketball. It's think about.

Alan Hahn (9:48)

So I think it's a real thing.

Peter Rosenberg (9:51)

I understand the money's already been spent from the television standpoint, but the NBA wants to be relevant. Right now the NBA is going through parody seven consecutive years with a different champion. All right, we just came off a final Indiana going up against Oklahoma City, where if you combine the two markets, markets, it's 1.5 million people. You know, you don't have a big market. You know, Milwaukee wasn't a big market. Denver was okay, not great like. And you have the number one market in the Knicks. They haven't won in 50 plus years. And then you just look at the way kind of things round out. Like I had mentioned earlier about the Knicks are always that like noon Christmas start like, you know, let's get it out of the way. We want New York market, but they're not good enough or entertaining enough to really pair them to put them in prime time. LeBron James is a laker. A lot of his games are at 10, 10, 30. So you want to drive interest and to have a traveling roadshow involving a New York team, tons of games on national television, a team that could possibly make a run even though the television money's already in the NBA's pocket. They want to be relevant. They want people talking. You just came off a. From a rating standpoint, thank God they got a game 7. They had 16 million people. Otherwise you're getting 8, 9 million people watching what's supposed to be your best foot forward. It would be unbelievable for this league, but it also would be epic for LeBron James. He can't go six for six like Jordan. And he might not be able to get to 6 total considering he's going to be 41 years old. But to be able to say, I won four championships with four different teams, I mean, nobody's done that. Who has done that? Honestly, first of all, when you talk about LeBron James, that's rarefied air. You're talking Gretzky, you're talking Ruth, you're talking the greatest to ever play the Sport. But really, how many stars Allen have won multiple championships with multiple teams. Stars. I'm just thinking like Paul Coffey was a star. He won in Edmonton, he won in Pittsburgh. But not, not four championships with four different teams. It's impossible, right?

Alan Hahn (11:51)

Like, you mean say stars because like, you know, Robert or there's guys.

Peter Rosenberg (11:55)

There's been guys that are multiple.

Alan Hahn (11:57)

Kareem. Kareem's one with two different franchises, but we're talking four like Kawhi, you know, like there's. There's.

Peter Rosenberg (12:02)

So it's no joke, man. That's all. That's that. That does that, you know, balance out the six for six that Jordan had. Is that something I think he's obsessed with, right? Is that I want to be able to say that I was better than Jordan. There's nothing you can do. They all say, but to go to win four championships with four different teams and the last one come at 40, 41 years old with a team that hadn't won in half a century, that would be a nice cherry on top.

Alan Hahn (12:32)

Keep in mind, too. So I said he was in town. Remember he was at Fanatics Fest and he was here in town for a couple of days. He went out to dinner. TMZ caught him on the street and they caught fans heckling him, yelling at him, all this stuff. And that's another thing I think too, because he would know. You come here and all that goes away. Now all of a sudden, now you're one of us. Now all of a sudden it's okay, you're a Nick. There's something different about that too. That gets him a market, a major market where he knows every time he comes here, every time he comes here, he mostly gets love, but he still hears it from a lot of people as well. And we took calls earlier in the show and there's people that are like, I don't want him. People that I don't want him. And I'm telling them, you don't want him now. But once that jersey goes on and it's opening night, oh, you're going to want him.

Peter Rosenberg (13:21)

And the buzz around your favorite team.

Alan Hahn (13:23)

And he gives you the best chance to win a championship that's undeniable. He was at 40 years old, he was second team all NBA. Yeah, he's one of the top 10 players in the NBA coming off last season. And when you watch him, you see there's nothing falling off this guy. This guy's still at a plays at a high level. Now. Can he play at the highest level for 82 games. No, you know that he doesn't do it like he did when he was in, you know, in his 20s and even his early 30s. You know that now, but that's fine. But he can bring it at a high level, and there's nothing different. So to me, I'm not saying it's happening. What I'm saying is I would not be quick to dismiss this at all. And I would watch the Lakers and how they do their free agency, and then I would probably, a week from now, see what kind of word you're getting out of clutch and out of that LeBron camp. Because if it doesn't sound like they're thrilled with things, the next thing that has to happen is LeBron has to say, I want to go there. And for the Knicks to say, okay, we'll do it. That's the only thing standing in the way at this point right now.

Peter Rosenberg (14:31)

1-800-919-3776. Jose in Connecticut, you're on. Don Hanna, Rosenberg.

Caller (14:37)

What's up, guys? Man, you know, I love you guys, man, but no, thank you, but no, thank you. And I'm gonna give you some reasons. First. First, the last caller's analogy was off, man. LeBron is like that girl that you were chasing, right? And she was, you know, using you and that friend, using you for car rides, borrowing money, and now that you got other girls, and now you're doing well. Now she's like, oh, you know, maybe. Maybe now. And it's like, you know, okay, but what were you, like, four other times, right? Like, I'm tired of every single time he may be available. Like, we're supposed to swan, like, excuse me, swoon over him. This isn't annoying. And then like, yeah, he's great. And we can, if we can get like a one for one trade, of course, Nick Sands will get. Will fall. Will fall, you know, fall in and be happy. But that's. That's the biggest, right? And the whole time, it's just make me sick thinking about the whole year, it's going to be about the retirement tour.

Alan Hahn (15:29)

Always.

Caller (15:29)

Last time at the guard, last time in Cleveland. It's going to be all about him, man. And if he doesn't win, we're going to say, well, was it worth it? You gave up young players just for this retirement tour.

Peter Rosenberg (15:39)

When you give. When you say young players, you'd probably be giving up Cat or OG and Mitchell Robinson. So that's what you're looking at. Yeah, I mean that you got to match the money. So that's what you're looking at. And maybe. I don't know if they'll be doing draft picks, different things like that. But I. I don't think it's a lot to give up for the potential of a championship. Now, he didn't get to it, but he had it on about these things never work out. Look at Rogers. And I never honored the tease from earlier, the difference between the jets and the Knicks. Oh, well, the jets didn't win. Or why was it okay for the jets to grab them when the jets got Aaron Rodgers? And I remember fighting with Michael about this. I said, you know how hard it's going to be even if it works with Rogers, for this team to get to a Super Bowl. They're in the afc. They got to get through Allen, they've got to get through Lamar Jackson, they've got to get through Mahomes. Like if they were in the nfc, which was a little bit open, similar to the east in the NBA.

Alan Hahn (16:37)

I agree.

Peter Rosenberg (16:37)

Now you're talking. Like, Michael was always saying, super bowl or bust. I said, I don't think that's realistic. Even if Rodgers balls out, this team hadn't done anything, hadn't been to the playoffs since 2010. Yeah, they're talented, but can they go up against Buffalo, Baltimore, Kansas City? So that's different. This Knick team already went to the Final Four. They were in the conference finals. All right, the jets had talent, but it was all on spec. They hadn't done. They hadn't accomplished anything.

Alan Hahn (17:04)

Right, Right.

Peter Rosenberg (17:05)

This Knick team has accomplished something. So it's apples and oranges. Plus the fact that, again, the east is open. The AFC was never wide open. It was. You were landlocked no matter how he played.

Alan Hahn (17:15)

Yes.

Peter Rosenberg (17:16)

And Rodgers didn't work because he got hurt. We have no idea what would have happened if he did not get hurt.

Alan Hahn (17:23)

I'm telling you, there was a few feeling going into that season and nobody felt it. Like, I mean, I was in full bloom, love. It was just watching Hard Knocks and just, you know, the Lonely Lombardi and all that other stuff. Like, there was so much about what he was representing and there was a. Just a vibe around that Jet team at that time, that major. Like, I was sitting there going, I think they can do. I think they can win this thing. I remember, like, I was bought in and. And the injury sucked all that away. So anything that happened after the injury, you got to forget about now. You're right. What's different is this group has already shown you they can get to the conference finals. And some people believe they really should have gone further, that they could have. That's why the coach got fired. And, oh, by the way, let's add to the fact that the Knicks sound like they're on the verge of hiring Mike Brown, who coached LeBron, and they have a good relationship. So there's also that, too. There's just enough to look at and say, it's real, it can happen. I've asked everybody. I've asked people that cover the league and know the league really well. I've asked people that are quick to. Anytime I've given them this, you know, excited puppy with the tail wagon stuff, and they'll go like, that's not happening. No chance. And I've gone to them and I'm like, tell me there's no chance. Give me another. Tell me there's no avenue to this. I can't tell you that there isn't.

Peter Rosenberg (18:44)

Any of the year.

Alan Hahn (18:46)

So then I asked the cap experts, well, wait a minute. The Knicks now are up against that second apron. You know, I know there's new rules. Is there some way that they can't do it? No, they can. They can. There's pieces there that they could move. It would have to be a two for one, or it might be multiple players, but there's a way to do it. And so as I just kept checking all the boxes of ways, well, I. How can I stop this? Every single box got checked. I'm like, okay, there's no reason to say this can't happen. The only thing left now is for LeBron to say, I want out, and I want to go there. And for the Lakers to say, we thank you for your service and your seven years here with the Lakers. You want us a championship? You've been a great Laker. We're going to let you go where you want to go, because the team you want to go to has pieces that we'd be more than happy to put around Luka Doncic. And if that's. If that happens, the last hurdle is James Dolan to say yes or no. Simple as that. Well, and to have that guy at the Garden.

Peter Rosenberg (19:46)

Yeah, it'd be. It would be definitely something. Let's go to Nick and Emerson. You're on. Don Hanna, Rosenberg.

Caller (19:53)

Hello, boys. I just want to say real.

Alan Hahn (19:55)

How are you guys?

Caller (19:56)

I just want to say real quick, it was a. It was a pleasure to meet both of you last week at the Beach Bash. What a fun time that was.

Alan Hahn (20:03)

Glad you had fun.

Caller (20:05)

Oh, my. It was terrific. Don, you sang.

Peter Rosenberg (20:08)

You were beautiful. It was amazing.

Caller (20:12)

I wanna. All right, so a couple people are agreeing with me that are calling in I don, you hate golf, correct?

Peter Rosenberg (20:20)

Yes.

Caller (20:20)

You despise golf.

Peter Rosenberg (20:21)

I should say.

Caller (20:24)

I despise LeBron James. I am a die hard Knick fan. Die hard. I'm 32 years old. I've been through a lot of misery outside of the last five years. He had his chance. He had multiple chances to come here. Now with his swan song, he wants to come here and win a championship. Get the hell out of here. Absolutely not. 2010, I put a crowbar through my TV when that selfish came on the television and said, I'm going to Miami Heat to team up when the going gets tough run. That's been LeBron blames his motto forever. And I call him blames because it's never his fault. Look at Ray Allen bailed him out shooting LeBron bricks a3 bus rebound. Allen hits it. I want nothing to do with that man here. He's had his chances. We finally have a team ready to compete for a title and now all of a sudden he wants to come bandwagon on. Absolutely not. This is Jalen Brunson's team. I don't want him sharing it with LeBron. And when I win the title, when I win it, I'm not sharing it with LeBron. I love you guys. Have a great night.

Peter Rosenberg (21:27)

Listen, I don't necessarily agree, but I hear what you're saying. It's. What I've been saying is that I see it rubbing you the wrong way. But it beats the alternative of continuing to add years to this ridiculous streak of no championships. I've got a question for Alan Hahn and it's coming up next here on Don Hanna Rosenberg on ESPN New York. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Knowing you could be saving money for the things you really want, like that dream house or ride, is a great feeling. That's why the State Farm personal price plan can help you save when you choose to bundle home in auto bundling. Just another way to save with a personal price plan. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts, and savings and eligibility vary by state. This episode is brought to you by Polestar. There's only one true way to experience the all electric luxury SUV Polestar 3, and that's to take a test drive. It can go from 0 to 60 in as little as 4.8 seconds with.

Alan Hahn (22:28)

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Peter Rosenberg (22:30)

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Alan Hahn (23:02)

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

Peter Rosenberg (23:06)

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

Alan Hahn (23:07)

Catch the show on demand whenever you want to. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

Peter Rosenberg (23:15)

Blue Jays kicking the ball around in the seventh inning. Now the game is tied at four and good because Bellinger leads off the seventh with a single. And they walk Judge. Boom. I understand there's a base open, but I mean, come on, it's the seventh inning challenge, for God's sakes. And out burned him because Judge has already scored. And another run scored as well. I don't know if they gave an error to third, but definitely Guerrero. Well, Stan had an error, so back to back errors.

Alan Hahn (23:41)

Hell out of that.

Peter Rosenberg (23:42)

So the Yankees in line up. Be a hero for me, Volt beginning here. One out. Runner at runners at first. And second chance for the Yankees to retake.

Alan Hahn (23:51)

Anthony. I need this. Anthony. Come on. I need this. Anthony.

Peter Rosenberg (23:54)

You know, ESPN New York has your chance to score tickets to a special E60 screening of Southpaw the Life and Legacy of of Jim Abbott on Monday, July 7th at the Tribeca Screening Room, including a special Q and A and meet and greet with Michael Caine. Jim Abbott. You can enter to win a pair of tickets on the ESPN New York app. Just find the contest tile and submit your entry. Brought to you by Bay Ridge Honda. So Volpe flew out.

Alan Hahn (24:21)

Oh, he didn't fly out. He hit one to the gap. They ran it down, but that. If that just got down a little sooner. Look at it. Come on.

Peter Rosenberg (24:29)

Yeah, that was the deepest part of the yard.

Alan Hahn (24:31)

Did look like he got it.

Peter Rosenberg (24:33)

Stanton. Stanton obviously couldn't tag up, so runners at first and second, two outs as the Blue Jays trying to get out of what has been a disastrous inning for them. Here's the question I had for you. Yep, everybody was wondering why they fire Tibbs. That seemed kind of strange. Players didn't want him to coach. But you wonder now that it looks like it's going to be Mike Brown. He's getting a second interview and it looks like he's going to be hired as a coach. Somebody that coached LeBron James. Was this in the back of their mind? Like, LeBron's not going to come here if Tibbs is the coach. All right? We got to do our due diligence, because we don't know what LeBron's going to do. But if LeBron opts in and we've got a chance to trade for him, good executives like Leon Rose, they see things two, three, four steps ahead.

Alan Hahn (25:17)

So are you telling me, is it.

Peter Rosenberg (25:18)

Possible that this was in the back of their mind when they let Tibbs go?

Alan Hahn (25:24)

So if we want to do the. Like, the. The fictional. The. The. Like the dramazation, right? The fiction. The fictionalize. Yes. What happened? Here's how I'll do it.

Peter Rosenberg (25:39)

Okay?

Alan Hahn (25:42)

Lakers get knocked out. LeBron's looking around, sees the Lucas stuff, gets word from the Lakers as he's like, all right, what are we going to do about building a championship team here? And. And the Lakers are. They're going to sell that. They sell the franchise, all right? And then it's like, you know, we got. We got to make sure we have pieces around Luka going forward here. You got to understand, like, we get an opportunity to get a guy like Luka, we got to go forward. We can't just give up all our assets. Right now, he's like, well, he doesn't like that. And then he's just watching the playoffs like anybody does. He's watching the Knicks. He's like, man, they got some vibe going there. Hey, boy, they really have something special. Wow, look at New York City just lit up. This team's really good. I could win with this team. I don't want to play for that guy, though. And then he has conversation with Rich Paul, let's say Rich Paul or anybody. You know, they. They all have. They all know each other. So now it's like somebody talks to William Wesley. World Wide West.

Peter Rosenberg (26:45)

Mm.

Alan Hahn (26:45)

That's how it was. You know, LeBron would definitely want to play for the Knicks. I don't know if you'd want to play for Tibbs, though. But the Lakers don't seem like they want to build a championship. Look like they're. They're. They're already kind of moving on to LUCA. I mean, LeBron might want to leave. He might want to come play in New York before it's over. It's the one thing he's never had a chance to do, and he's always thought about and always wished he could do. You know, it never worked out well, man, he really likes that team. And the Knicks are like, all right, if we can get LeBron, we just got to change the coach out. Let's do it right now. That all sounds like an easy story, except for this. When they fired Tibbs, they called five teams about their current coaches. Five teams about current coaches. Why would you do that if Mike Brown was always your target to begin with?

Peter Rosenberg (27:40)

Because you don't want the whole Boomer Siason situation.

Alan Hahn (27:45)

Boomer size.

Peter Rosenberg (27:46)

Yes. The Boomer size situation is this. Jets wanted Reggie White. Reggie White was a free agent. Reggie White said, boy, if you had a quarterback, I'd sign there. Jets signed Boomer Esiason. Reggie White goes to Green Bay.

Alan Hahn (28:00)

Yeah.

Peter Rosenberg (28:01)

And now you got Boomer Assassin, which is fine. But they went out and got Boomer Esiason to attract Reggie White. Reggie White didn't come.

Alan Hahn (28:07)

They didn't get Boomer because he was a Long island guy.

Peter Rosenberg (28:09)

I think they liked him, but it was just interesting.

Alan Hahn (28:12)

It's like, hey, if you had a.

Peter Rosenberg (28:13)

Quarterback, they ran out and signed Boomer Esaisa.

Alan Hahn (28:15)

I get it.

Peter Rosenberg (28:15)

Like, if you. Maybe they like Mike Brown, but there's other options because they don't know if LeBron's going to opt in. They don't know if LeBron James going to want to come here. But you want to at least leave the avenue that you didn't get him because of your coach off the table. Right. So. And I'm sure the players complained about Tibbs, but they're like, that's a real thing. There's no way that he's coming here. So rather than fight to keep Tibs and aggravate our players, we'll let Tibbs go. Now we can hire Mike Brown to attract LeBron. We don't want Mike Brown if we don't have LeBron. Let's do our due diligence. The thing is, by talking to teams about. Of the availability, that doesn't mean anything.

Alan Hahn (28:57)

Well, Jason Kidd is. LeBron wouldn't say, I'm not playing for Jason Kidd.

Peter Rosenberg (29:00)

Right, Exactly.

Alan Hahn (29:00)

He has a great respect for Jason Kidd.

Peter Rosenberg (29:02)

Exactly. So, but. So you're doing your due diligence and you're saying to yourself, if we land Jason Kidd, great, because we could still get LeBron. And if we don't get LeBron, we're still happy with Jason Kidd. I don't know if they'd want Mike Brown without LeBron James. So now you get to the point where you haven't hired a coach. Now you get. And now things come into place. Now LeBron has opted in. Now there's a chance you could trade for him. All right. If you noticed, free agency. We're deep into it now.

Alan Hahn (29:30)

Two days.

Peter Rosenberg (29:31)

Mike Brown's getting a second interview. He hasn't been hired yet, and they've.

Alan Hahn (29:34)

Already got two guys locked up for their bench.

Peter Rosenberg (29:37)

If they're working and talking to LeBron or talking to the Lakers about a trade, hey, now, we'll hire Mike Brown. But if LeBron James says, I'm not going there, or I'm going to, I want to stay with the Lakers, then maybe you don't have to hire Mike Brown. You could start just continuing with your search. Yeah, I'm just. I'm not saying it's the reason, Alan, but good executives like a good, good pool player. The reason I'm not great at pool is I'm focused on my shot. But a great pool player is, like, when I make this shot, the cue ball is going to end up here, and I'm already knowing my five or six shots I'm going to take based on my first one. A real good executive is going to look and say, hey, there's a chance we can get LeBron James. Let's not hurt our chances. Let's set things up. And we can easily pivot if LeBron's not available. So we don't get stuck with a coach we don't want. So all the things are true. Players weren't, you know, happy with Tibbs. Maybe if LeBron James, Singh isn't in their future, maybe they're thinking, maybe we'll fight more for LeBron, maybe we'll fight more for Tibbs and not let him go and not eat the $30 million. Let's go after guys we know LeBron would want to play for. But we're not in any kind of rush because Dallas could still say no, Mike Brown's still sitting there, and yet not hired. Why do I have a feeling that if LeBron James is happening, they would then hire Brown? I would wonder when Brown does get hired.

Alan Hahn (31:06)

Could be any day now.

Peter Rosenberg (31:07)

Could be any day now. Whether that is the precursor to, oh, by the way, LeBron James is coming.

Alan Hahn (31:12)

And I would watch one other thing in LA just quickly before we get back to calls, because the Lakers need a center. That's obvious, right? They have tried for different players. They wanted to be in on a couple of different centers, and they all seem to be going in different directions. But what happened in Milwaukee might change everything. Because Miles Turner, everyone expected he was going to stay with the Indiana Pacers, but he didn't. The Pacers let him walk, and he took a $100 million deal with the Bucks, which is a strange thing, because the Bucs, without Dame Lillard and knowing where they are, like, they're in a weird situation and they don't know what's happening with Giannis. So the Bucs do that. And there's the Dame Lillard thing. They waved him. It's a terrible. Like, it's a really curious decision that they made there, but they have to have a reason for it, of course. And there's word that Giannis isn't thrilled with it. Maybe that's the way Giannis now gets his way out of there, is because he's not happy that Dame Lillard was waived. We'll see how that goes. But the fact that Turner went to the Bucks. Deandre Ayton is a free agent center. Deandre Ayton was supposed to sign with the Bucs, but now that he's not signing with the Bucks, does he fall back into the lap of the Lakers to do they now get a center that they need? And then LeBron James goes, okay, wait a minute. I like this. Okay, like we don't know.

Peter Rosenberg (32:43)

Oh, no.

Alan Hahn (32:44)

So that's. That you gotta see. But from what I. All the conversations I had in the last 24 hours, everyone I've talked to on the Lakers situation and the LeBron situation has all told me that you're not going to know right away. And the Laker thing is, in a week, you'll. You'll know, the dust will settle and you'll see what the Laker roster is, and you won't need to know what LeBron's thinking. All you got to do is look at that roster and you'll know, right? Is that going to be good or what?

Peter Rosenberg (33:15)

Is that a team that can come out of the West?

Alan Hahn (33:16)

And if it's not, he's going to want to go. He's going to want to.

Peter Rosenberg (33:19)

Let's go to Nick and Chatham. You're on espn, New York. What's up, Nick?

Caller (33:24)

Hey, guys. Love the new show.

Peter Rosenberg (33:26)

Thank you, man.

Caller (33:28)

So I usually call on about the NFL. I don't know much of the NBA, so take this comment, the grain of salt. But what about LeBron James as a player, coach? And I have two thoughts on that. One is, I don't know it would affect the cap. You know, that might be an answer with a cap. And the other thing is that that would get him two rings if he wins. You know, that's a way to get more rings for him.

Peter Rosenberg (33:51)

It's not going to happen, Nick. But I like what you did there. I thought that was. That was good stuff. I'm not mad at that. I think the days of the player coaches are over. I don't think he wants that on his plate. He's already showed that he's not that great of a general manager. I don't know how much of a good coach he would be, but it was a thing back in the day. It's.

Alan Hahn (34:11)

I don't think you can be a player coach.

Peter Rosenberg (34:13)

You know, you're probably.

Alan Hahn (34:14)

No, I think there's a rule now. You can't.

Peter Rosenberg (34:15)

Yeah, probably. Again, it just.

Alan Hahn (34:17)

The last one, if I'm not mistaken, was Mike Dunleavy. And that's going back, way back 80s, I think. If I'm not mistaken, that was the last player coach in the league and he actually checked into a game like he was really mostly coaching, but there was a time where he called a timeout late in the game. He checked himself in because when you're a player coach, you're not playing all the time. Player coaches normally are like 12th man type situation.

Peter Rosenberg (34:41)

You're able to do the job without having to go in. Last one I remember was P. Rose. Oh, player manager. And that was like, what, six? Yeah. Dylan in Miami. You're on ESPN New York.

Caller (34:53)

Hey, good afternoon, guys. How you doing?

Peter Rosenberg (34:54)

Good, man.

Caller (34:56)

So growing up here in South Florida, you know, seeing how the Heat Fans were with LeBron and that team and the big three, my own personal satisfaction of having LeBron on the Knicks would be that, you know, if in the perfect storm arises, the Knicks win with LeBron is now, you know, it would probably bother a lot of the people that I know here that are Heat fans, but that's one thing. And the second thing, obviously being that it would be the Knicks for a championship in like 50 to 53 years. So as long as the cost is not so great that it mortgages the future of the Knicks and that, like, it's more than likely a one and done thing for him and the Knicks can continue to be a good, strong team going forward. I'm cool with that. Otherwise, no, I don't want it. But, you know, as much as I've hated LeBron throughout the years, my friend and I have always discussed this. He's like, yeah, but, you know, obviously if he was on the Knicks, and my friend's a Knicks fan too, he's like, if he was on the Knicks, you'd be happy, right? I'm like, well, yeah, you know, right. So he's a great talent. And I think that if it can help the Knicks propel them to get over the hump and, you know, still keep the core of what they have going forward after, I'm cool with that.

Peter Rosenberg (35:59)

All right. I mean, that's a good way of looking at it, for sure.

Alan Hahn (36:01)

That's you just. First of all, it's going to be. It would have to be a two for one deal. So you're losing two pieces. So it's, it's. Which two are you losing? Because the same thing. Remember when you gave up two for Carl Anthony Town?

Peter Rosenberg (36:13)

Yeah.

Alan Hahn (36:14)

And I mean, one of those pieces is Dante Vincenzo. You'd give anything to get him back now. Right. So that's something you do worry about. This message is brought to you by Abercrombie and Fitch. I've been ready for summer for a while, and now it's finally time for summer outfits. With a trip coming up, the A and F Vacation Shop has me covered. Abercrombie really knows how to do a lightweight outfit. Their tees, sweater, polos and linen blend shorts never miss. I wear Abercrombie denim year round. Their shorts are no different and have the comfort I need for summer. Prep for your next trip with the A F Vacation Shop, get their newest arrivals in store online and in the app. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

Peter Rosenberg (36:56)

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

Alan Hahn (36:57)

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

Peter Rosenberg (37:12)

So what you're saying, Jacob, is the LeBron would be the new kid in town, that's what you're saying, right?

Alan Hahn (37:16)

Ain't no kid, but I love this song, though.

Peter Rosenberg (37:20)

Eagles.

Alan Hahn (37:22)

Would you do Eagles at a beach bash?

Peter Rosenberg (37:25)

That's a good question. I don't. I love the Eagles, but I just. I wouldn't be able to do it justice.

Alan Hahn (37:30)

No. Right.

Peter Rosenberg (37:31)

This is difficult, but Hotel California is one of my favorite.

Alan Hahn (37:33)

That's a good one probably.

Peter Rosenberg (37:38)

For me. And I think people would argue, because I always have this, this argument that in my opinion, the four best bands in rock and roll. And I don't think you can argue go Beatles, Stones, the who and Led Zeppelin. If you, if you brought in a fifth, it's probably for me, Pink Floyd. And the disturbing thing about that is all four, or if you go to five with Pink Floyd, are all from England. If you had to go with the greatest American band, I'm not talking Billy Joel. I'm not talking about Bruce Springsteen, although it's the E Street Band. I'm talking about bands because I think there's a dynamic.

Alan Hahn (38:13)

I completely agree.

Peter Rosenberg (38:13)

Of a band as opposed to a solo artist who has a great band behind that. It's between the Eagles and the Beach Boys. Is the greatest American man. Can you think of another one? And who would you pick over the two? I would pick the Eagles because there's not a song I don't like. I completely agree because I will say this and it's going to sound awful. And you know, Brian Wilson's no longer with us. Serious. Will throw up like a Beach Boys channel. A lot of stuff I'm not interested in.

Alan Hahn (38:44)

No, no.

Peter Rosenberg (38:44)

That.

Alan Hahn (38:45)

That's what. That's the difference to me. The Eagles and then the Eagles spinoff. Like you, you know, same thing as the Beatles. This is the Beatles. And then there's the Spin offs.

Peter Rosenberg (38:53)

Oh, there's so much.

Alan Hahn (38:54)

The Eagle spin offs are just fantastic.

Peter Rosenberg (38:56)

Yeah.

Alan Hahn (38:57)

Henley Fry. Like, you get. You're getting like.

Peter Rosenberg (39:00)

And he could go to Schmidt and all those guys. Like, there's so much, so much solo stuff, so many things. But the Eagles might be the greatest American band of all time.

Alan Hahn (39:10)

So I can't fight that.

Peter Rosenberg (39:12)

Yeah. And the only other American I think of Beach Boys.

Alan Hahn (39:15)

I'd have to really like. I gotta. Because I'm not putting enough effort into it. Brain wise to say like. Because again, the Eagles at 70s since then. Do we have anybody that would even make a case bandwise?

Peter Rosenberg (39:31)

No.

Alan Hahn (39:32)

Right.

Peter Rosenberg (39:32)

I mean, the biggest grand slam home run for the Blue jays. It is now 9.4J.

Alan Hahn (39:37)

Who was on the mound?

Peter Rosenberg (39:39)

I didn't catch it. Anthony will know because he's basically licking the screen spring.

Alan Hahn (39:43)

Of course it's Springer.

Peter Rosenberg (39:46)

Yeah, he's.

Alan Hahn (39:47)

Springer's probably a good idea to bring.

Peter Rosenberg (39:49)

In Lighter again because after last night. Well, lighter, but some of these runs are going to be charged to Lighter. But I think they took him out.

Alan Hahn (39:54)

No, Weaver's in now. Weaver, since he's come back.

Peter Rosenberg (39:59)

They keep going to these bullpens day in, day out. It gets to be too much. So 9, 4 here in the bottom of the seventh inning. We'll get to that.

Alan Hahn (40:08)

But I was told, you know, don't overreact. It's a long season.

Peter Rosenberg (40:12)

Don't be that guy. The Blue Jays got the jacket.

Alan Hahn (40:17)

Yeah, whatever. These things are stupid. It is now getting dumb.

Peter Rosenberg (40:21)

The Red Sox have that kind of.

Alan Hahn (40:23)

That the mascot. That's the mascot. And they put that on the head. It looks so, so dopey.

Peter Rosenberg (40:28)

But listen, you want to be childlike, right? Don't you want?

Alan Hahn (40:32)

No, the chain was. Didn't it start with a chain? It wasn't that. The original thing. It started there, right? And then it just got worse and worse. Now we're all trying to top each other with this stuff. Are the Mets ever gonna come up with like, hey, everybody, put it on The Mets. The Mr. Methead.

Peter Rosenberg (40:48)

No. You know, you want to show me something?

Alan Hahn (40:50)

What do you got? Show me something.

Peter Rosenberg (40:52)

Put on the original Mr. Methead.

Alan Hahn (40:55)

Oh, that one.

Peter Rosenberg (40:55)

You ever see it in the Mets hall of Fame?

Alan Hahn (40:57)

Yes.

Peter Rosenberg (40:57)

The plaster of Paris thing. I think you could suffocate to death. But before you get to the other end of the dugout, the poor SOB that had to wear that back in, like, the early 60s, I don't think he's. I mean, he probably died from old age. He might have died from, like, suffocation. Let's go to Chaz on the Upper east side. You're on espn, New York. What's up, man?

Caller (41:19)

Hey, guys, thanks for taking my call.

Alan Hahn (41:22)

The prior caller, Jacob, made a great.

Caller (41:24)

Point about if LeBron comes and the Knicks win the championship and it becomes LeBron's team. And I'm thinking in the context of Tom Brady going down to the box.

Alan Hahn (41:34)

When they won their super bowl, no.

Caller (41:37)

One was saying, hey, it's Mike Evans, team one else's team, right? It was Brady's team.

Alan Hahn (41:42)

And then also to your guys, nobody cared.

Peter Rosenberg (41:47)

They weren't working on a streak of never winning. What if that were the Buccaneers first championship? And Buck fans got like, their whole team gets shade because everything's about Tom Brady. I think it's very similar, but they did win a few years before. But. I'm sorry, go ahead.

Caller (42:03)

Yes, a great point. So my original question, as you're talking.

Alan Hahn (42:11)

About Tibbs getting fired and Mike Brown potentially being a coach, and even Mike.

Caller (42:17)

Dunleavy being a player coach is. What percentage of or what number of wins in a regular season do you.

Alan Hahn (42:25)

Attribute to player talent? And then what number of wins do.

Caller (42:29)

You attribute to coaching? Good coaching.

Peter Rosenberg (42:31)

That's a good question. What do you think, Alan? In basketball, baseball, they'd always say a good manager could win you between four and five extra games. And that's 162.

Alan Hahn (42:42)

I gotta be honest.

Peter Rosenberg (42:42)

What about the NBA?

Alan Hahn (42:43)

I think in the NBA. I think in the NBA, coaching can win you 10 more games.

Peter Rosenberg (42:50)

Really?

Alan Hahn (42:50)

I think a lot. I think it's a gigantic difference. Talent. Look, we have seen talent in the NBA come together and fail probably more often than not. There's a reason why they Always fire coaches. It's true. So I would.

Peter Rosenberg (43:07)

Because it's easier to do, but if I. You had a choice.

Alan Hahn (43:10)

Easier to do, but it's also because a lot of.

Peter Rosenberg (43:12)

Who's the best coach in the NBA right now? Right now?

Alan Hahn (43:14)

Eric Spoelstro.

Peter Rosenberg (43:15)

All right, Would you take Eric Spoelstrover, LeBron James?

Alan Hahn (43:21)

What do you mean? What I take and what do you mean?

Peter Rosenberg (43:23)

Knicks need a coach. Knicks need a player to get him over the top. If you had to pick one, have Spoelster be your next head coach or trade for LeBron James, what would you do?

Alan Hahn (43:31)

I would take Spoester as my head coach because he's going to be here longer.

Peter Rosenberg (43:34)

All right. But let's say it sets a system. Let's say it's one and done. Let's even it up.

Alan Hahn (43:38)

Oh, so Spoelstra coaching this group for one year or LeBron joining this group for one year, what would I rather have?

Peter Rosenberg (43:44)

What would you rather have?

Alan Hahn (43:45)

That's a great question. Because that. That.

Peter Rosenberg (43:46)

That answers your question.

Alan Hahn (43:47)

And the answer. The answer is clearly the player.

Peter Rosenberg (43:49)

You would always take the talent over the coach.

Alan Hahn (43:51)

Of course you do.

Peter Rosenberg (43:51)

In football, I take the coach over the talent. Really, now? Well, obviously it's harder, though. Quarterback's different, but it's hard.

Alan Hahn (43:59)

Wait, wait. Sorry. The Giants. I'll give you who's the best coach in the NFL. Andy Reid.

Peter Rosenberg (44:08)

Yeah, I guess Andy.

Alan Hahn (44:08)

All right, you want Patrick Mahomes or Andy Reid on the Giants right now?

Peter Rosenberg (44:15)

You know what? I think I'd have a better season with Andy Reid as my coach.

Alan Hahn (44:18)

Really?

Peter Rosenberg (44:19)

Well, because the Giants don't have a ton of talent, but I think Andy Reid would massage it to the point where he has a few more games. Because in football, I think coaching really has more to do with the success of the team than any other sport.

Alan Hahn (44:30)

Football's the worst example. Football, because you're right. Because I do. I think in any. I think football more than any other sport. Football is. The coaching does matter, the system, all that stuff. I mean, does it matter in hockey?

Peter Rosenberg (44:46)

All right, so I got John Cooper. Am I taking John COOPER OVER Connor McDavid? No.

Alan Hahn (44:51)

No. Of course you're not.

Peter Rosenberg (44:52)

No, I'm taking John Cooper because John Cooper's a hell of a coach.

Alan Hahn (44:56)

But for one year, remember, we're doing this.

Peter Rosenberg (44:58)

But for one year. No, I'm going to take. Now I'm getting a few people are chiming in about the greatest American band.

Alan Hahn (45:04)

Yeah, I'm looking at a list right now. You're not going to like this list.

Peter Rosenberg (45:07)

My buddy Griff said Chicago, I. I had two. Chicago's good.

Alan Hahn (45:12)

Very good. And they have spin offs too.

Peter Rosenberg (45:14)

But I would not. So Terra had like tons of. I'm not. I'm not putting them with the Beach Boys or.

Alan Hahn (45:21)

I've got. I've got two. One is Van Halen, definitely. They've got to be in which one, though? Both? Or you just say, well, it's the whole thing.

Peter Rosenberg (45:32)

All right.

Alan Hahn (45:32)

But it's only two distinctly different men.

Peter Rosenberg (45:34)

But no, three times. I'm not mad at that. I think that's definite. The conversation. That's a good one. Now dead lumens says Arrowsmith. Here's my hot take. Not a big fan. No, I like Arrow Smith songs. I love Dream On. Yeah, they're fine. But I find them very annoying because when. Because once they hit the 90s and they started the whole living on the Edge and they went crazy.

Alan Hahn (46:04)

They went pop.

Peter Rosenberg (46:05)

They went pop.

Alan Hahn (46:06)

They went pop.

Peter Rosenberg (46:07)

Some of their older stuff. I'm. But I would not consider myself a fan. Metallica, again, it's like hockey, like. But metal's not going to get that kind of love.

Alan Hahn (46:18)

But I will tell you that knows Metallica. You don't have to be a metal fan to know Metallica.

Peter Rosenberg (46:21)

Metallica, they're the Beatles of the Black Album.

Alan Hahn (46:24)

Kind of made them more of a mainstream.

Peter Rosenberg (46:26)

They're the Beatles of metal. But they are not going to get the love of a Beach Boys or an Eagles because there's still a lot of people that aren't going to get into metal. I. Listen, I love metal and I love Metallica. Not my favorite metal band, but how do you not love Metallica?

Alan Hahn (46:45)

Right?

Peter Rosenberg (46:46)

You got to be, you know, you got to love Metallica.

Alan Hahn (46:47)

I'm. I'm going to. I'll fight for Van Halen. But Chicago, Definitely Chicago.

Peter Rosenberg (46:53)

Outstanding. But we're talking about the Beach Boys and the Eagles.

Alan Hahn (46:55)

Yeah.

Peter Rosenberg (46:57)

All right, Van Halen. I'll. But Van Halen doesn't have the hits that those bands have. A few.

Alan Hahn (47:02)

Do you need the hits or is it just like, you know, like what you said? I can put on a greatest hits and I'm not skipping a song. Right. Isn't that. Doesn't that tell you if we're going to argue the best all time Eagles. If I give you Eagles Greatest Hits by the Volume one and two, how many are skipping. Not many.

Peter Rosenberg (47:22)

Volume one. Peter's disputed this and I forget what. We fell on it. That Eagles Volume 1 is like the most sold album. Yeah, yeah.

Alan Hahn (47:30)

We had that fight and he said.

Peter Rosenberg (47:31)

It doesn't doesn't have Hotel California. That's on volume two, right? That's crazy. That's how good they are.

Alan Hahn (47:41)

Anyway, 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 my more of Don Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.