Wilbon: Pardon the Interruption but I'm Mike Wilbon. We just passed the trade deadline and are in the home stretch of the season. Tony, I heard you almost got traded to Fox Sports. Any comment?
Kornheiser: Pardon the Interruption, I'm Tony Kornheiser and Fox Sports can't afford me.
Wilbon: Today we're going to talk about the big deals at the deadline, we're going to analyze the playoff races in both conferences in Oddsmakers, and we're going to figure out what is wrong with certain teams. But first, let's look at the deadline headlines!
LAKE AWFUL CONTRACTS
Kornheiser: It was an active trade deadline, with big trades, small trades, even trades with chickenpox. One of the biggest highlights of the day, Mike, was the trade between the Sixers and Lakers. The Sixers unloaded their maligned overpaid center, Andrew Bynum, to the Lakers for a bunch of nothing, understandably so because Bynum isn't really a prize to be won. But the big question is why would the Lakers take on such a big deal when they already have an awful contract on the books in the injured CJ Miles. What do you think, Wilbon?Wilbon: I applaud the Sixers getting out from under that deal, but I don't get why everyone is blasting the Lakers. This team wants to be bad, Tony. They're the second worst team in the league in the year of a great draft. It's not like they're trying to sign people next year. So what if they have overpaid underperformers on their team? It pretty much helps their agenda!
Kornheiser: I'd agree if we could just ignore the future, but I'm not Doc Brown and there's no Delorean in my back yard. Look, Mike, these contracts are going to be on the books until 2016 and 2017. Those years are so far away in the future. Who knows if the Lakers will be ready to compete, but can't because they have those bloated contracts? This is a mess of a situation, and I too applaud the Sixers, but I certainly do not applaud the Lakers. In fact, I boo them. Boo!
GREENER GRASS?
Wilbon: Another big trade that happened at the deadline occurred between the Bucks and Timberwolves. These two teams, which have had highly reported trading conflicts in the past year, were able to get together to swap Draymond Green and Otto Porter, Jr., with some cash flying the Bucks' way as a sweetener. There are rumors flying around that the cash was required because Draymond Green was involved in a locker room altercation with new Timberwolf Glen Davis according to Hoopshype. The Bucks front office released the following statement on the rumored altercation: "Draymond is a passionate guy, and while we don't know all the details about what happened in Minnesota, we know that he's going to bring that same passion on the court night in and night out. We are thrilled to have him. And honestly, Big Baby probably deserved what he got." Some critics are saying this is all lip service. Did the Bucks get a hothead, Tony? Is this trade going to work out for them?
Kornheiser: It will, Mike, and it will work out for the Wolves as well. Green has a temper, and we've all seen that, but he also is a glue guy on the court. And in the last few games after the trade, Green clearly has changed the defensive culture of the Bucks for the better. And the best part about it? No Glen Davis in the Bucks locker room.
Wilbon: There almost was, Tony!
Kornheiser: What a nightmare that would've been.
Wilbon: I think you're right. The Bucks will benefit from this trade, but let's not forget to look at it from Minnesota's perspective. They got rid of a potential locker room issue and brought a guy who barely speaks in Porter. And already this guy, who scored double digits thrice in Milwaukee...
Kornheiser: Thrice?
Wilbon: Thrice! He's already got 5 double digit games in Minny! I think this trade will go down as a great one for both sides. Last headline!
GOLD3N STAT3
Kornheiser: The last blockbuster of the trade deadline was probably the one with the biggest championship implications. The Spurs and Warriors made a trade that effectively swapped Zach Randolph and Arron Afflalo. Both players are averaging around 20 points a game and both can impact a team. With such a big trade, Wilbon, who do you see coming out better on the other side of it?
Wilbon: Warriors now, Spurs later. The Warriors are the best three point shooting team in the land. They just removed one of the few players who doesn't shoot threes and replaced him with Afflalo, one of the best shooters in the league. And this is after they acquired Ryan Anderson, whose main skill is shooting. So now you have a team who can torch you from deep, which can usually be the difference in the playoffs. I really like what the Warriors did here, Tony, but the Spurs did free up some future cap burden and may be on their way to blowing it up soon.
Kornheiser: Well let's not act like the Spurs got a lemon here. Z-Bo can still play, and he allows Smith to roam around to other positions, which is the strength of the Spurs. I think the Warriors got a little worse in this trade, but the Warriors could be even more dangerous next year if they gel a little more. But in any case, the West may have trouble dealing with both of these teams in the playoffs. We're gonna take a quick commercial break, folks, but when we come back, we'll play Oddsmakers.
