Sep 30, 2026 · 2h 5m
Tomlin’s TV audition exposes sports media’s development problem
NBA Lie Detectors, Duren’s Future, Tomlin’s TV Splash, and a 2026 Sports Media Check With Kirk Goldsberry and Bryan Curtis
The episode connects NBA roster economics and expansion with a broader question about whether sports television still develops distinctive analysts and writers.
- 1Jalen Duren’s contract standoff reflects the NBA’s shifting valuation of non-elite centers and increasingly complicated cap economics.
- 2Mike Tomlin’s sharp halftime analysis raises questions about whether networks can turn coaching insight into compelling television.
- 3Sports media rewards speed and familiar formats, but the conversation argues that deadlines, chemistry, and creative risk still matter.
Don't miss
Bryan Curtis and Bill Simmons explain why Mike Tomlin’s halftime analysis feels unusually compelling, then use it to challenge formulaic sports television.
The brief
Kirk Goldsberry joins Bill Simmons for a wide-ranging NBA audit, beginning with Jalen Duren’s contract standoff and the declining value of centers who are not clearly elite.
The NBA discussion widens from illegal-screen enforcement and dubious media-day optimism to Zion Williamson’s uncertainty, Nikola Jokić’s Denver future, and possible expansion in Las Vegas and Seattle.
Bryan Curtis argues that Mike Tomlin’s halftime analysis works because it sounds like a real football conversation, exposing the formulaic limits of many studio shows.
Simmons and Curtis compare Tom Brady, Greg Olsen, JJ Watt, Drew Brees, Luke Kuechly, and others while asking whether networks properly develop analysts before assigning marquee games.
The closing conversation turns to Charles Barkley, baseball broadcasting, Pardon the Interruption, and the Substack era, weighing polished writing against speed, familiarity, and creative risk.
Featuring
Greg Olsen
Nikola Jokić
LeBron James
ESPNListen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.