Wednesday morning on First Take, Chris Russo bristled at the idea that Damian Lillard would want out of Portland if the Trail Blazers cannot compete for a title. He wondered why Lillard wouldn’t be content with his current situation and his status as one of the league’s true superstars.
It wasn’t something Stephen A. Smith was going to let go unchallenged. In fact, he wondered why Russo was not acknowledging how familiar Lillard’s situation is.
“I just want to remind the audience, you know, talk radio had this show that was a super show really,” Smith said. “Started in New York. I mean, it was in New York period. But I mean, its impact was so phenomenal. It spread nationwide. It really jumpstarts sports talk radio. I mean, it was Mike and the Mad Dog. Somebody left to go to their own channel. They could have stayed. They could have made money. The audience would have never faded. You’d still be number one in a lot of people’s eyes and a lot of people’s minds.”
Russo and Mike Francesa were partnered for 19 years on WFAN in New York. That ended in 2008 when Russo left the station to launch Mad Dog Sports Radio on SiriusXM.
That gave Russo a national profile he didn’t have before. It was an opportunity that Smith pointed out led to other opportunities. First it was a show on MLB Network. That led to his weekly appearances on First Take, which Smith said are what most people want to talk to him about now.
“I’m traveling all over the country. I approach in the treets of Denver, Colorado, 5280 feet above sea level. People are walking up to me and say ‘Mad Dog! Is he going to be on today? Is he going to be on today?”
Stephen A. Smith knows that more people know know the name Chris “Mad Dog” Russo. He reminded Russo that that did not happen on accident. It required a plan to get there, so wondering what Damian Lillard wouldn’t be satisfied in Portland is silly.
“I don’t see anything that says satisfaction. ‘I’m just going to stay in this one situation and I’m going to be fine with that.’ I see mobility. I see progression. I see vertical movement. That’s what I see.”
When Smith relented, host Molly Qerim wanted Russo to respond. He took it back to the comments about his WFAN show. He had a simple answer for Smith.
“My contract was up,” Russo said.
