New York's Sports Loud Mouth
Mondays and Thursdays at 7:00 to 10:30 PM
Check out our handicapping expert World Wide Wes’s brand new book, titled Disciplined Sports Betting, getting released soon on Amazon, and
available here now!
Let me tell you something right now — if you watched Untold: Jail Blazers and didn’t come away thinking “yo… this team got ROBBED,” then we gotta check your basketball credentials immediately.
Because what Bob Whitsitt built with the Portland Trail Blazers wasn’t just a team… it was basically an Avengers squad if the Avengers had technical fouls, personality, and zero PR training.
The Blueprint: “Let’s Build a Problem… for Everyone Else”
Whitsitt came in fresh off cooking with the Seattle SuperSonics — GM of the Year, smelling like success, walking into Portland like, “Yeah… I’m about to turn this into a nightmare for the league.”
And he did exactly that.
- Traded for Rasheed Wallace (from the Washington Bullets) — aka walking technical foul, but also walking bucket.
- Brought in Damon Stoudamire (from Toronto) — Mighty Mouse with range before Steph made it trendy.
- Drafted then traded for Bonzi Wells — certified DAWG.
This wasn’t a rebuild. This was a takeover.
Then he said, “You know what this needs? A little more spice.”
BOOM — trades for Scottie Pippen from Chicago. Yeah, that Scottie. Six rings. Defensive menace. Basically stole him while Phil Jackson and the Los Angeles Lakers were probably on hold like, “Hello?? We were calling about Scottie??”
Now you got a squad:
- Sheed
- Pippen
- Stoudamire
- Bonzi
- Sabonis (don’t sleep)
That’s not a team… that’s a problem set.
The Moment Everything Broke: 2000 Western Conference Finals
Game 7 vs the Lakers.
Up big. Crowd rocking. Portland smelling the Finals.
Then…
Brick.
Brick.
BRICK.
13 straight missed shots.
And here comes Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal like it’s a buddy cop movie — one throwing lobs, the other breaking rims and dreams.
Game over. Season over. Emotional damage forever.
“Cool, We’ll Be Back Next Year” — Narrator: They Were Not Back
This is where things go from “contender” to “Netflix documentary with dramatic music.”
Players move into a wealthy Portland neighborhood… and suddenly:
- “They’re driving too fast!”
- “They look suspicious!”
- “Call the news!”
Like… what are we doing here??
Rasheed Wallace gets labeled a menace because he led the league in technicals. Bro… he argued with refs, not robbed a bank.
Damon Stoudamire and Bonzi Wells getting side-eyed like they just walked into a crime documentary instead of their own neighborhood.
And let’s be clear: Bonzi Wells? Never arrested. Never that guy. But the media painted him like he was starring in Cops: Portland Edition.
The Media: “Breaking News — Vibes Are Illegal”
This is where I, Errol Marks, gotta step in.
Because the media didn’t just report stories… they built a narrative.
Everything became:
- “Character issues”
- “Locker room problems”
- “Bad boys”
Meanwhile I’m sitting here like…
Have you SEEN the Detroit Pistons in the late 80s??
They were literally called the Bad Boys. And guess what?
They WON.
But Portland? Nah. They get labeled villains for having personality and edge.
Then It Got Actually Messy Not Gonna Sugarcoat It
Now to be fair — and yeah, I can be fair — some moves didn’t help:
- Traded for Shawn Kemp (who was battling serious personal issues)
- Signed Ruben Patterson (problematic history)
- Zach Randolph had legal issues early in his career
That’s real. That happened.
But here’s the problem:
The media took those moments and turned the ENTIRE team into a headline.
One guy messes up? Cool. Accountability.
But in Portland it became:
“EVERYONE is guilty. Even the guy buying groceries.”
The Fallout: “Blow It Up Because Headlines Said So”
Eventually:
- Whitsitt steps down
- Rasheed Wallace gets traded → wins a ring with Detroit
- Bonzi Wells gets shipped to Memphis
- Damon Stoudamire is gone
And just like that… a championship-level team is dismantled.
Not because they couldn’t play.
Because they couldn’t escape the narrative.
The Fans Turning? That’s the Saddest Part
Look, fans are emotional. I get it.
But turning on your own team because of headlines?
That’s tough.
Imagine going out there every night, hooping your heart out, and your own crowd is looking at you like you just stole their car.
That’s what these guys were dealing with.
This team had:
- Talent
- Toughness
- Championship ceiling
What they didn’t have?
A fair shot.
Because once the “Jail Blazers” label hit… it was over.
Media ran with it. Fans believed it. Organization folded under it.
And one of the most talented teams of that era?
Gone.
One Last Thing…
If Rasheed Wallace hits like… TWO more shots in that Game 7…
We might be talking about Portland as a dynasty.
Instead?
We got a documentary, a nickname, and a whole lot of “what ifs.”
And honestly?
That’s the real crime.
Twitter: @ErrolMarks34
LinkedIn: Errol Marks
Instagram: @rollothamouth34
www.omahasteaks.com/NYSSportsLoudMouth
or go to our website at worldwidesportsradio.com and click on the Omaha Steaks Logo!
My name is Errol Marks and I’d like to tell you why I believe I can be a major asset to your station. I’m from a small town in Long Island, NY and from a very young age I’ve always had a love for sports talk radio. Growing up, I would listen religiously to shows like Mike and the Mad Dog, Mike and Mike, and Imus in the Morning and studied what made those shows so great. I’ve made it my goal to be as influential as the hosts I grew up listening to, and with my knowledge of all major sports, enthusiastic and fearless personality, and my preparation skills, I know I can get to that level. This is an art and a medium that I’m passionate about and one that I feel can never be replaced.
What makes my story so unique goes beyond my 10+ years of experience in sports media. In addition to over ten years of creating and hosting sports talk radio shows, I created the World Wide Sports Radio Network - one of the first ever digital sports radio networks - in 2012. Since the network began, we have had some of the best content in digital sports media. We have six quality shows on our network covering all sports and sports betting. I’m currently hosting New York’s Sports Loud Mouth, and you can find that show and the rest of our great shows at https://worldwidesportsradio.com/.
Our network’s content and listenership has grown significantly year to year and, in the past year, we’ve achieved 3.6 million minutes listened on our audio stream, over 29k followers on tik tok, 500k viewed on YouTube, 1.7 million downloads on Apple Podcasts, and 906,917 plays on Spotify. While we are enjoying a continued increase in growth, I feel that we can take this to a new level and a new audience with your help.
My goal since the day I started is to become the greatest and most recognizable sports radio show host in the country. I can guarantee that nobody in this industry currently has my passion, personality or ability to shape the future of sports broadcasting and entertainment like I do. If given the opportunity, I hope to further share my story and many talents with you and your station.
Twitter: @ErrolMarks34
LinkedIn: Errol Marks
Instagram: @rollothamouth34
0 Comments