Alan Hahn, the host of MSG 150 and ESPN Radio’s Bart & Hahn joined KnicksFanTV for an epic livestream. Here’s a breakdown of the key topics discussed:
All In On Obi
Alan Hahn doesn’t just watch college highlights – he watches full games to get a feel for how prospects will have an impact in the NBA. For the record, he’s all-in on Obi Toppin. He thinks Obi will be ready to have an immediate impact on the Knicks from day one.
“I think obi is going to be a star”
– Alan Hahn
“I think Obi is going to be a star,” Hahn told CP from KnicksFanTV in his latest exclusive interview. “As I watch [Obi] I’m like damn, you get him in the Garden, him and Mitch, it’s just lob city,” he said. “If Tom Thibodeau says his offensive game is as ready as it can be for a young player, he rarely speaks in hyperbole.”
If Obi is as NBA-ready as coach Thibs says, than the Knicks may have gotten exactly what they were looking for when drafting the 22-year-old Dayton star. Even though he has holes defensively, Hahn thinks Thibs will teach Obi how to be in the right spots and play team defense. Obi even said this himself. He told the media that coach Thibs is going to “make sure I’m good at defense.”
Hahn also said not to be surprised if Obi sees some burn at the small forward this year. “Are you sitting your highest paid player?”, he said in regards to Julius Randle. As long as Randle’s on the team, Hahn doesn’t see the Knicks benching him and he’s not proficient enough defensively to play center. So, maybe the Knicks decide to slide Obi to the 3.
With the selections of Obi Toppin at #8 and Immanuel Quickley at #25, Hahn thinks the Knicks had a great draft overall. “I thought they did a really good job on draft night,” he said. “And its been a while since I’ve been able to say ‘I really liked their draft,'” he added.
Frank Hive is Buzzing
Though the Frank Ntilikina hive has been buzzing trying to get him some burn as a starting point guard this year, Hahn isn’t having it. He said there’s a reality about Frank as a lead point guard that his fans haven’t come to grips with.
“From day to day, you never know what you were getting from him.”
– Alan Hahn on Frank Ntilikina
Hahn said he spoke directly with each of Frank’s last three coaches about his game, all of them describing the same weakness.
“I asked the same questions and I asked them to each coach that he dealt with, and the answers were consistent from coach to coach… From day to day, you never know what you were getting from him,” Hahn said about Frank.
“When that happens, at the point guard position, it affects everyone else. It’s one thing if I’m a young center…or a young wing…You can hide that guy. When you’ve got the ball in your hands, you pick up your dribble from half court, the whole thing falls apart.”
“I barely heard tom mention Franks name in any interview when he’s asked about him.”
-Alan Hahn
Though we’ve seen flashes of Frank’s ability to push the ball up the floor and find the open man, according to his past coaches, consistency remains his weakness. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise – we all knew that Frank’s future with the team would likely revolve more around his defensive prowess than anything else. And yet, coach Thibodeau, a coach lauded as a strong defensive mind, has barely mentioned Frank in his media appearances. Hahn sees this as a major red flag.
“Tom’s gotta look at him and all his physical attributes, and the 7’2” wingspan… and defensive abilities, you would think he’d be salivating to coach this guy. I barely heard Tom mention Franks name in any interview when he’s asked about him…You know he’s watched three years of film of Frank.”
It’s an interesting point, and one that will only be confirmed or denied once the regular season kicks-off and fans get a feel for how coach Thibs will operate. Don’t miss the epic debates between Alan Hahn and the Frank hive during the livestream. Surprisingly, though, Frank isn’t the only young player on the Knicks who coach Thibs is yet to give a stamp of approval.
Is Mitchell Robinson In The Doghouse?
It appears as though fan favorite, Mitchell Robinson, has some vital concerns looming over his game. Hahn is right that a starting lineup with Obi Toppin and Mitchell Robinson would be Lob City at MSG. The Knicks just signed Nerlens Noel, though, and he expects to be competing for that starting spot at center. Noel has a real shot at overtaking Mitch on the depth chart if the questions about Mitch’s professionalism and maturity linger.
“Mitch is still looking at this, not as work, but as a game.”
– Alan Hahn
Coach Thibodeau told the media that, while Mitch has had some really good moments, his discipline, professionalism, and practice routine need work. Hahn said the use of the words “professionalism”, “discipline”, and “practice” when describing Mitchell Robinson’s weaknesses were a major red flag to him.
“When you hear a coach talk about a young player, and when he’s talking about things he needs to learn, and professionalism is the first word he uses, that rings an alarm for me,” Hahn said. “When he talked about Kevin and he talked about RJ, I didn’t hear anything about professionalism…Mitch is still looking at this, not as work, but as a game. So it’s a mentality thing and they’re just trying to help him mature.”
Hahn says Mitch’s raw talent is undeniable, though, and thinks the sky is the limit for his game if he can address some of coach Thibs’ early concerns.
“He’s got so much raw physical talent, it’s scary how good he can be. And remember, Carmelo Anthony said that. The scary thing is if he never realizes how good he can be. And I think that’d be what Tom has to make sure doesn’t happen.”
Perhaps coach Thibs is just trying to light a fire underneath some of his players to get them hungry. A lot of the 23-and-younger Knicks have been members of a dysfunctional roster and rotation for the past three years where minutes have been sporadically given and taken away. If coach Thibs made anything clear, it’s that minutes are going to be earned this season. Whichever players show consistent effort and have the biggest impact on winning will crack the starting lineup and solidify their role. It’s a dog-eat-dog world this year under coach Thibodaeu, and some fan favorites might end up in his doghouse if they aren’t careful.
Check out CP and J. Ellis’ full interview with Alan Hahn below. They recap the draft, review free agency, and give their starting lineup predictions. Hahn even stayed overtime to take live phone calls from fans around the world.
