Hour 3: Opting In

Summary

Sunday Mornings with Matt and Myron – Episode: Hour 3: Opting In Release Date: June 29, 2025
Hosts: Matt Jones & David Dennis Jr. (Filling in for Myron Medcalf)

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I. Introduction

In this episode of "Sunday Mornings with Matt and Myron," hosts Matt Jones and guest co-host David Dennis Jr. delve into pressing topics within the sports world. As Myron Medcalf is absent, David seamlessly steps in to guide listeners through a dynamic discussion encompassing new show launches, significant NBA developments, NCAA tournament insights, and more.

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II. New ESPN+ Show: The Vibe Check

[00:31 - 02:18]

Matt and David kick off the conversation by introducing ESPN’s latest venture, "The Vibe Check." This female-led sports studio show premieres the day after the podcast recording and promises engaging panel discussions akin to those seen in the tournament broadcasts featuring personalities like Elle Duncan, Andrea Carter, Monica Nut, and Hannah Storm.

• Matt Jones: "If you've watched the tournament over the years, you've seen Elle Duncan, Andrea Carter, Monica Nut, Hannah Storm...now you'll get to see it every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 5 Eastern on ESPN Plus."

David Dennis Jr. expresses enthusiasm for the show, highlighting the expertise and chemistry of the panelists.

• David Dennis Jr.: "It's going to be a great show. I saw Elle when I was in Bristol...they're pumped about it. The Big Three...they were doing great panel stuff."

The hosts anticipate that "The Vibe Check" will add a valuable perspective to ESPN’s programming, especially with the fresh female-led dynamic.

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III. Investigations into Malik Beasley and Gambling in the NBA

[02:18 - 05:20]

A significant portion of the episode addresses Malik Beasley, a Detroit Pistons guard, who is under investigation by the U.S. District Attorney's office for alleged gambling related to NBA games and prop bets.

• Matt Jones: "The U.S. district Attorney's office investigating Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley on allegations of gambling related to NBA games and prop bets."

Beasley, currently a free agent, was on track to sign a three-year, $42 million deal, which is now uncertain due to the investigation. His attorney, Steve Haney, emphasizes that an investigation is not a charge and reiterates Beasley’s presumption of innocence.

• Steve Haney (Attorney): "An investigation is not a charge. Malik is afforded the same right of the presumption of innocence as anyone else under the Constitution."

David Dennis Jr. shares concerns about the broader implications of such investigations on the NBA, especially when key players like Beasley are involved.

• David Dennis Jr.: "This is a guy who was looking at a big deal...we’ve now seen multiple players that this has been an issue. Unfortunately."

The discussion highlights the potential for increased scrutiny on NBA players regarding gambling and the integrity of the sport.

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IV. LeBron James Opts In and Lakers' Future

[05:20 - 09:19]

The conversation shifts to LeBron James exercising his $52.6 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers, a move that brings mixed reactions.

• Matt Jones: "LeBron opted in to his $52.6 million player option. According to Rich Paul, he says the Lakers are building for the future...but I value a realistic chance of winning it all."

Rich Paul, LeBron’s agent, voices LeBron’s dual focus on both immediate championship contention and long-term franchise building.

David probes the implications of LeBron's statement:

• David Dennis Jr.: "I don't need it. 52.6, who cares? But he took it. Is that like a signal of, you better go get me somebody so we can win this year?"

Matt Jones and David Dennis Jr. debate whether the Lakers' commitment to the future is compatible with LeBron's desire to compete for championships now. They also touch upon Rich Paul's influential role in shaping modern NBA narratives and player movements.

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V. Selfies, Angles, and Personal Topics

[09:00 - 12:03]

In a lighter segment, the hosts discuss the impact of camera angles and selfies on personal appearance, drawing parallels to how athletes manage their public images.

• David Dennis Jr.: "Zion is the perfect example of how the eye can see things very different ways, depending on how you put it out there."

They humorously explore the idea of awards for off-season social media posts, reflecting on the absurdity of certain viral trends.

• David Dennis Jr.: "I want an off-season award called the Ben Simmons LA Fitness Instagram Reel MVP Award for the best player who posts themselves shooting jumpers in August."

This segment showcases the hosts' camaraderie and ability to blend personal anecdotes with broader cultural observations.

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VI. March Madness and NCAA Tournament Expansion

[16:18 - 21:11]

The hosts delve into March Madness and the ongoing discussions about expanding the NCAA tournament from 68 to potentially 72 or 76 teams.

• David Dennis Jr.: "Sources have told ESPN that while they still haven't made a decision yet, we might get a decision this week on whether or not the NCAA tournament will expand."

Matt shares his balanced perspective, acknowledging that an expansion might not significantly alter the viewing experience but prefers maintaining the current format.

• Matt Jones: "I kind of think it would be better if they don't expand, but the tournament will still work either way."

David Dennis Jr. concurs, emphasizing that while expansion could affect the balance of upsets and powerhouse teams, the essence of the tournament remains compelling.

• David Dennis Jr.: "I'm with you in the way that it's like it's an indestructible March thing...It still is awesome."

They discuss the importance of maintaining a mix of "Cinderella" teams and established powerhouses to preserve the tournament's excitement and unpredictability.

• Matt Jones: "I think a mix of Cinderellas and powerhouses is the way to go."

The discussion underscores the delicate balance the NCAA must maintain to ensure March Madness remains a thrilling event for fans.

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VII. NBA Free Agency and the 'Apron' Concept

[21:11 - 31:39]

A deep dive into NBA free agency introduces the concept of the "apron," which has effectively become a hard salary cap in the league.

• David Dennis Jr.: "The second apron has become a salary cap in the NBA. If you go over it, you get restrictions like you can't trade your first-round draft picks."

The hosts debate the pros and cons of this system. On one hand, it has led to a more competitive league with a spread-out talent pool, as seen with teams like the Thunder and Indiana in the Finals. On the other hand, it has diluted team consistency and made forming dynasties more challenging.

• David Dennis Jr.: "At the beginning of the season...you do not have great teams, you have flawed teams...it's harder for teams to get better."
• Matt Jones: "I think long term it can make it much more interesting in the way the NFL can have conversations about 20 different teams and people be interested."

The conversation highlights how salary cap structures and free agency rules significantly impact team building, rivalries, and the overall competitive landscape of the NBA.

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VIII. Underrated NBA Players: Julius Randle and Karl-Anthony Towns

[31:39 - 30:05]

The hosts shine a spotlight on Julius Randle and Karl-Anthony Towns, discussing their inconsistent performances and undervalued contributions to their respective teams.

• David Dennis Jr.: "Julius Randle is a big question mark...He seems like one of the more underrated players in the NBA."
• Matt Jones: "Carl Anthony Towns is just a hilarious dude...he's very memeable."

They explore why these players, despite their talents and pivotal roles in their teams' successes, often receive mixed reviews from fans and analysts.

• David Dennis Jr.: "Why do people have an inclination to downplay them? They're two of the most disrespected players in the NBA."

Matt shares a personal anecdote about meeting Karl-Anthony Towns during his recruitment at Kentucky, highlighting Towns' unique personality and commitment to team camaraderie.

• Matt Jones: "Carl doesn't drink...He wants to be part of the group...That's the Carl Towns experience."

The segment emphasizes the importance of recognizing and valuing player contributions beyond mere statistics, advocating for a more nuanced appreciation of individual talents.

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IX. Sports Picks: Baseball and Soccer Matchups

[37:58 - 44:30]

In the final segment, Matt and David engage in a "Take Your Pick" segment, offering predictions for upcoming baseball and soccer games.

1. Baseball:

   • Detroit Tigers vs. Minnesota Twins (Sunday Night Baseball)

     • Matt Jones: "The Tigers are minus 2.70 to win today. I'm gonna take them to win tonight."
     • David Dennis Jr.: Supports the Tigers, praising pitcher Tarik Skubal's performance.

   • Pittsburgh Pirates vs. New York Mets

     • David Dennis Jr.: "The Mets have completely collapsed...They’re not going to help with the slump. They've given up nine runs the last couple games."
     • Matt Jones: Agrees, favoring the Pirates.

   • San Diego Padres vs. Cincinnati Reds

     • David Dennis Jr.: Prefers the Reds, citing recent performances and the unpredictability of baseball.

2. Soccer:

   • USA vs. Costa Rica (CONCACAF Gold Cup Quarterfinals)
     • Matt Jones: "I'm going to take USA because you know, I'm an American."
     • David Dennis Jr.: Discusses the internal conflicts within the USA Soccer team and anticipates a strong matchup against Mexico.

This segment showcases the hosts' expertise and personal biases, providing listeners with insightful and entertaining sports predictions.

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X. Conclusion

As the episode wraps up, Matt and David recap key discussions and tease upcoming topics, including further analysis on NBA free agency and the intriguing concept of the "apron." They also mention future episodes where Myron Medcalf will return, ensuring listeners stay tuned for more in-depth sports coverage.

• Matt Jones: "Thanks for listening to Matt and Myron the Podcast...Tune into baseball action tonight."
• David Dennis Jr.: Encourages listener engagement and previews the next episode's focus on NBA free agency.

The hosts sign off with their signature camaraderie, leaving listeners informed and entertained with a comprehensive overview of current sports narratives.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• [00:31] Matt Jones: "If you've watched the tournament over the years, you've seen Elle Duncan, Andrea Carter, Monica Nut, Hannah Storm...now you'll get to see it every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 5 Eastern on ESPN Plus."

• [02:18] Matt Jones: "The U.S. district Attorney's office investigating Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley on allegations of gambling related to NBA games and prop bets."

• [05:20] David Dennis Jr.: "This is a guy who was looking at a big deal...we’ve now seen multiple players that this has been an issue. Unfortunately."

• [09:12] David Dennis Jr.: "This guy hit the jump shot at the LA Fitness...the two industrial complexes of those in the off season."

• [16:18] David Dennis Jr.: "Whether it's a movie night or just midday, Skinny Pop is a salty snack that keeps on giving."

• [21:11] Matt Jones: "I think long term it can make it much more interesting in the way the NFL can have conversations about 20 different teams and people be interested."

• [31:39] David Dennis Jr.: "Why do people have an inclination to downplay them? They're two of the most disrespected players in the NBA."

• [39:03] Matt Jones: "The movement on his pitches is pretty astounding."

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This detailed summary encapsulates the essence of the "Hour 3: Opting In" episode, providing listeners—both regular and new—with a comprehensive overview of the discussions, insights, and key moments shared by Matt Jones and David Dennis Jr.

Transcript

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[Unknown]

Foreign.

[Matt Jones]

This is Matt and Myon, the.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Podcast final hour here Sunday morning ESPN radio. Matt Myron, but no Myron. David Dennis Jr. Has been filling in, doing a great job. Love having Davis or Davis David Dennis along with us as a fill in from time to time. Sunday night Baseball's on ESPN Radio. Tonight you got the Tigers and the Twins. And then also remember, Free Agent Frenzy is at 5pm But I also want to tell you about a new show that actually debuts tomorrow at 5 o' clock. It is called the Vibe Check, a new female led sports studio show on ES on Disney plus produced by espn. If you've watched the tournament over the years, you've seen Elle Duncan, Andrea Carter, Monic Nut, Hannah Storm, all of them doing great panel stuff. Well, now you'll get to see it every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5 Eastern on ESPN Plus. It is the Vibe Check. I know David, you're going to be checking that out three days a week on Disney.

[Unknown]

Yeah, it's a great, it's going to be a great show. I saw Elle when I was in Bristol last time and Andrea and everybody, they were getting ready for it. They're pumped about it. The Big Three, as they have become known are like three of my favorite people. The stuff they were doing with the college basketball and everything has been great. I can't wait to see it.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Yeah, I'm a huge Andrea Carter fan and I'm very upset. She made a great joke on the college basketball game day where she was laughing where she said something about John Calipari and she said, you don't want to show up at the club with a, with a guy that's not as good or whatever. And Seth Greenberg and Jay Bilis just sit there and looked at her and didn't laugh and I'm still mad at him about it. You gotta like that was way too good a comment for her not to get the sell on it.

[Unknown]

So when was the last time, last time I think those guys been to.

The club club, you know, I mean.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Seth Greenberg's probably not been to the club in a long, long time. But that's why Andrea needed somebody there to sort of tell her, tell her it was good because it was great. All right, we got some breaking news again on this show. This is the third sham scoop of the show. The U.S. district Attorney's office investigating Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley on allegations of gambling related to NBA games and prop bets. Sources have told ESPN he is currently a free agent that apparently was close to signing a three year, $42 million deal. You gotta think that's in jeopardy and maybe more serious things than that. Beasley's attorney, Steve Haney told espn, quote, an investigation is not a charge. Malik is afforded the same right of the presumption of innocence as anyone else under the Constitution. As of now, he has not been charged with anything. You know, this is. We've now seen multiple players that this has been an issue. Obviously, it is just an investigation. Generally speaking, however, when a U.S. attorney's office gets involved in this, it is not a good sign. David, what do you think? I mean, Malik Beasley is not just some bench player. This is a guy who was looking at a big deal. I feel like we're going to hear more of these stories. Unfortunately.

[Unknown]

Yeah, he was six man of the year guy. Incredibly important for this Pistons team. I think this is where it starts to get really anxious for the NBA and for teams like this, for leagues like this, when you have this level of guys, like, it's one thing when you have a guy who is 10th man, and I think you can litigate that out. Hey, let's not bet on like the, the guys at the end of the bench and what they're going to do. When you have guys like this who are integral to a team, who you need, who you're about to sign to a $42 million deal, who. The Pistons do not get where they were without Malik Beasley and he's accused of doing stuff like that, then you're talking about something that's really. How do you get the toothpaste back into the tube?

[David Dennis Jr.]

Yeah, you're exactly right about that. I mean, when prop bets, you do wonder if there's going to come a point, especially in something like the NBA, where the prop bet can be liter in the hands of one person. It's kind of hard to do that in football. You do wonder though, like, if they're just going to say, hey, I mean, there are states that have already banned prop bets for college athletes. And you do wonder maybe, David, if that's at least in basketball going to be something you end up seeing Just happening league wide and get the companies just not to do it.

[Unknown]

Yeah, you got to do something because this is creeping up to like, different levels of importance. And, you know, the NBA people still talk about Tim Donaghy, you know, now 20 years later, and now you have players whose names get brought up in these things. It's. Yeah, that's. That's bad news.

[David Dennis Jr.]

It's a big one. Malik Beasley is a big one, both for level of talent and for the Pistons. I mean, this is a team that could probably have looked at the east next year and said, why can't we go win the east with Jason Tatum hurt and with Tyrese Halliburton hurt. And now we will see now LeBron Earlier, LeBron opted in to his $52.6 million player option. I would love to have the option to take $52.6 million. You know what? I don't need it. 52.6, who cares? But he took it. According to Rich Paul. He says the Lakers are. Here's his quote. I know the Lakers are building for the future. I understand that. But I value a realistic chance of winning it all. So that is weird to say. I know they're building for the future, but I also view that we need a realist. Is that like a signal of, you better go get me somebody so we can win this year?

[Unknown]

I don't. I don't know what that. What he's trying to say there, because it is a weird thing to say that I'm signing a team knowing that they're building for not me.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Right.

[Unknown]

Like that's. And I'm still going to be here and still going to get $52 million from them this year. It's a weird statement to say, especially filtered through your agent. Right. Because usually you sign and you just say, hey, we're just going to go try to win a championship. But that's not the case of what they. I mean, you said going. All. But that first part about the building to the future is really interesting.

[David Dennis Jr.]

It is weird. Although Rich Paul may also be building his future by making statements. You know, I found it hilarious at the draft when, what was it? Hanson Yang from China came out of the stands with the 16th pick. And who was standing there? Rich Paul. He was the first person waiting. It's like Rich Paul is everywhere. He's the world wide west of a new generation.

[Unknown]

Yeah, absolutely. And you know, how can he not be? He has the greatest player in the world under his belt and everybody's going to want to be part of that.

[David Dennis Jr.]

All right, so when you look at the west next year, Thunder, clearly the best team, but then you got this hodgepodge of teams that if you sort of. It's like if you look in the mirror at an. At a. If you don't have an immaculate suit. Like if Seth Greenberg's getting ready to go the club and he's trying to figure out what he's gonna wear and he doesn't have a perfect suit, but he's got like five suits, each of which have one Jeff Bezos. Exactly. And he's trying to figure out which of my five mediocre suits am I going to wear between Denver, Houston with Durant. Now you've got the Lakers, you've got Dallas, you've got Minnesota, you got all these teams sitting there and they're trying Clippers, they're trying to figure out which one of those suits looks the second best. Can the Lakers do anything this summer to make themselves the second best suit in the West?

[Unknown]

Not. Not moves wise, I don't think. I think moves wise you can get your center, get a lob threat for Luka, get some mid level guys to fill out that bench. But really the Lakers ceiling is just Luka Doncic being the best player and you know, being a top five player in the league, that's really where. Where it is. I mean, I don't know what else that looks like because there's not. I mean, we're in a league right now, the way it goes, where you're not just getting free agents out the blue who are going to turn you into championship contenders. The Lakers ceiling is just about Luka Doncic being prime. Luka Doncic.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Do you think that will happen?

[Unknown]

I think it's possible. I mean, I think it is possible. As much as I despise the off season. Look, he's lost 15 pounds. You know, industrial complex. I do think that there is a world in which.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Is that an industrial complex?

[Unknown]

Yes. The, the, the two things. The off season, he's lost 20 pounds, his clothes fit different. And the. Look at this guy.

[David Dennis Jr.]

This guy hit the jump shot at.

[Unknown]

The jump shot in the LA Fitness. The two industrial complexes of those in the off season.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Oh, dude, I love.

[Unknown]

So tired of. I don't want to see him anymore.

[David Dennis Jr.]

You are pre. You and I have never spoken about this and you are preaching. I'm hollering amen in the choir behind you. Because those two things I hate the video of the guy making 17 foot jumpers and they're like, oh, he's Expanding his range. Look out, Hashim the Bead is starting to find his touch from outside of the paint.

[Unknown]

I want to hate those. I want to have an off season award that we give out to. It's called the Ben Simmons LA Fitness Instagram Reel MVP Award for the best player who posts themselves shooting jumpers in August. That's what I want to do, and I want to see that, because I am absolutely tired of.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Does Ben Simmons do those?

[Unknown]

Oh, he's used to. You remember those? There was a few years, you know, Ben Simmons was taking these shots. Everybody's like, look at Ben Simmons. He's in the lab.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Here we go.

[Unknown]

He's working. He's in the lab. He's got. He's about to. He's about to nail some of these threes. He's out there putting in work. Ben Simmons. Watch out. This offseat, watch out. This regular season, he's been doing it, and then what happens? He doesn't shoot a layup in Atlanta. In the. In the. In the 76.

[David Dennis Jr.]

I will say this, the one thing I like about these is I do this with Zion. Sometimes when I see a picture of me where I don't look the way I want to look, I just think of all the different camera angles. I've seen pictures of Zion. I've seen pictures where he looks like he is the WWE Heavyweight Champion. And then I look see pictures where he looks like the fattest person I've ever seen in my life. And sometimes they're within two days of each other. And I just think to myself, Zion is the perfect example of how the eye can see things very different ways, depending on how you put it out there.

[Unknown]

It's just. It's the same thing as, like, when you take a selfie, you hold the phone up so you don't catch the neck. The neck dribble, right? So you catch. You get it down. You know, it's a different stuff. Like, it's all about angles. You're working the angles. So it's.

[David Dennis Jr.]

The angles are huge.

[Unknown]

It's. It's the Ben Simmons August LA Fitness Award MVP Award. And then the Zion Williamson July Work the angles and Instagram Filters Awards. Like, those are the things that drive me crazy.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Here's another thing. If you're like me and this little secret for all those out there who have big ears, as a fellow big Ear person, the selfie from the side also hides the bigness of the ears. Just something to think about sometimes.

[Unknown]

Okay, cool.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Yeah, you come from the side. The ear, it's you can't see the way it sticks out. Just something for you to think about.

[Unknown]

You know, it's funny for those who do not know, we got these headpieces on and we we've hung out for hours and hours. Matt. I have no clue.

[David Dennis Jr.]

You never seen my ears.

[Unknown]

Never seen your ears.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Matter of fact, I'm never going to show you now. Now I'm going to be self conscious. You're never going to see my ears unless it's on a side selfie.

[Unknown]

There you go.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Because that's the way those of us with the larger earlobe. Oh, I'm big on beanies. I love beanie season. Can't really do it right now in the summer, but beanie season is a good time of year for me. Tune into baseball action tonight. Tigers host the Twins covered Sunday night baseball against six Eastern on ESPN Radio and the ESPN app. One of the sort of under reported stories of the week is a change to one of the great sporting events of the year. I'm not thrilled about it. Be interested to see what you think that is next here on Sunday Morning on ESPN Radio.

[Matt Jones]

Matt and Myron the Podcast.

[Unknown]

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[David Dennis Jr.]

Sunday morning Matt Myron on ESPN Radio. David Dennis Jr. Filling in for Myron. I'm Matt Jones. Text Machine is 772-774-5254. One person writes, I heard you all talk earlier about Love Island. David says he likes it. Does David like the Golden Bachelor and Golden Bachelorette?

[Unknown]

Bachelor's not my thing. I'm not a bachelor guy, you know, I just never got into Bachelor. I stick to the, you know, the more raw stuff, you know, the stuff that you can get on the apps, you know, I'm not a network guy when it comes to that. Giving the Love Islands Temptation Islands.

[David Dennis Jr.]

You want the less, like, the more freakiness, the better. Is that what we're talking about?

[Unknown]

Yeah, I mean, I guess so. If I watch Temptation is. Temptation island is a. It is a wild level beyond any of this other stuff.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Is it. Having never seen it is anything like the Flavor Flav show.

[Unknown]

It's actually kind of worse. Actually kind of worse.

[David Dennis Jr.]

No, it's not worse than the flavor. Flavor.

[Unknown]

Temptation. Temptation island is you take couples and then they go. They have to split them up and they go live in homes with extremely. Like, it's five dudes, and they'll go live in a house like 20 extremely hot women, and then the women will go live in a house with 20 extremely hot dudes, and nobody knows what the other person's doing. And then they'll come back and you'll watch the videos out of context of what they were doing there to make you think that they were, you know, messing around. And then you go back.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Stay together usually or no, sometimes it's.

[Unknown]

Probably half and half. Some couples stay together, sometimes they don't. It gets. It gets dicey when they build a tent and one of the homes where you where the. Like, a guy and one of the women from the houses can go in the tent and. And do whatever they want to do. And an alarm goes off in the women's home to let you know that some guy don't know which guy was. Goes into the tent. It's psychological warfare. It's absolutely.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Feels like. Feels like this is. Feels like this is the kind of show that I'm should be watching.

[Unknown]

It's good stuff.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Yes. Well, you can see David has a podcast where he talks about this and other intellectual pursuits with. With Mina Kimes. What is the name of it?

[Unknown]

It's called viewer discretion. You can catch it on YouTube. You can search up my name, Mina's name, viewer discretion. You can search up all the pods, do all that stuff. You're into Love Island. We're doing all kind of shows. We started as doing just Love is Blind. It was called Love is Kinds. But now we're doing viewer discretion so we can do all these other things.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Wow. So you who. David's one of the smarter people I know that works in sports, but when it comes down.

[Unknown]

There you go. That's very kind.

[David Dennis Jr.]

You will sit and watch the trashy stuff as much as anybody else will I. One of my favorite events in sports, if not my favorite, is March Madness. And this week, sources have told ESPN that while they still haven't made a decision yet, we might get a decision this week on whether or not the NCAA tournament will expand. You probably know that now it's 68 teams, but it could potentially go to 72 or to 76. Basically, it comes down to whether or not the media partners will. Would like there to be four or eight more teams. There's only two positions. I hear people say, David, when they talk about this conversation, which is, this will be awful or this will be great. My position is somewhere in the middle, which is it would be better if they don't expand, but the tournament will still work either way. I kind of think it's. It's a perfect television viewing experience. It didn't get crushed when it went from 64 to 68. It still is awesome. I don't think 72 or 76 will change that too much. What do you think about the potential of adding four more or eight more teams?

[Unknown]

I'm with you here. I'm with you in the turn in the way that it's like it, it's. It's an indestructible March thing, I think, you know, like, we're going to watch it, we're going to be into it. This idea of it diluting the product, I'm not sure if that's going to happen. I think the other things, in terms of the upsets versus the chalk, could be the bigger issues in terms of how we consume March Madness because of everybody's brackets start becoming predictable, then that could be a problem. But in terms of the amount of teams, I don't think that's going to be a huge issue.

[David Dennis Jr.]

I don't think it's a huge issue really, at all. You know, the thing you mentioned about this worry that really happened in the last tournament last year, which was you're not going to see any more upsets. I don't think that's true. I think that was a very unique. You know, sometimes every few years they just have a chalk tournament. It happened before Nil, and this may have just been the one. I still think, you know, it's interesting because during the NCAA Tournament, people want the upsets that first day, but then they want to see the best teams play, right? Nobody wants to see in the Final Four. Nobody wants to see, I don't know, Virginia Commonwealth. The Games are not good. If that happens, they. This year you got Florida, Duke, Houston and Auburn. And it was the kind of Final Four had one of the highest ratings it's had in years. Because, David, when you get to the end of these tournaments, you want to see the best teams play. Same thing with the women's tournament. You want to see South Carolina there, you want to see LSU there. You really. So you want the nice story of a Yale beating somebody, but then when it gets down to it, you want to see the best teams play well.

[Unknown]

Yeah, I think that you want to mix. I think the mix is where it's at. Right. I think having the Cinderella team that gets to the Elite Eight, like, you know, as you know, I went to Davidson and was there for the Elite 8 run. I think that was kind of the perfect way to do it. Right. You have Davidson, you have this.

[David Dennis Jr.]

But you also had Steph Curry, right?

[Unknown]

You had Steph Curry.

[David Dennis Jr.]

So you had this star.

[Unknown]

This star. But even. Even in spite of that, you have a team, they get to the Elite Eight. It's a great story. There are great games, and. And oftentimes they do create stars. When that happens, you have, you know, you have that Cinderella stuff, and then after that, you may. You have Kansas, unc, all these, you know, like, that's when it starts to become, okay, now we can get to the nitty gritty of the great teams, because I'm with you. If I don't want to see a team that. Of players I don't know, with a style that I don't know about having bad games, because if you have a team that's not good, make it there, they lose by 30, nobody's excited. I think a mix of Cinderellas and powerhouses is the way to go.

[David Dennis Jr.]

I went and looked a few years ago because this debate about what do we want to see Comes up every year. And I actually went and looked to see what the numbers said. David, what were the ratings of games in the first, second round and then the sweet 16 and the elite 8? And basically what I found was very simple. If you go look at the ratings, it says that America likes two types of games. The they like when two powerhouse programs play each other, pick who they are. But when you get two powerhouse programs, and then they, like, if Kentucky, Duke, Carolina are about to be potentially upset by a bad team, that's what they like. They like those two types of games. They either want to see somebody taking down a giant like Lehigh beat Duke, Oakland beat Kentucky, St. Peter's beat Kentucky, or give me Kansas versus, you know, whoever against another power program. And I think that sort of is what people need to remember with tournament expansion and anything else. The NCAA just has to be careful. Don't ruin those two type of things. Because the numbers say that is what people want to see.

[Unknown]

Yeah. And back to the original point, the problem is when some of these bad Cinderellas get to the deep in the in the tournament, you get neither of those. You get a bad Cinderella, lose about 20 good team with which is, yes, you end up getting anybody.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Yes, you end up getting Mississippi State versus St. Peter's and nobody really wants to see that. They want to see the powers go down or they want to see good programs play each other. And I think the tournament has to be very careful to always keep that. Now, NBA free agency and the apron. Why do they call it the apron? David? If we figured that out, why is it called the apron?

[Unknown]

No clue why it's called the apron, but we'll, we'll get into, we'll figure that out.

[David Dennis Jr.]

When I think of what an apron means, it means like something you wear when you clean up. I have no idea why it's called that, but it gets into high gear tomorrow. We have a show coming up later this afternoon to preview it. We'll get into it next on Sunday morning.

[Matt Jones]

Matt Myron, Matt and Myron the Pod.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Savor every last drop of summer with Starbucks.

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[David Dennis Jr.]

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[David Dennis Jr.]

Sunday morning Matt myron here on ESPN radio presented by Progressive Insurance. NBA free agency frenzy is on ESPN radio today at free 5 o' clock. You got Evan Cohen and Tim Bontemps. He was here earlier. Free agency going around there. Huge amount of news will probably come in the next 24 hours. We were saying officially no one's supposed to do anything until tomorrow, but you're probably expecting, David, a little tampering and some, some news to leak out this.

[Unknown]

Afternoon in the NBA. No, no tampering in the NBA. I think. Yeah, we're going to get, we're Going to get a lot of stuff. We got some LeBron news. We've got some stuff from other teams. We're going to see where people are going pretty soon are there.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Who are the. Who are the players you most care about? Team. We talked earlier about Julius Randall. When Julius Randall was at Kentucky, I was a huge fan. I think he's one of the more underrated players to play here. It seems like in the NBA, no matter where he goes, he can play well, and he always gets disrespected. I mean, there's just. It feels like the moment he gets there, his team will have some success, and then they want to get rid of him as soon as possible. Do you see a lot of interest in the NBA from other teams on Julius Randall, or does he have to go to Minnesota because he doesn't have a lot of other options?

[Unknown]

I think he'll probably end up in Minnesota. Right. But. But as. That's my guess. But, I mean, the market is so. They're. They're resetting the market now as we speak because of what the free agent class is. So one thing we saw was Nas reed get a $25 million deal, which I think was lower than some people thought. And so it, you know, depends on the affordability. Depends on a whole lot of stuff. Julius Randle is a big question mark, but I think given what, do you.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Like him as a player? Do you like Julius Randle?

[Unknown]

It is inconsistent with him. Right. I think that what we saw from Julius Randle from February on, a guy who was working within the offense, was a really great addition to that Minnesota Timberwolves. He was a big part of their turnaround, in my opinion. But I think the Julius Randle that we kind of saw against OKC was the guy who struggled against good defense. But everybody struggles against okc. If you're Minnesota, you just got to the. That makes it complicated. Just got to the conference finals with this dude. Do you want to start over? Even though I would have probably imagined that the original plan was to let him walk after this season, it was.

[David Dennis Jr.]

It's fascinating to me if you go back to that Randall, Carl Towns trade. Yeah, it's fascinating to me, those two guys. Because those two guys just seem to get no respect.

[Unknown]

Right?

[David Dennis Jr.]

Yeah, they were traded for each other, but I cannot think of two better players, because I think Carl Towns is, you know, a borderline. He's a. I know this sounds great. He's a borderline hall of Famer. I mean, he is. Because if you look at his. How many Times he's made the all star team. I mean, I know people hear that and they go, really? But then go look at who gets in the hall of Fame in the NBA. It's. It's almost everybody.

[Unknown]

Well, the college plays a part in that. You know, like, that's a big part of that stuff, too. I wouldn't. I got a little way to go before he's in the Hall. He was a Hall of Fame, but.

[David Dennis Jr.]

I mean, let's say he finishes with eight, nine all star teams, which he probably will, then David, he'll make it if he does. I mean, how many guys have made eight all star teams that aren't in the hall of Fame?

[Unknown]

Well, I mean, the all star team is there, but I think some he'd have to make.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Probably been all NBA.

[Unknown]

All NBA.

[David Dennis Jr.]

All NBA Five or six times.

[Unknown]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure he hasn't made the first team. He's probably made a couple teams, maybe a couple a few times. I think he made second team this year, right? Maybe he may.

[David Dennis Jr.]

I think he did. My point, leave aside, whether he's in the hall of Fame or not, my point is your initial reaction when I say Carl Towns is to point out his deficiencies. And it's not just you. That's what most people do. And then they do the same thing with Julius Randle. What. What do you. But yet those two guys were both in the conference finals this year. They both were the second best player on a team that got to the conference finals. Why do you think people are. Have such an inclination on both of those guys to kind of downplay them? Because I think they're the two, in some ways, most disrespected players in the NBA.

[Unknown]

I think that they're just inconsistent. Those guys are inconsistent with how they. Like, you can have a game with Karl Anthony towns where he's 25 and 15 and looks like the best player in the world, and then the next game he may score eight points, especially in the playoffs. He did that in the playoffs a few times. Julius Randle's kind of the same way. So the inconsistency is there. There's the spotlight of New York that both of them have had to deal with. And Carl Anthony Towns is also just a hilarious dude. Like, there's. He's a very memeable guy, I think. Which.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Do you like that, though? Do you think the memes are unfair to him?

[Unknown]

No, they're not unfair at all. Because he's. I think. I think they're unfair. Like, I think the Thing about Karl Anthony Towns, which I. Which I appreciate about everybody about this whole thing, is everybody really understands the jokes and the comedy, but they do not disrespect him as a person. Because Carl Anthony Towns, what he does for communities, what he's been through, all that stuff is something that really you can't take lightly. And it's really great that we can all that. For the most part, the fans are. Can like laugh at what is like a weird facial expression and the way that he plays and also appreciate him as a dude so like that we. He's avoided that level of Internet toxicity for the most part. But I think the quirkiness plays a role in the way that we treat him.

[David Dennis Jr.]

I've known Carl Anthony Town since he was in high school because I met him when he was being recruited by Kentucky. And he is weird. He was on the 2015 Kentucky team that went 381 and before the season started, they played in the Bahamas. David. And the entire team was in the Bahamas. Between me and you, drinking age is different in the Bahamas. Some of the Kentucky players may have utilized that during their time in the Bahamas. And there was a time where they got the whole team together and they decided to have like shots in honor of the team, basically to us winning the national championship. Carl doesn't drink. So Carl got out there and what would you do if you were having a group of people that were having shots and you didn't drink, David, what would you do in that moment?

[Unknown]

Maybe toast up with them with a non shot or something like that. You don't do that Exactly.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Right. You're excited. He comes out, he asked for a cup and he says, I can't, I'm not drinking alcohol. But I am going to take. And he announces this to the group. I'm going to take a shot of air with my brothers. A shot of air. So everyone else takes the shot and my man takes it and just pours basically air into his mouth. I thought that was so definitively Carl Town. He wants to be part of the group. Yeah, he wants to be a good teammate.

[Unknown]

He.

[David Dennis Jr.]

He wants to be jovial, but it's a little weird just to take air. Like he doesn't even put water in it. To me, that's Carl Towns right there. That's kind of who he is.

[Unknown]

The beat of his own drum. That's that. That's the Carl Towns experience. And it's worked out for him. It's worked out for this dude. He's been the conference championship, conference finals two years in a row with two different teams, with two different teams as averaging 20 some points and that rarely happens. I can't think of many times that that is.

[David Dennis Jr.]

It has not. Now, now the part of the reason we mentioned, you mentioned the market for Julius Randall not being what it is, is this the second apron. We asked him, Tim Bond, Timps earlier what it means, but basically the second apron has become a salary cap in the NBA.

[Unknown]

The NFL is a hard cap pretty much. Yeah.

[David Dennis Jr.]

It has become a hard salary cap where basically if you go over it, you get restrictions that make it to where you can't trade your first round draft picks. You can't really do any trades for guys that make more money than the dude you're, you're. You're on your team. You can't use the mid level exception. You also, if you're over the apron three out of five years, you lose your first round pick, which nobody wants to do. It's then taken to the end of the first round. So these, it's become a thing that teams, if they do it one year, they're not going to do it the next year. I mean they're kind of, they are sort of their legs are taken out from them if they do it. Do you like this? I mean it has led to, we had Oklahoma City and Indiana in the Finals. It's led to maybe the most spread out talent we've ever seen in the NBA. But you also have situations where it's hard for teams to get better. Do you think it's overall a positive?

[Unknown]

So I am conflicted on this because at the beginning of the season we were talking about one, the, one of the problems with the second apron is that you do not have great teams, right? You have flawed teams in a way that you did not have during these dynasty eras. During Warriors Cast all stuff, you had teams top to bottom, 10 deep, really great teams. Now the problem is you're losing some of your fringe players, right. That help you get to your championship. Okc, I'm sorry Denver lost Brown, they lost kcp. Everybody's losing these players. And all these teams are flawed to the point where it's harder to repeat and you're not having these great teams and you're also not having great rivalries like we're. The NBA doesn't really have any rivalries right now. And I was kind of disappointed on it and I think the team, the league needed dynasties and all this stuff and great sustained teams to be, you know, to make it as compelling as possible. Now the on the flip side, when I watch these playoffs though, with everybody sort of in the middle with us not knowing who is going to win and the excitement of saying this team could have lose, like the Clippers could lose in the first round or they could go to the finals. Right. Denver could lose in the first round or they could go to the finals. And the high stakes and the, the game winners, the buzzy buzzer beaters, the intensity I think was really welcome and it made. And it has me sort of leaning more towards that this could be a positive thing. Now on the, on the other, other hand, we're talking so much about second aprons. We're talking so much about salary caps and second aprons and really complicated stuff that fans don't understand. And it's not as Fun as, hey, LeBron might opt out and go to another team. Let's talk about that. That's just not as fun.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Yeah. So I, I sit and think about basketball. David, how old are you?

[Unknown]

You're what, 39?

[David Dennis Jr.]

30. 39. So you're a little younger than me. I sit and think about basketball when I was a kid and everybody has these glamorous views of Lakers, Celtics. Right. More than they go into, you know, Bulls, Pistons or pick the thing. But the problem with that is no one remembers the early series in those playoffs. Like no one cares about those games because those games were pretty much irrelevant. I remember Dominique went for like 63 one time, but besides that, I don't. Against the Celtics. Besides that, I remember nothing about the early playoffs. Now take the last three or four years in the championship. This year you had Thunder Pacers, but we can point to games earlier in the playoffs like the game seven between the Thunders and Thunder and the Nuggets or the comeback against the Knicks by the Pacers. And we can say, wow, if that had not happened, those will be games people remember I think for years to come. I think it has made the product more compelling. I think the league has screwed up in not selling these other teams. Like most people didn't know. Oklahoma City, that's a league problem. But I'm with you. I think long term it can make it much more interesting in the way in the NFL we can have conversations about 20 different teams and people be interested.

[Unknown]

Yeah, I do think though that the NFL has, still has rivalries and that. And I think one of the reasons they have rivalries because you don't think.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Nick's Pacers was a rivalry.

[Unknown]

Not really. Because like that's, they're. They're tapping into stuff that happened 20 years ago. Right? I mean, yes, they played last year.

[David Dennis Jr.]

They had Brunson and Halliburton in a WWE ring before this.

[Unknown]

Yeah, but I mean, like, I think it's going to be hard to see the same teams in the conference final year after year or in the second round running into each other. Even just a few years ago, Rockets warriors was a rivalry in the league. Right. I just don't and it went away. I just think that even if the rivalries can rotate, they're good to have some. But I don't think we saw plenty many of those in the playoffs this year. And part of it is just there's a reshuffling of talent, reshuffling of team and franchise. We could have a situation where next year OKC plays Denver again or OKC plays, I don't know, Minnesota again and that becomes more competitive. Like we can be building new rivalries. But the NFL, because of the divisions and they actually care about divisions, they've maintained rivalries in a way that the NBA has to build them up every time with new stars. And it takes a little while for that to get going and it's harder to do because there's not as much consistency and continuity with teams.

[David Dennis Jr.]

I think the injuries are play a part of that too. With the NFL there's just, or, excuse me, the NBA. The injuries have kind of crippled the league in the last two or three years where big players end up going down well before. This is not the biggest day of sports action. As a matter of fact, sitting here looking at the slate of games, I would argue it's the worst slate of action I can think of. But that doesn't mean the games that are going to be played don't need to be picked. We will tell you who will win. Maybe allow you a couple bets to make on an otherwise slow day. It's Sunday morning on espn.

[Matt Jones]

Matt and Myron the podcast.

[Unknown]

My day kicks off with a refreshing Celsius energy drink, then straight to the gym pre K pickup back home to meal prep. Time for my fire station shift. One more Celsius. Got to keep the lights on when the three alarm hits.

[David Dennis Jr.]

I'm ready.

[Unknown]

Celsius Live Fit. Go grab a cold refreshing Celsius at your local retailer or locate [e-mail].

[Nordstrom Advertiser]

This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Knowing you could be saving money for the things you really want is a great feeling. Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with a personal price plan like a good neighborhood, State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts and savings and eligibility vary by state.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Sunday morning Matt Myron, ESPN Radio presented by Progressive Insurance. Myron is out today. David Dennis Jr. Has filled in extremely well and it is like I said, a very slow sports day. But you know what, there are still games and you the listeners have got to know who to pick. So let's go ahead and get it done with. Take your pick.

[Unknown]

Take your pick.

[Matt Jones]

You take your pick. It's time to take your pick on Sunday morning.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Yes, it is time. James, let me know. I'm going to be impressed if you're able to pick good ones here. Let's see what you got.

[Unknown]

Well, let's start off strong. We have twins at Tigers on Sunday Night Football tonight. You can hear that right here on ESPN Radio. Coverage starts at 6:00pm Eastern. Obviously you can watch it on ESPN TV. Also Tarik Skubal is pitching tonight for the Tigers 9. 2. 2.29 ERA, reigning Al Sign Young Award winner. The Tigers are minus 290 to win today. Who you guys got?

[David Dennis Jr.]

Tarek Skubal is without question the best baseball player that virtually no one would know what they look like. But he will tonight. First time the Tigers have hosted Sunday night baseball in 10 years. They have the best record in baseball. I'm gonna go ahead and take them to win tonight. Minus 2. 70 on a baseball game is a huge number. David, have you enjoyed watching the Tigers rise this year?

[Unknown]

Yeah. Tigers 52 32. Good looking team. I think that they're going to pull this one off. I got them.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Yes. School ball if you have not if you haven't seen him play, watch. The movement on his pitches is pretty astounding. What's next?

[Unknown]

We got robbed of a school ball and skiing's matchup a couple weeks ago because of rain and then the Pirates were cowards and yeah you.

[David Dennis Jr.]

That would have been awesome. That was one I was very rarely would I have thought I'm going to volunteer to listen to Pirates or watch Pirates Tigers but I would have that one.

[Unknown]

All right. Speaking of the Pirates, they take on the Mets today. They've taken the Pirates of one, the first two in the series. The Mets are favored to win today. The Mets have given up nine runs to the Pirates in the past two games each nine they lost nine to one and nine to two in the last two games. They held a players only meeting after losing yesterday. But who do you got in Mets.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Pirates today the Mets have completely collapsed. I mean they've lost like what, 10 of 12 or something. Players only meetings. David, do you think they work?

[Unknown]

Players only meetings go into the LA Fitness jump shot in the summer of not working. Ben, they rarely work. They don't work. The Mets are. They're not going to help with the slump. They've given up. As you mentioned, nine runs the last couple games as Pyre's team. Pyre's taking the win.

[David Dennis Jr.]

What do you think it is about the idea of a players only where they're like, you know what the problem is? All these other people that sit in our meetings, let's just keep it us keep, keep the group small. Then we will really focus and make it happen.

[Unknown]

It's a thing that looks like work, right? That looks like you're doing something like, hey, I do. You know, I don't. You know, I used to teach at Morehouse. You get your students there, hey, I want to come in and have a meeting, a one on one with you and talk about my, my work and all that stuff and come to office hours. Great. You haven't turned in an assignment in three weeks. But that. Let's. Let's have a face to face.

[David Dennis Jr.]

We need to have a students only meeting there. Who, what did you teach at Morehouse, by the way? I didn't know you taught.

[Unknown]

Taught in Morehouse. Five years. Taught a few classes there.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Like what, what was the topic?

[Unknown]

Oh, oh, it's all journalism. And then I taught a social justice course.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Wow. All right. That's awesome. I taught sports law at Georgetown, not University College in Kentucky. And at one point, one of my, one of my students said to me, you know what, Matt, you are a great talker. And he was like, and you're an okay professor too. Which I thought, that's a backhanded compliment.

[Unknown]

That's all you got to do. You gotta just be a good talker. Being a good professor, that comes later.

[David Dennis Jr.]

But he had, he did. He could have just said he didn't have to separate it and be like. You gave one adjective for talker and the other for a professor. What's next?

[Unknown]

Jay, real quick, just one more baseball. One. I'm just doing this. You can talk about the Reds almost getting a no hitter the other day. Padres at Reds today. Red. Slight favorites. Who you got here?

[David Dennis Jr.]

Yeah, I'll take the Reds, but it could go either way. But we almost had history in the Reds game the other night. David Spencer steer, came up with a chance to hit his Fourth home run in the game become only I think the 19th player to hit four in a game didn't quite do it. But then Nick Martinez went eight innings of no hitter and then he ended up allowing a hit in the ninth. But he gave up nine runs the game before and then got to the ninth and a no hitter the next one. Baseball is the only sport where, where you can be awful and then the next day dominant. And it's not crazy.

[Unknown]

That's why, that's why it's it. Baseball has this reached this weird equilibrium of having these seven game series. But it still feels like if you're hot for a week, you could month you could go win a world Series.

[David Dennis Jr.]

The baseball playoffs once you get in are a coin flip.

[Unknown]

It's anybody's.

[David Dennis Jr.]

I mean unless you really are playing.

[Unknown]

Against the Dodgers in any time in the near future. But other than that.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Yeah, that's exactly right. What's next?

[Unknown]

The CONCACAF Gold cup quarterfinals. We have USA who are favorites over Costa Rica on ESPN. Bet it's minus 180.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Yeah, I'm going to take USA because you know, I'm an American. But I also would like to say I love that the USA soccer team, David, seems to only exist to have fights between Landon Donovan and whoever happens to be the coach at that time. No one is ever happy. David, about the USA Soccer team at.

[Unknown]

Any point ever talk about a reality show. This needs to be your reality show as U.S. soccer. Absolutely.

[David Dennis Jr.]

They hate each other. Everyone, everyone hates each other. And it feels like the same names from when I was a K are still talking. Alexi Lawless. I'm waiting for, you know, Landon Donovan, Tony Meola back in the day. Like I feel like it's the same names from when I was in a yso Soccer still are the ones on television talking about the USA national team.

[Unknown]

I mean, isn't this kind of a very American way though? Like nobody seems to like each other, but we function as a society somehow. Like I think that's kind of. They're kind of mimicking the country. Right.

[David Dennis Jr.]

And then we always say we should be the best and then we end up losing to like Panama or something in the, in the game. But Costa Rica, hopefully today we will, we will get the win the cold cup. Probably headed toward another USA Mexico game, which those are always good. David, thank you very much for taking the time. I hope you enjoyed it.

[Unknown]

Absolutely.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Of course we, we always have fun. Myron should be back next week and be watching for all summer. We're actually the name Will switching very soon. We will have a tune in. Game day is next Sunday morning.

[Matt Jones]

Thanks for listening to Matt and Myon the Podcast. You can listen to the show live every Sunday morning at 10am Eastern on ESPN Radio, the ESPN app, and on Sirius XM channel 80. Matt and Myron, the podcast.

[Unknown]

In 1979.

The first words spoken on ESPN weren't just an announcement.

If you're a fan, they were a sports prophecy.

[Matt Jones]

What you'll see see in the next.

[Unknown]

Minutes, hours and days to follow.

[David Dennis Jr.]

Glad you're with us tonight May convince.

[Matt Jones]

You you've gone to sports heaven. And right now you're standing on the edge of tomorrow.

[Unknown]

This fall, the next era of ESPN begins Sports forever.