Can they keep this up, though?

How far can they go?

Alan?

Real quick.

Before you answer that, I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna back up your point because I think most people are like either.

Like, Come on, bro.

It's five and three.

Remember this last year?

I understand.

We've been thirsty for years.

I get it.

I understand it, but is eight games here and it just makes me laugh.

But, Alan, I'm with you 100% and I know keys laughing.

Last.

So the Knicks are five and three after eight games last year.

Alan, if I'm not mistaken, it took them 25 games to get to five wins.

So now they have five wins after eight games.

Come on.

We gotta give a little credit.

I'm giving him credit.

I just had to chuckle because he's so excited at five and three.

And I'm sitting here looking eight games in, and I'm, like, again You got champagne problems.

You got to see that champagne problems.

What you have that you have to understand.

We have potholes on streets here that are older than than your city.

You understand that, right?

I understand what we deal with here.

There's traffic here that we just call.

That's every day were typical.

This is normal.

Ain't the four or five.

This is just what you do here.

You live with misery.

So when you have one moment of shining happiness, you grasp it.

You embrace it like that, Like that piece of half a Big Mac that's on the ground.

The rat comes out and he's like, We're going to scissor tonight, Baby, I got a half a Big Mac.

That's how we feel around here.

So having even this modest start, it just makes you feel better about things then they're not the only team in town now.

We understand that.

But there's just something about this team that when they are, when they are good, the whole city just feels better.

It's just there's something about it and everybody.

It's old enough to know about the nineties.

They remember those teams.

Okay, you were here during those years.

You know what that's about?

When this team is good, people will stick their chests out again.

You feel proud to be in New York, and that's why this silly, modest start does have people giddy.

And you know that Zoo York Nowhere.

Yeah, well, no, I don't wear J.

Why do you say they can't?

Health is the only way they don't health.

How do you expect Julius Randle to continue to average 20 to 11 7.5 for the full season?

I'm protecting You know what I see?

I see a guy.

That's look, it's it's contract year, fellas, right?

So when you're in a contract year, you show up and you play honest.

You're in great shape, which has never been before, and they're giving them the role because he can play that role because he doesn't get tired late in games.

He can run the floor.

Do I expect him to hold this up?

I don't know, because I've never seen him do it.

But I've never seen him coach this way, and I've never seen him motivated this way.

This is the first time in franchise in a long time with this franchise where you've had this energy of the front office on the coach.

This is forever been the issue where the players don't fit the coach or it's, you know, whether it's forcing the triangle on a coach to have to play a certain way, and the players didn't want Thio or whether it's we're waiting for the next guy and the next guy and we're setting up for whether it's you know, 2010 and LeBron or two years ago and Kevin Durant.

It's always been about setting it up for the next guy.

This is for the first time in a long time where they're coaching this team right now.

It's the first time that synergy, which is why, to me injuries the Onley thing that will derail this from being a season.

I'm not saying that won a championship.

You guys say they, you know, are gonna be a contender.

What I'm saying is is to make the playoffs for that.

That would be an unbelievable thing.

After everything that's franchise has been through Alan, let's go here So I know that the Knicks didn't make any moves in the off season, didn't take any big swings for free agents or making trades right.

They stay status quo with their younger group core, with knowing that the history of tips right, a lot of star players potentially other than Jimmy Butler really didn't like to play for him in and Derrick Rose because of the way he actually runs you into the ground, right?

Karl Anthony?

Towns.

Guys like that back in Minnesota.

Who was the right superstar to come to the New York Knicks next year in free agency, I think fits into the culture for Tom Thibodeau in the next.

I can't answer that.

Number one.

There aren't any real superstars.

They're gonna be available in free agency anyway.

To be honest with, you have to trade for somebody.

But I think you have to.

You have to understand.

I think Tibbs is learning that he's gotta be that, like you've got to get like minded players, gym rats, guys that want, like Austin Rivers.

A great example.

You see the way he's talking about this team and and the way he feels like he loves this kind of environment.

You've got a draft, guys, you've got a sign guys that fit that mentality and you can't You just can't try too hard and bring in somebody that doesn't fit the mentality.

You just just the way they look at Miami.

Miami is the same way and they're almost trying to emulate Miami in that aspect where it's not for everyone, and that's I think the mentality has to be.

It can't be start chasing anymore because we've learned J stars do not want to just sign with this team unless they know they can win.

Alan, huh?

Speaking of stars, What's going on with the next?

I'm sorry they don't play defense.

I had a Hall of Famer I was talking to the other day who watches them regularly, and he said to me that streetball like they just out talent.

You, they really don't defend.

Now they made a lineup change, and that's why you brought in Bruce Brown and players like that.

You want to get some defense going.

They were much better against the Jazz, and so we'll see if they can keep that going.

But you and I both know that they have enough talent to win in the East and probably get to the finals, and they should.

So I'm not.

You know, I look at this like that.

First, you remember Miami, LeBron Wade and Bosh and how, that first year, about 20 games in they were still about hovering around 500 having some issues.

They'll work this thing out.

They got way too much talent.

Alan Hahn, co host of Barton, Higher on Bargain Hunt weekdays from noon to 2 p.m. On ESPN Radio and ESPN.

Plus, let's talk about the other team in town.

The Nets.

How is New York feeling about the Nets as a whole right now?

I don't feel like they are.

They still have that team that it's like you begrudgingly watch them.

For the most part, their fan base is not obviously not as Bigas as the Knicks, but it's similar to, I think, when the Clippers were doing what they were doing, I wish New York could have what L.

A.

Has two great teams because this city loves basketball so much.

The two big markets having two teams that air elite teams would be fantastic for the league for the sport.

Everything else so I just think it's that same vibe.

I think you know, you saw when the Clippers were good, actually, better than the Knicks, and the Clippers are not better than they were a couple of years ago.

Clippers were a couple of years ago, Yeah, but Yeah, but on how did the city How did City embrace the Clippers even when they were, even when they had Blake and CP and DeAndre, they still they still they still was a little brother.

Yeah, and the Lakers were what didn't make the playoffs for six years.

Still with little brother, See what I mean?

Like, that's I think that's just because of the fan base sizes.

But I also think you're watching them, though, because you have Thio, you know, with Kevin's a guy I can't I can't not watch.

Kevin Durant played basketball as much as it pains me that he's not wearing uniforms.

I still like watching him play, so I do think that's part of it.

But the buzz just doesn't match.

Ah, silly five and three start.

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