Mad Dog on Giannis’ All-Time Ranking and Stephen A. Smith for President (Hear District – Ep. 63)

Mad Dog on Giannis’ All-Time Ranking and Stephen A. Smith for President (Hear District – Ep. 63)

that Buck team that Marcus was on and he could pick the year. Marcus can pick which one was the best one. Could definitely win a championship today. No questions about it. They were that good. That team was that good. Five time allstar Marcus Johnson alongside Marcus Johnson. What’s up everybody? Hey, this is here district captain of this vessel and I got my first mate, my number one son, Christian Johnson. What up? Talk to me. Let it rain man. Let it rain. I guess I go guess what? We’re going back into the show pass go. Welcome everybody to the here district market jobs. You’re listening to a Bucks Plus audio production on the Bucks Plus Network. Your weekly pulse on the Milwaukee Bucks straight from a Bucks legend. This is Here District with Marcus Johnson alongside his son and 1995 NCAA champion Chris. Here’s MJ. All right. Welcome everybody to Here District. I’m the captain of this vessel. And this has been a tumultuous journey to say the least, the SS, the good ship Lollipop or whatever you want to call it. My first mate Chris Johnson. Chris Johnson. Marcus Johnson. for the benefit of our guests. We’re the only father and son tandem to host a radio show in New York and Florida. No, no. We’re the only father and son tandem to win a national championship at the same school. NCAA basketball history, UCLA Chris in 197 1995, me in 1975, Christopher Russo aka Mad Dog. Welcome, man. We appreciate you. We’re blessed to have you. Thank you for stopping by here, district man. Thank you so much. You got it. Johnson squared, Marcus. I loved your old man, Chris. I loved your old man. What a classy player. I heard he was I heard he wasn’t bad mad dog. Oh, I’m sure he shows you the tapes. And he also That’s Wooden’s last year. So he’s got Wooden’s last year there. Sure. Yeah. At UCLA when they when they won a title in San Diego was a big Marcus fan and those Bucks teams were good teams. They should have been, you know, they they were unlucky because they always had that one team that was, you know, just a touch better. Whether it was Philadelphia, the Celtics, Seattle that one year, Marcus, you lost a tough series in Seattle in seven games. I go through the whole nine yards. Anyway, how we doing? Yeah, we’re doing great, man. We’re doing great, man. We appreciate you. And, uh, a quick story, Mad Dog. you know, and we we were talking about bringing you on today and and and I I knew you from your ESPN work, but it didn’t really register until I was talking with Chris this morning. I said, “What’s what kind of what’s his background in in in TV?” He said, “Dad, you know, he and Mike Francesco, you know, they hosted that the show on the fan in New York.” I’m like, “Oh, that mad dog.” Okay. Oh, the legend. The legend. Yeah. And I I think I think you guys were simoc casted on on uh Yes. Yes. I mean, I used to watch you and listen to you, man. So just when when he said that it really resonated and you know it’s amazing and that was what in the ‘8s when you guys started out doing that show. Mike and I started in ‘ 89 and uh we saw the Samuel Cass Marcus in uh I think it was in ‘ 06, right? Maybe 03 and we and I left in ‘ 08. So I was there for we Mike and I together for 19 years. Five five and a half hours a day. You thought you got tired of Richard Washington? That’s a long time. I think the two of us uh you know and again FAN was the you know it was the forerunner of sports talk because most stations were not doing 24-hour sports talk and FAN was the first to really give it a go. Uh they began in July 4th weekend of 87. Uh and I got there in December of 88. Mike had gotten there two uh parts and parcel a little before that and they put us on together right after uh Bart Giamati passed away then the baseball commissioner from in Martha’s Vineyard. So the weekend after the Monday after Labor Day weekend or the Tuesday in 1989 which is a long time ago believe it long time. Yeah. Just quickly what you what’s your favorite sport if you had to pick pick and choose? I mean you know probably NFL football. I mean, like everybody else, I’ I’d have to say NFL football. I love the baseball because my favorite team was always the San Francisco Giants. So, the Giant the the the relationship I had with San Francisco was a was 1A. And I love the Packers, too, in football. But the Giants and my association with that team probably is the closest team I’ve ever had. But as far as a weekto-eek basis, especially now since we’re so football obsessed in America, I’d have to say the NFL. Now you’re too young to be like to go to the polo grounds and all. I mean back in the day. Yeah. So why the Giant? Why San Francisco? That’s a good one. Good job, Marcus. My father was a huge Yankee fan and I’m an only child and he’s a was a huge Yankee fan and he loved Deaggio. So number one, I got sick of talking about the Yankees. Okay. And Joe D. He grew up he grew up in the 40s in New York. 1931 he was born. So anybody who’s growing up in Flushing in 1940 is going to love Joe Deaggio. uh in 1968 he was a jewelry salesman. Sold fine jewelry and they twice a year in the in the in the jewelry industry they have these big conventions. Yeah. And in 1968 the second of that year the convention was in Philly and so we went down as a family. I was I was eight. We went down as a a soon to be nine and the Giants were staying at the same hotel that the convention was at and they were making a trip in and those days they played those teams a lot more than the times they play them now, you know, different divisions. So they uh played the Phillies at Old County Max Stadium and they were staying at our hotel. So I got all the Giant autographs downstairs uh in the lobbies for basically three nights in a row when the Giants are playing Philly. So, you’re talking McCovby, uh, Chris McCorm, Mike McCormack won the MVP that year. Bill Mumble Kent, and the only guy who I didn’t get an autograph from wouldn’t sign was Willie Mazize. Wow. Because in ‘ 68, Maize was a Giant. And I became a huge Bobby Bonds fan, right? Because Bobby Bonds came up in 1968, okay, for the Giants. And I just became a He was Maize Lu too I was too young for Maize. Yeah. in his heyday because he was near the end in 1968 while Bonds and McCovy were just beginning. McCovy wasn’t beginning but Bonds was. So those two became my giant heroes and that’s where I became a huge giant fan. I mean I would watch really up until 2010 15 years ago I watch every pitch. Yeah. You know middle of May West Coast four o’clock in the morning the Diamondbacks I’d be sitting there on the direct TV watching Giant baseball. I’ve gotten off it a little bit since I won three times, but there was a good period of my life where you could not talk to me after a Giant loss, right? I went to the World Series in O2 postseason games all over the place. I mean, I was a huge giant. Yeah. Madic. I coached Russell Ortiz went to school with the middle school with with Chris Ortiz basketball in basketball. Russell was was good was good all-around athlete, good basketball player, but he and Chris were in middle school together out the valley. So, yeah. Well, you know that again, that’s the famous one in O2 when Dusty, for whatever the reason, took Ortiz out when he’s pitching a shut out in game six in Anaheim up 5 nothing in the bottom of the seventh inning. He took Ortiz out. We ended up losing game 6’5. Wow. And that’s game six. Three games to two. The Giants are ahead. That was a killer. Chris growing up about eight, nine years old. I got him hung hung up on that song. We’re talking baseball. Especially Especially Willie. Mickey had the Duke. The Duke. Yeah, we we sing that all day long in the car. The old time that Terry Cashman’s in the Baseball Hall of Fame for that great song. Yeah, the kid the barber had anyway. No, that was that was our song. We sang it over and over again over and over. Yeah. Yeah. But so listen, let’s so we talked about these all time greats. Let’s talk about our our our guy Giannis right now and um just your take on on everything that’s Giannis. I mean, you know, the the the desire to win a second championship. Can it happen in Milwaukee? Dame Lillard and the Achilles. Uh just your your your take on Giannis in this whole situation, man. Well, first off, I hope he stays there. Uh I mean, I think there is something to the idea that you start your career in one place and you finish your career in one place. You know, I think um I think that helps Jordan in relationship to LeBron since LeBron Cleveland Miami Cleveland Lakers and Jordan played his whole career in Chicago. Uh you know, Bird played his whole career in one spot. Mark um the Did you play your whole career with the Bucks, Marcus? Did you play someone else? Basically, Clippers the last I got you hurt Yeah. hurting my neck. Yeah. I I mean, I just think it’s um I mean, I just think it there’s there’s a little cache, right, when you can play your whole career into one spot. Um, I hated the way it ended there in the Indiana series. They no way should have lost. We all know game five. I mean, that was, you know, they got a huge lead and, you know, and Trent made those mistakes which and he had a great game which killed us. But as far as just uh relationship to a city and that’s a great sports town. Uh, you know, Kareem won a championship there. They had great teams with your father there, Chris, with Don Nelson coaching the ball club. Um, you know, then of course with Glenn Robinson and and and Allen and Castle Cassell and all I would hate to see him leave and you know, Giannis has got at least what, seven six to seven good years, maybe 30, six to seven really good years left. Yeah. So, he probably in this day and age, you know, they’ll probably work out some sort of trade because these players can dictate that because, you know, we’ve seen Harden do it, we’ve seen Kyrie do it, we saw Durant do it. I I that bothers me. I’m an oldfashioned guy where I like to see he’s got two years left on his contract. I like to see him fulfill it, but he’s fun to watch. He plays re He plays his rear end off. Um, you know, I like to see him be a little bit at the free throw line, knock his free throws, but knocking his free throws, but he’s fun to watch. He He cares. He’s a good guy. Uh, I I would love to see him stay in Milwaukee, but I’m not sure if they can win. they can put the pieces together because you need a couple of couple of guys, you know, and if Lil can’t play, I don’t know where Milwaukeee’s future is. So, we shall see. But, I would love to see him. And I love that town. That town’s a good sports town. They got good fans. They support you when they show when when you win, they’re going to support you. The Brewers draw well. We know about the Packers. The Bucks have always been a, you know, Oscar and Kareem. I mean, that’s all you need to know. Won the title. Yeah. I have UB on a lot. UB loves Milwaukee and you know coach there in his first big year in the NBA year after they won a championship. UB Brown finishes his career doing that last game with the Bucks uh this year. So I would love to see him stay mad dog all time. You you you had mentioned Giannis it wasn’t in the same ballpark as a Dr. J. But all time where do you see Giannis his ranking and how does he move up those rankings as far as establishing further establishing his legacy? That’s a good point. Um, you know, you’re right. He is a little bit like Julius. I did say that somewhere, Chris. Uh, maybe on ESPN, maybe on First Take. I did mention that. Uh, that’s what that’s when LeBron said he would score 250 points in a game. Oh, that’s what I got. Yeah, that thing. It was that thing. Put it in Put it in context. Yeah. Yeah. You know how you know when I had Barkley on last Friday on radio and this is why Bird annoys me and your dad would know him and I was glad the Bucks swept them in 83 with Marcus on that team. How about Bird when he got into the fight with Irving and he said and the reason that fight began is because Bird was saying get this get this old man off me. I want to score 60 tonight. Larry, he’s Julius. Okay, have a little class. Sure. Sure. and and Berkeley said that he had to break it up and Stern fined him $5,000 for instigating the fight. And he said, “All I try to do is get Malone the hell out of there.” Wow. With that whole with that whole big skirmish that Bur and Irving had back in November of 1986. Um, listen, I think that Giannis um, you know, I don’t know if he’s gonna be top 10. you know, top 10. You got to put the centers in there with Kareem Wilt and um Russell Russell Russell. You’re gonna put Jokic. You got to put Jokic in there one of these years, too. Jokic is that good. Shaq Shaq Shaq. I don’t think Shaq is and and I tell you somebody who’s Moses Malone to me is incredibly underrated. He’s got three MVPs and I love Elijah. So I mean listen Giannis is going to be probably somewhere in that you want to say somewhere between 12 and 20 depends you know um buyer you know buyer um uh dealer’s choice somewhere in that scenario between 12 and 20 because you know you got LeBron and you got Jordan and you got Burden you got Magic you got the centers you got Weston Oscar you know uh you know here’s one you know let’s not forget Elen Baylor let’s not forget El Baylor I never I never do how great Baylor was. You know, he got hurt. He hurt his knees. Yeah. But he lost a little of that act that jumping ability, but Baylor was I had him in studio once, too. Uh he was an alltimer, but Giannis is going to be in that category. But and you know, does he need a second championship? I mean, he scored 50 points. What he had 50 points and 20 rebounds against Phoenix. I mean, you know, he is an all-time great. I mean, you know, we’re quibbling on where we’re going to put him. And, you know, these alltime great, you know how it goes. The older player gets removed pretty quickly for the younger player. Uh, but I do think Magic Bird and Jordan and the three centers, Russell, Wilton, Kareem, always got to be there. That’s the way I look at it. Yeah. Western Auster maybe you can figure it out. But Bird is so good. I mean, Magic five MV, you know, five titles. I mean, it changed the sport. 6A point guard and then Kareem Wilton and Russell and Jordan to me is number one all time. So those six to me are always going to be in the mix. Yeah. So then you only got four or five spots, right? The 10th guy and let’s not forget about Duncan. You know Duncan’s an alltime forget about him either. What about Kobe? What about Kobe? And Kobe. Yeah. Forget about Gez. Exactly. So there’s a lot of guys. And so when you do them all, where do you stick Giannis in? But he’s going to be tapped. He’s going to be somewhere in that to me somewhere in that 12 to 20 range. Take your pick where you want to put him. Well, it’s a bad guy. This next question because you’ve spanned the decades like I have. You know, you’re a couple years younger than I four or five years younger than me. But I was walking through our practice facility. Yiannis was working on his three-point shooting. So, as I walk by him, he stops me and he says, “Hey, old school, I was looking at your stats. You were not a very good three-point shooter, were you?” So, I I said I said, “Andis, in my day, the object was to get closer to the basket, not further away.” So, we put more of a premium on mid-range scoring and mid-range efficiency. And so, he he kind of, you know, kind of So, Anthony Edwards made a similar comment about Jordan and how his I drove you. He’s this three ball in in terms of of of guys and their games how they would translate today. Where are you on this debate? I mean, you got some guys, current players, current fans who think that guys from my era would have no chance today, but then you’ve got to keep in context about the weight training and and and the psychological advances and the therapists that are there full-time to help you deal with some of the stresses and pressure. So, I don’t know. Where are you at on this? I tell I tell you one thing that they got to I got I tell you one thing. Your old man played 82 games a year. Yeah. You know, playing 58, 59 games, right? And Marcus’s day when there was a game played, you played the game. You know, I had Jaminsky on during the NCAA tournament. I we had him in studio for two days. You know, his career high I’ll bring this up and then we’ll get back to Mark your father’s question, Chris. In his career high in April of 86 was 42 points and 22 rebounds. Right. did it against the Celtics. So, we have gone back to look at it. That was the Celtic team with Walton Parish, that great Celtic team, one of the great teams of all time. Couple I don’t know. Were you still playing in that year, Marcus? I was comeback player of the year. Bill was six man of the year in 1986. I was the last I was the last last comeback player of the year in 1986. What am I claiming? How about that? I didn’t even know that, so I’m glad I brought it up. Anyway, so that’s a great Celtic team. Yeah. Do you know there were two games left in the season? The Celtics were something like 65 and 15. No need to play the games, you know. Do you know that Walton Bird played 37 minutes, Walton played 31 minutes, Parish played 34 minutes, and Male played like 33 minutes. Can you imagine guys doing that today? two games ago in the season they clinched the one seed and they’re out there playing and the game was in bro in New Jersey against the Nets and it was even at home and those guys are playing. So that’s the first thing that people have to realize. Your your old man went out there and played 82 games. He played 55 58 and and and plus the travel. I mean you know you’re talking commercial. You’re talking sitting there and getting flights up early in the morning in certain situations not flying first class. They’re not talking about I mean and Jaminsky made a good point to me. He said, “You know what the big advantage was for Detroit? They were the first team to have a team. They were the first team to have a team playing charter.” Yeah. Yep. They were the first team. So the 88 89 those Pistons teams had their own plane. It he said it made a huge difference in in in a in a guy’s productivity in in the course of his season. Yeah. And you know that’s what the younger that’s what the player today doesn’t realize. Yeah. You know, when the Bucks play a game, they have a, you know, they get on a plane after the game, they go to the next city, they have a day off, they my era, Marcus is there, that didn’t happen. I mean, you played three games in three nights in three cities for crying out loud. And your numbers are going to I mean, and then as And number two, you didn’t have six trainers. You didn’t have 5,000 assistant coaches. You didn’t have a minute. I’ll play I’ll play you 31 minutes tonight. Marcus Don Nelson played him 44 45 minutes for crying out loud. That is a huge You got to put that and and and the younger fan doesn’t do that and that’s like my son. He’s a younger fan. Now I make them watch all the old stuff like Celtic City. Yeah. So he has a sense of it, but the younger fan doesn’t understand that aspect. The context watching the NBA doesn’t get that context. Marcus’ teams would would have a chance to win a championship. You gota remember who he lost to. I mean, he lost to the the the Sixers in 82 83. That was a great great team. He lost the Celtics a couple times. Great great team. Seattle, uh, they only won the one championship. Got the back-to-back championships, you know, with Gus and DJ and Sigma. Yeah. Lonnie Shelton. And that was a very, very freaking good team. Johnny Johnson was a Johnny Johnson was the bane of my existence even Johnny Johnson was a good player plus they had downtown Freddy Brown. Let’s not forget out of Iowa. Good player, good shooter and everything else. That team would have would have a very good chance that Buck team that Marcus was on and he could pick the year. Marcus can pick which one was the best one. I’d have to go back and look at every roster. This is now 50 years ago uh 40 years ago. But that team could definitely win a championship today. No questions about it. They were that good. So that’s So I think you got to keep that in mind when you evaluating thing. And I am not big uh to me the three-point shooting and it’s all because of Curry. He’s so good at it. Yeah. But it’s gotten way out of hand. I mean the Celtics in two games against the Knicks shoot 100 threes. I mean they go 25 for 100 in the first two games of that one. That’s I mean 100 threes. And I’ll tell you another team, I hate to say it. Remember that year that the Bucks lost game seven in in Boston a couple years ago in the in the second round? What they shoot at? They about 55 63s for crying out loud. These these three-point shooting is it’s crazy. It’s it’s it’s way over the top. I understand it’s all data. It’s all math. You know, you shoot 40% from three, it equals 50 55% from two. So, I get it. But I think it’s hurt the game. I like as as your dad said, inside outside, you like a little balance. I’m the same way. I like it, too. Balance in your sports. Yes. So, that’s the same thing with baseball. I don’t want to see strikeouts and home runs, you know, I want to see some other things along the way. So, I think sometimes you go too much in the other direction when sports change, you know, football now you can’t touch the quarterback. So, now it’s too much the scenario where the quarterback dominates the game. Basketball, you got to shoot threes. So it becomes baseball hit the ball out of the ballpark. You go from one extreme to the far extreme and never in the middle. And I think I think the I think basketball’s got some of that problem too to be honest with you. Yeah. And and that that’s that’s an interesting take and and base the analytics the analytics I won’t say it’s taken over the game like it’s done in baseball. But um it’s definitely a lot of emphasis maybe sometimes. Yeah. You haven’t noticed Marcus people doing analytics never played the game. You haven’t noticed. all all the time. Scientist, mad scientists. They have they’re 24 years of age, right out of Harvard and they drive to work and they spin bike just out of the shower with the sweat on pimp pimples and braces and the whole thing. Looking at a computer, skinny jeans, skinny jeans, the whole never heard of Dave Myers. Never heard of Dave. Exactly. Crashers. Great. Listen, listen, man. So, so when I played with the Clippers, uh, the year Patrick came out, 84, 85, whatever that was, the draft, we we were just on pins and needles, Chris, like, we got a chance to get Patrick Yuing. This is going to change this franchise around. All of a sudden, the alleged heated envelope or whatever it was that that they say David Stern was le was led to u Patrick goes to New York, which is a perfect fit. Not I got to argue with that. I think Indiana had Tisdale at number two. Bonoy Benjamin came to us at number three this year. Mad Dog Dallas, you drafted Benjamin. Oh my god. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We drafted and boy do I have stories to tell you about Benoy Benjamin. But but who was actually a really really talented ball player just his first day in LA. Uh Carl Sheer had me and Norm Nixon come down to the sports arena to to meet Mad Dog and and Bonoy the first thing he said to me is man, hey man, call up Kareem. Tell him I want to play him some one-on-one. This is like June June or July. I like I like but Kareem is, you know, probably in Hawaii. No, call him up, man. Tell him tell him tell him meet me at the park, man. I want to play him some one-on-one. I like, you know, so that that gives you an idea where where his mindset was. But do you think you think the draft something needs to be done with teams like the Wiz and the Jazz? Yes, I do. Okay. I mean, don’t you get the idea that, and I know it’s it’s fictitious, but don’t you get the idea that um sometime in middle of January, our buddy Mr. Silva went to Nico Harrison and the Mavericks. He said, “Do me a favor. LeBron’s leaving. We need a star in in LA. He smokes too many cigarettes anyway. Why don’t you get Luca to LA and I’ll make sure you get the number one pick in the draft and get Cooper flag. I mean can’t I mean that’s to me something is wrong with the sport when Utah, Washington, and Charlotte, three teams with the worst records, you know, have the fourth, fifth, sixth pair, fourth, fifth, eighth, whatever picks they have. I mean, that’s not right. I mean, that’s not the way. And see, the NBA tries to solve the tanking problem by doing the lottery. How about we just make sure teams don’t tank and doing it some other way, right? I mean, you know, when Kareem got drafted, Kangelo told us this story and Marcus would know. When Kareem got drafted, Milwaukee was the worst team in the East. Phoenix was the worst team in the West. They had the Walter Kennedy was in the New York M uh the league offices. Kangelo called heads. They flipped a coin. And they flipped the coin first to see who would make the first pick, who would call. Did you know that? They flipped the coin twice. The first time they flipped the coin to see who would make the the call. Okay. Who gets to call what they want to call? Flipped it. Phoenix won. Flipped it again. Phoenix caught heads. It went tails. And Kareem went to freaking Milwaukee. And Neil Walk went to Phoenix for crying out loud. That’s crazy. I mean, I I think it’s a Listen, I I I don’t know what the solution is, but I think it’s a problem. I mean, I really don’t like it at all. 1.8% chance they win the lottery. Atlanta last year, 3% chance wins the lottery. San Antonio, which won with Wembeyama, they get the second pick. I mean, really, I mean, uh, and I understand they’re doing this for a reason of trying to make sure teams play the whole 82 games. That’s a sad state of affairs right there. It is. We’re making sure we have a lottery so everybody’s going to earn their money and play every game the proper way that they’re going to play the game. Football doesn’t have to worry about that because you can’t go on a football field not giving your effort you’re going to get killed. You’re going to get hurt, right? So football doesn’t have to worry about that as much. Baseball, there’s not as much drama with the number one pick because you never know if you’re going to be a baseball star because it’s so hard out of the minor leagues. Basketball is the one that’s got this issue and I hated it. I mean I I really didn’t like it. The other night I joked around yesterday that I did a first day. I did that with my bad about I picked and I did that because I know Stephen A would fight me off on it and that’s what I wanted to do. I said, “We got to change the lottery. This is stupid.” And he went nuts on it. But that bothers me. I hate it. I don’t like the idea that the three worst teams legitimately bad teams. Yeah. And you know how it is in the NBA. It’s only about four or five guys who are trans transformational players. I mean, it’s the one guy can change the fortune of a franchise and that terrible team sometimes doesn’t get a chance to draft them and Dallas gets them. So, I was annoyed by it. I don’t know how you solve the problem, but I was annoyed by it. All right. As you mentioned, our guy Stephen A. Smith. I had a chance to work with him at Fox Sports for for Did you really, Marcus? How about that? Yeah, man. Well, they would always like they spring him on me on me at the last minute because they knew he he he caused me all kinds of angst. Everything I would say, you know, you don’t you have no you have no idea what you’re talking about, Walkers. You sound like a coach right now. You The fact of the matter is a he would get on my last nerve and I I mean I I hated the guy. I mean, but they would so they would never tell me in advance he was going to be with me analyzing the game. It it would always be at the last minute. Yeah, Stephen A’s going to join you. I’m like, “Oh, what? What?” You know, but but the but the thing is back though, we were in um New Jersey. The the uh the the Lakers were playing the Nets. And so I got stuck out in New Jersey, had to get back to downtown Manhattan. And the only guy that was still there that I could ride with was Stephen A. Smith. This is this is at the height of my hatred for him. And so he’s like, “Marcus, you need a ride back there.” I was like, “Yeah, I guess, man. I’m going I’m going to Brooklyn or wherever to see my mom, blah, come on.” So I jumped in this BMW, had the greatest conversation. He was the nicest he was the nicest guy. I fell in love with him. He was I just I mean just oh man, we just, you know, we just we just clicked right then and there. And so um so so that a lot of that animist left me. But now we’re talking about Stephen A or he’s talking about running for president. your thoughts on you don’t think he’ll you okay and the New York Times New York Times did a big lifestyle story today. Did you see that? We saw it. We saw it. We saw it. I was just going through it right before I was talk coming on with you two. So I mean um you know I I saw him we talked a bit yesterday because he was in the studio. Sometimes he’s not in that studio. You know he’s down in Miami or he’s on the road or what have you. Uh, I I think he I think he loves the publicity for it. And I think Steve loves the attention like all great media people. You know, you don’t think I like the attention, too? I mean, this is why you do this naturally. You want people to know you. You want this is why you do it. Um, but I I would be surprised, Marcus, if he went in that direction. I I really would. He just signed that long-term contract with, as you guys know, with uh ESPN. He’s got the TV he does with the General Hospital. He loves that. He did the NCS. He did the New York NCHI, whatever that show is called. I don’t watch. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He just did a big episode with that. He’s got his podcast he does. He’s producing some some documentaries. He loves the NBA. Uh he knows how important football is. I mean, does Stephen A in the middle of uh August get a little bored? Like we all do. Stephen A on a February 9th, not want to have to go in there and scream and yell for two hours on on, you know, something that is nonsensical like you sometimes have to do as you’re if you’re a host on in in the media. Sure. But I would be really surprised. You know, I do think he’s got the backing. I think he could find backing and the Democrats need a candidate. Yeah. But I would be to me I would be shocked if he ever did it. If he did run, does he have a chance to win? If he did run, would he did Would he have a shot? I I don’t know. You know, why not? Yeah, why not? For sure. For sure. Hey, listen. Who Who ever thought Trump? I didn’t. I know. I didn’t. That’s my point, man. When Trump in 2015 said, “I’m going to run for president as a gag.” Did you think you’re going to have two terms? Donald Trump. So, who So, who knows? I mean, I in America today, I wouldn’t put it past anybody to be the president. But if you’re asking me, do I think he will? I don’t think he would. Now, listen. I see him one day a week. Um, I can communicate with him. You know, I communicate via text. Uh, you know, he knows my family. You know, he went on with Colin about two months ago. He did it as a favor. I have a good relationship with him. I It’s weird. Uh, you know, I’m a little I’m 10 years older. You know, Marcus, same thing with you. You’re like his big brother, right? I’m in the media. He was a young kid listening to Mike and the Mad Dog and he was, you know, 20 years old back in the late 80s, early 90s. Uh, so I think that has some he was born in ‘ 67, so you he was 22 years old. So think about that. And you know, I’ve been on a long time and he’s the reason why I’m on that first take. So when you get he looks at me almost as a u mentor is too strong, but he looks at me as almost a confidant, I guess, you know, as a guy that is I think he looks at me a little differently than he would say look at uh, you know, Jay Williams. Now, he loves Jay Williams. Sure. But I, you know, since I’ve been in the media for so long and he’s been in the media, Sure. There’s a little there’s a little there’s a little um symmetry between the two of us. Uh and I’ve asked him about this. He did tell me he had the backing, but again, I would be shocked. Yeah, I would be shocked. You know, he loves to travel. He loves those He’s got those two daughters. He’s got the place now down in Miami, and he loves that. He loves the warm weather. He um I think he’ll be happy he doesn’t have to do the NBA countdown because they’re going to bring in the TNT people for next year. Barkley, Shaq, and Ernie and uh Kenny. So, he’s not going to have all that responsibility. But he they listen, he signed a five-year deal north of 100 million bucks. Yeah. Yeah. Well, that’s a good reason to run. Not to run. That’s a great reason not to run. Chill out before nonsense now to try to be the president of the United States. Yeah. But before No, no. Before we let you go, final final thought. Your son Colin. Your son Colin. How proud are you as a father? He’s following in in dad’s footsteps. And just kind of what’s your feelings about him and his the beginnings of his radio career? Um I I think the good thing about having a kid doing what you do is you can talk to him every day. Yeah. Because he’s on every day at four o’clock in the afternoon. So, you know, uh I will talk to him. Well, what are you doing today? What’s your idea? He’s got a partner. Make sure your partner feels comfortable. Uh, you know, uh, talk about sports. He’s the one who gave me the idea about Nico Harrison and Silva. You know, go Nico, Trade Na, and I’ll get you number one. That was uh because he’s he’s a cynical. He’s cynic, you know. The other thing about Colin is, you know, you can talk all he saw all the Celtic City stuff. I love that thing on HBO. He knows who Vince Lombardi is. You know, uh, he’s heard of Marcus Johnson. He knows who John Wooden is. Uh, you know, he knows who Bobby Knight is. And to have a kid, and he’s only 23, to have a kid that you can have that sports relationship with, you know, is is something that I know he’s in sports talk is something that uh you know that you that that you like. Um and you you know, you can’t I got three other kids and a couple of one of the other ones isn’t in a sport, so it’s a different relationship. I don’t talk to them every day. With Colin, I talk to him every day. So you feel it’s a little different like you two. I mean, you got other kids, Marcus, besides Chris? Oh, yes. Yes. There you go. So, but you see him more all the time. So, it’s a little different. It’s not like you love them more. Love your other kids as equal, but I mean, you see him more. So, there’s there’s there’s more. And it’s the same thing with me and Colin. I’m proud of him, though. I mean, and I Here’s what I’m proud of. And you guys, trust me on this because you know me. I know how hard this field is. I would never do it. He got this job in West Palm Beach all on his own. That’s I had nothing to do with it. All on his own, man. Dog. Come on. Come on, dog. Come on, dog. I swear to God. You know, he worked he worked he worked went to the University of Wisconsin. Uh Carmen Brands has a station in Madison. He went there when he was a sophomore. Worked the board, did all those menial jobs, would show and do the board on Sunday mornings at 6:00 a.m. after a college kid on a Saturday night. He applied for this job, you know, West Palm, they put him there. Now, I know a couple of people. We discussed it. Chris, what do you think? I think he can handle it. I discussed it, but he didn’t get the job because of it. Yeah. I didn’t put a coin. do me a can you do me a favor and I I would never do that because that’s not the way I just don’t think that’s the way you should do it. You know, in this kind of profession when there’s so many kids who want an opportunity to do this, why should I, you know, I can help him. I can mentor him doing a show, but as far as get and you know, I’m sure being Chris Cruso’s son helped, but he’s got to get the job and he’s got to do the job on his own merits. And I swear to God, that’s the way I feel. And I have another coach. I have another ski kid who’s a coach at Northern Arizona, the older one. And and the same thing for him. I watch the games. I can but I I don’t sit there and call got to hire Chris Christopher. I wouldn’t do that. Got to hear Timmy Russo. Let him let him survive and let him learn how to do this by himself. My father who would have wanted to didn’t have the wherethought to help me get a job in media and I did it on my own. And I think you become better when you, you know, have mentorship, but make those logical steps solo. I think you think you’re better off in the long run. It teaches you something. For sure. For sure. Well, listen, man. I loved I loved your old man, Chris. I love him, too. I He the He was such a classy player. Did you know Wooden was quitting before you played that championship game, Marcus, or No? Well, yeah. He told he he told us uh Saturday after we we beat Junior Bridgeman in Louisville and Dennyrum and that crew. He told us right after that game. So we knew going in and Andre McCarter from Overbrook and Philadelphia said, “Hey, there’s no way we going to let coach Whitten go out and not win a win a 10th national championship.” And we went out there and took care of Kentucky. Did you have inklings in the course of the year that this could be the last year? None whatsoever. None whatsoever. We were totally blindsided by it even though there’s been some reports that he had shared it with a couple of people that that’s what he was thinking about doing. and and they’d already had Gene Barto kind of, you know, and you were were you a freshman on that team or a sophomore? Sophomore. Sophomore. South. So, you played and Barto was a great coach. Yeah. Yeah. Very good. 52 and seven over over over two years under Gene Barto. Final four. Lost to the Indiana team in 76. That was undefeated. 33 and0 Quinn and Scott May and Ken Vincent and that crew. So, no. It was uh in the final four. You lost to them in the final four. Philadelphia Phil Philadelphia 1976 final four. We lost to them in the final four. And then the next year we got upset by Idaho State. Idaho State who 1977 my senior year who had three guys on that roster. Greg, Greg Cook, Jeff Hayes, and Greg Griff. I love that. You love validating that. Who were all in the NBA that next season as rookies? All three of them. Idaho State beat you. Oh my god. Jim Killingsworth. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, I did not know that. And Idaho State’s in a big sky when all the Arizona players and then you got drafted. Um, the first pick by the drafts went number one. No, Kent Benson went number one. The Bucks traded Swind to Buffalo to get the third pick. So, I was a number three pick. Otis Birdong was the number two pick to Kansas City that year. So, 197. So, you ended up and did you had Nelson right away? Was Nelson your coach? First full first full year as head coach. Loved him. He really broke the game down and and taught me that the NBA game was totally different than the college game. and it was a lot of little nuances that that he knew how to run in transition, little things that we could do uh to be more effective as as as basketball players on the NBA level. So, he he patterned us after the Celtics. We were like the the the Midwest version of the Celtics in terms of what Ray Arbback had taught him and Bill Russell had taught him and everything that he learned. So, it was it was it was John K that series against Seattle. You should have beaten Seattle that up three. I mean, you had a you had a great team. Up three up 3-2 at home, Mad Dog. 3-2 at home. 32 at home. You lost game six with Lenny Wilkins. Don’t tell me. I know what the game was. I think it was 89 87 or something. It was a close game. Close game. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, onepoint game. So, anyway, but look, man, we we we we appreciate you so much. Going to let you get out of here. We know you got a whole lot of stuff to do and it’s been a real pleasure and and and please come back and join us when you get when you Marcus, anytime. Chris, great to be with you, too. Knock him. All right. All right. All right. Chris Russo, Mad Dog, we thank you. Yes, sir. This has been a Bucks Plus audio production.

Legendary sports-talk host Christopher ‘Mad Dog’ Russo joins Marques and Kris to dish his hottest takes on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future, his place among the all-time greats, whether the Marques-era Bucks would win a championship today, and more. They also talk about Mad Dog’s love for the Packers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s coin-flip arrival in Milwaukee, whether the NBA Draft Lottery is broken, why modern players wouldn’t survive in the ’70s NBA, and First Take host’s Stephen A. Smith’s possible 2028 presidential run.

0:00 — Intro to Mad Dog
8:22 — Giannis’ Legacy in Milwaukee
11:18 — Giannis in All-Time NBA Rankings
15:10 — NBA Eras Debate: 80s vs. 2020s
23:46 — NBA Draft Lottery
26:53 — Stephen A. for President
32:27 — Following in Dad’s Footsteps
35:51 — Down the UCLA Memory Lane

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