With the news of the New York Knicks dismissing head coach Tom Thibodeau making waves around the NBA world on Tuesday, plenty of voices aired their thoughts. Social media accounts have been lambasting New York Knicks owner James Dolan over the move. Rants have been hot and heavy also on sports programs. Yet, when it comes to rants, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo has his own style.
Russo, who has been covering the New York sports scene for decades, dropped a hammer down on Dolan on Tuesday afternoon. Russo usually opens his “Mad Dog Unleashed” program on his own channel on SiriusXM with his own thoughts on the sports world. While Russo was on the air Tuesday afternoon, news of Thibodeau’s dismissal broke.
It didn’t take him long to get warmed up about the move. Well, “warmed up” is putting it mildly. Russo was legitimately incensed that the Knicks, who lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Indiana Pacers in six games, fired Thibodeau. Russo didn’t hold back his feelings toward Dolan, even bringing up the name of NBA legend George Mikan into the conversation.
SiriusXM’s social media team probably smiled when getting this clip together. It’s an epic rant from a well-known ranter. For your listening pleasure, here’s a bit of his scathing takedown of the New York Knicks ownership.
“This makes the Knicks a laughingstock,” Russo said. “You don’t fire this guy. How do you fire a coach who took your team to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a quarter of a century? The team needs a new voice. How the hell does Jim Dolan know. Dolan doesn’t know anything about basketball.”
And Russo was just warming up. Many people aren’t impressed with Russo at all. He, along with Mike Francesa, formed a dynamic duo in sports radio when they had their “Mike and the Mad Dog” show on WFAN in New York for years. While Russo laid blame for Thibodeau’s firing straight at Dolan’s feet, Francesa, on his show, aimed his arrows at Knicks general manager Leon Rose.
Thibodeau, to be fair, took over a struggling Knicks franchise and turned it around. Knicks fans have been waiting for years at Madison Square Garden to see a competitive team take the floor. There have been reports coming out throughout Tuesday that some Knicks players were not happy with Thibodeau’s style. Throughout the season, Thibodeau primarily entrusted his main starting five players, including Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, to play many minutes.
“What, are you kidding me? Jim Dolan?” Russo continued. “Come on Jim. Let him go build Spheres in Vegas, in Paris. That’s what he’s good at. Let him go figure out a way and, you know, rip us all off with Optimum. How ’bout we have Jim do that instead of worrying about who his head coach is gonna be. This is a guy who’s run the Knicks since, when, the mid-90s? And essentially has done absolutely nothing.”
Russo’s show runs on SiriusXM from 3-6 p.m. Eastern on Monday through Friday. He’s got a knack for bringing up teams and players from earlier seasons, whether it’s basketball or baseball.
Sports fans also see Russo be on ESPN’s “First Take” alongside Stephen A. Smith on Wednesday mornings. Goodness, that might be “must-see TV” for New York Knicks fans. One can imagine Russo and Smith going on and on about the state of the Knicks.
Maybe Russo will bring over some of these comments to his morning banter.
Then again, “Mad Dog” has his own place to spew his opinions. This he did, once again, in his inimitable style on Tuesday.
Admittedly, many people get tired of Russo. He’s worn out his welcome to many sports fans’ ears. Still, there is an audience for Russo and his style. It’s not for everyone, to be sure.
He’s found a home on SiriusXM and has his very own channel.
If Russo is your cup of tea, then give him a listen. If he’s not, then go find your favorite ranter and share your thoughts with them. Believe me, there are plenty of ranters all over the sports world.
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