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CamrnCrz1974
Joined: 18 Nov 2004
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 Posted: 07/21/20 2:36 pm ::: |
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Mercury's Skylar Diggins-Smith wants alleged attempted lynching prosecuted as hate crime
Eric Woodyard (ESPN)
July 21, 2020
When WNBA action resumes in Florida on July 25, women will dedicate the opening weekend to the Black Lives Matter movement. However, Phoenix Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith isn't waiting until then to use her platform for social and racial justice.
The four-time WNBA All-Star, along with hip-hop star Yo Gotti, wrote and sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr Tuesday, urging him to investigate and prosecute the alleged attempted lynching of Vauhxx Rush Booker in Indiana on July 4 as a federal hate crime.
https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/29510561/mercury-skylar-diggins-smith-wants-alleged-attempted-lynching-prosecuted-hate-crime
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Shades
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
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| Posted: 08/09/20 1:05 pm ::: |
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hyperetic
Joined: 11 Oct 2005
Posts: 5361
Location: Fayetteville
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| Posted: 08/11/20 10:01 pm ::: |
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| I've been out of it for awhile. Hadn't watched much basketball since it started back up, men's or women's. I noticed a couple of scores (probably from the first two games) but I got a chance to watch highlights from the last two. I was worried about defense somewhat but Brondello seems to have lit a fire under them. I am liking these Cunningham leak outs. Seems like other teams would catch on but whatever, ride it till it won't go no more. |
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pilight
Joined: 23 Sep 2004
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| Posted: 08/31/20 1:57 pm ::: |
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| Hartley has a torn ACL, done for the year
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TigerVol
Joined: 16 Jul 2008
Posts: 2209
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| Posted: 08/31/20 2:17 pm ::: |
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Bummer.
I hoped it was just hurt for the short remainder of this season not a major injury.
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Richyyy
Joined: 17 Nov 2005
Posts: 24356
Location: London
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| Posted: 08/31/20 3:35 pm ::: |
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Could be a hit for the French national team, too - she might struggle to be back to full fitness by the Olympics. Really a shame for someone who was having a good season to get cut down like that.
And I hate that we've seen so damn many of these injuries at this point that we all pretty much know what it is the moment it happens. |
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Iluvacc
Joined: 11 Jun 2005
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mercfan3
Joined: 23 Nov 2004
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| Posted: 08/31/20 5:31 pm ::: |
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| Richyyy wrote: |
Could be a hit for the French national team, too - she might struggle to be back to full fitness by the Olympics. Really a shame for someone who was having a good season to get cut down like that.
And I hate that we've seen so damn many of these injuries at this point that we all pretty much know what it is the moment it happens. |
Really hoping she’s healthy for that. Honestly it’s the first thing I thought of. Merc weren’t winning anything without BG - although I was enjoying her play.
Hopefully she returns to form by next year. It’s not out of the question..but it’ll be a shame if she has to miss the Olympics too. She had such a promo going basketball year ahead of her..
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CamrnCrz1974
Joined: 18 Nov 2004
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| Posted: 09/01/20 3:13 pm ::: |
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With the later season start, Harley's injury could impact the 2021 season, with the timetable for recovery.
Hartley signed a three-year deal, as a reminder.
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mercfan
Joined: 08 May 2013
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| Posted: 09/04/20 12:29 pm ::: |
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This is unrelated to this particular season but I was just cruising through some stats today and noticed that the 2014 championship team's starters are the following on the all-time scoring list:
32 year old Diana Taurasi (1st and separating)
28 year old Candice Dupree (5th and climbing)
27 year old Dewanna Bonner (19 and climbing)
33 year old Penny Taylor (27)
23 year old Brittney Griner (41 - had she not left the bubble, 38 and climbing)
Just crazy talent and mostly in the prime ages of each career besides Taylor who was still spectacular that season. I know the league isn't THAT old but this is still ridiculous and is likely going to be the strongest offensive starting lineup of all time when it's said and done.
I know the 2017 Minnesota starting lineup has all five players in the top 37 and some Seattle teams might be up there but dang.
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pilight
Joined: 23 Sep 2004
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| Posted: 09/07/20 3:56 pm ::: |
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| Merc sign Alisia Jenkins
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mercfan
Joined: 08 May 2013
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| Posted: 09/09/20 10:49 pm ::: |
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Does anyone else feel like Turner, Griner and Diggins won't work next season unless Griner can step out to the three point line?
Turner is everything Griner isn't but clogs up the lane with Griner, who needs that space to make an impact offensively. Griner doesn't allow Diggins space to go north south and dramatically slows down the offense which is not when Skylar is at her best.
I absolutely love Brittney but I am starting to wonder what we are going to do with the roster in order to maximize potential. You can't dump Turner and you can't bench her either. I am just not sure Griner and Turner works.
Lastly, thinking about Brittney and hope everything is okay in her personal life.
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johnjohnW
Joined: 11 Aug 2020
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| Posted: 09/10/20 7:49 am ::: |
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| mercfan wrote: |
Does anyone else feel like Turner, Griner and Diggins won't work next season unless Griner can step out to the three point line?
Turner is everything Griner isn't but clogs up the lane with Griner, who needs that space to make an impact offensively. Griner doesn't allow Diggins space to go north south and dramatically slows down the offense which is not when Skylar is at her best.
I absolutely love Brittney but I am starting to wonder what we are going to do with the roster in order to maximize potential. You can't dump Turner and you can't bench her either. I am just not sure Griner and Turner works.
Lastly, thinking about Brittney and hope everything is okay in her personal life. |
I think the Merc definitely have to figure this roster out. However, I would be more interested to see how SDS, BG and Turner work with Diana off the floor. That's the biggest thing to be concerned about on the Merc roster. How does everything change when DT retires. That's the obvious reason they brought in SDS. So to me, it's more important to establish the chemistry between SDS and BG. Turner, as excellent as she is playing, would be expendable for more complimentary pieces of needed.
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SCook
Joined: 09 Oct 2013
Posts: 3254
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: 09/10/20 5:54 pm ::: |
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| mercfan wrote: |
Does anyone else feel like Turner, Griner and Diggins won't work next season unless Griner can step out to the three point line?
Turner is everything Griner isn't but clogs up the lane with Griner, who needs that space to make an impact offensively. Griner doesn't allow Diggins space to go north south and dramatically slows down the offense which is not when Skylar is at her best.
I absolutely love Brittney but I am starting to wonder what we are going to do with the roster in order to maximize potential. You can't dump Turner and you can't bench her either. I am just not sure Griner and Turner works.
Lastly, thinking about Brittney and hope everything is okay in her personal life. |
I think it can work IF (and its a big IF) the coaching staff can find a way to combine the styles. Phoenix isn't going to always succeed when they play large and they aren't going to always be effective playing small. Small ball works now because a lot of teams are quicker with the altered rosters but what happens when Sylvia, Jonquel, and Cambage return?
The chemistry between BG and Breezy Bri has been evident since last season. They do work well together. However, its about spacing and about roles. Breezy has the best chemistry with BG out of everyone on the roster that played with her last season. She plays off of her well and is a hell of a defender. They compliment each other. However, if they resign Breland, she has more of an outside game that could put her in the starting lineup and have Turner come off the bench. I rather have BG and Breezy Bri start together but if that gives Phoenix a stronger bench then it is what it is.
As far as Skylar goes, they are going to have to find the chemistry. That will come from playing together more. Unfortunate that it didn't happen this season because of BG's departure but it can be a point of interest for the coming season. Diana can definitely help mentor her to how to play with BG and I do think that they will be fine.
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mercfan3
Joined: 23 Nov 2004
Posts: 19760
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| Posted: 09/10/20 7:30 pm ::: |
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| johnjohnW wrote: |
| mercfan wrote: |
Does anyone else feel like Turner, Griner and Diggins won't work next season unless Griner can step out to the three point line?
Turner is everything Griner isn't but clogs up the lane with Griner, who needs that space to make an impact offensively. Griner doesn't allow Diggins space to go north south and dramatically slows down the offense which is not when Skylar is at her best.
I absolutely love Brittney but I am starting to wonder what we are going to do with the roster in order to maximize potential. You can't dump Turner and you can't bench her either. I am just not sure Griner and Turner works.
Lastly, thinking about Brittney and hope everything is okay in her personal life. |
I think the Merc definitely have to figure this roster out. However, I would be more interested to see how SDS, BG and Turner work with Diana off the floor. That's the biggest thing to be concerned about on the Merc roster. How does everything change when DT retires. That's the obvious reason they brought in SDS. So to me, it's more important to establish the chemistry between SDS and BG. Turner, as excellent as she is playing, would be expendable for more complimentary pieces of needed. |
A potential DOY and a player that consistently gets double digit rebounds in her second year is not expendable.
I actually agree that Brit should work on shooting. She's an excellent midrange shooter. In fact, she's a finesse player in general. (And actually, this is something Turner could work on as well so that they all can mix it up.) I would think three point shooting would be part of a natural evolution. Brit needs a rebounder next to her.
We also need to consider that that they all really haven't had much time on the floor together. This assumption that they don't work might be off because maybe with a training camp and with everyone in game shape - they would.
That fifth player needs to be a 3 and D kind of player. When DT retires - assuming Hartley returns to form..a Hartley/Diggins backcourt would be a really good one. We'd still need a shooter though. And I thought Hartley and Brit had instant chemistry.
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SCook
Joined: 09 Oct 2013
Posts: 3254
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: 09/10/20 8:43 pm ::: |
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| mercfan3 wrote: |
| johnjohnW wrote: |
| mercfan wrote: |
Does anyone else feel like Turner, Griner and Diggins won't work next season unless Griner can step out to the three point line?
Turner is everything Griner isn't but clogs up the lane with Griner, who needs that space to make an impact offensively. Griner doesn't allow Diggins space to go north south and dramatically slows down the offense which is not when Skylar is at her best.
I absolutely love Brittney but I am starting to wonder what we are going to do with the roster in order to maximize potential. You can't dump Turner and you can't bench her either. I am just not sure Griner and Turner works.
Lastly, thinking about Brittney and hope everything is okay in her personal life. |
I think the Merc definitely have to figure this roster out. However, I would be more interested to see how SDS, BG and Turner work with Diana off the floor. That's the biggest thing to be concerned about on the Merc roster. How does everything change when DT retires. That's the obvious reason they brought in SDS. So to me, it's more important to establish the chemistry between SDS and BG. Turner, as excellent as she is playing, would be expendable for more complimentary pieces of needed. |
A potential DOY and a player that consistently gets double digit rebounds in her second year is not expendable.
I actually agree that Brit should work on shooting. She's an excellent midrange shooter. In fact, she's a finesse player in general. (And actually, this is something Turner could work on as well so that they all can mix it up.) I would think three point shooting would be part of a natural evolution. Brit needs a rebounder next to her.
We also need to consider that that they all really haven't had much time on the floor together. This assumption that they don't work might be off because maybe with a training camp and with everyone in game shape - they would.
That fifth player needs to be a 3 and D kind of player. When DT retires - assuming Hartley returns to form..a Hartley/Diggins backcourt would be a really good one. We'd still need a shooter though. And I thought Hartley and Brit had instant chemistry. |
I agree. Turner is not expendable. Phoenix needs to keep her and help her development or encourage her to continue to develop. Her and BG could be one hell of a interior presence.
BG's midrange game is smooth and very consistent to the point where we've seen that she doesn't have to always be back to the basket. Honestly, I don't feel like her game was every truly centered around just that anyways. She has the green light to shoot 3's but she chooses not to and I wonder if she feels that she isn't a good enough 3 pt shooter yet and that's why she does not take them. Sandy may need to force her hand by calling plays for her to shoot from there.
You are correct, Bria had the best instant chemistry with BG. It's like she knew exactly where she was going to be or where she needed the ball. She also played well off her too. They are a pretty good duo.
With more time together, this team will be really good. Hoping Bria has a nice recovery and that BG is good as well.
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mercfan
Joined: 08 May 2013
Posts: 1910
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| Posted: 09/10/20 9:44 pm ::: |
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| SCook wrote: |
| mercfan3 wrote: |
| johnjohnW wrote: |
| mercfan wrote: |
Does anyone else feel like Turner, Griner and Diggins won't work next season unless Griner can step out to the three point line?
Turner is everything Griner isn't but clogs up the lane with Griner, who needs that space to make an impact offensively. Griner doesn't allow Diggins space to go north south and dramatically slows down the offense which is not when Skylar is at her best.
I absolutely love Brittney but I am starting to wonder what we are going to do with the roster in order to maximize potential. You can't dump Turner and you can't bench her either. I am just not sure Griner and Turner works.
Lastly, thinking about Brittney and hope everything is okay in her personal life. |
I think the Merc definitely have to figure this roster out. However, I would be more interested to see how SDS, BG and Turner work with Diana off the floor. That's the biggest thing to be concerned about on the Merc roster. How does everything change when DT retires. That's the obvious reason they brought in SDS. So to me, it's more important to establish the chemistry between SDS and BG. Turner, as excellent as she is playing, would be expendable for more complimentary pieces of needed. |
A potential DOY and a player that consistently gets double digit rebounds in her second year is not expendable.
I actually agree that Brit should work on shooting. She's an excellent midrange shooter. In fact, she's a finesse player in general. (And actually, this is something Turner could work on as well so that they all can mix it up.) I would think three point shooting would be part of a natural evolution. Brit needs a rebounder next to her.
We also need to consider that that they all really haven't had much time on the floor together. This assumption that they don't work might be off because maybe with a training camp and with everyone in game shape - they would.
That fifth player needs to be a 3 and D kind of player. When DT retires - assuming Hartley returns to form..a Hartley/Diggins backcourt would be a really good one. We'd still need a shooter though. And I thought Hartley and Brit had instant chemistry. |
I agree. Turner is not expendable. Phoenix needs to keep her and help her development or encourage her to continue to develop. Her and BG could be one hell of a interior presence.
BG's midrange game is smooth and very consistent to the point where we've seen that she doesn't have to always be back to the basket. Honestly, I don't feel like her game was every truly centered around just that anyways. She has the green light to shoot 3's but she chooses not to and I wonder if she feels that she isn't a good enough 3 pt shooter yet and that's why she does not take them. Sandy may need to force her hand by calling plays for her to shoot from there.
You are correct, Bria had the best instant chemistry with BG. It's like she knew exactly where she was going to be or where she needed the ball. She also played well off her too. They are a pretty good duo.
With more time together, this team will be really good. Hoping Bria has a nice recovery and that BG is good as well. |
The Mercury could realistically have the top backcourt in the league next year and a top 2 front court. If Sandy can figure this out it could be beautiful. Health will be a major factor but imagining this team working chemistry wise with another year of Smith and Turner development...scary.
Unlike others in this discussion I’m more reserved in terms of believing BG and Turner will work just from a spacing and pacing angle but I’ll drink the koolaid for now.
The better question might be, who is expendable to the point in which better value can be found in return? This roster seems to have a lot of great players at full strength.
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johnjohnW
Joined: 11 Aug 2020
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| Posted: 09/10/20 10:01 pm ::: |
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Forgive me for calling Turner expendable. I was working off the supposition that she and BG are a bad fit and thought you were suggesting the Mercury may need to trade BG as a result. I definitely think they can be a good fit together and hope Sandy can make that happen. At the end of the day, the Mercury are in good position to have one of them on the floor at all times.
That being said, I really like Cunningham and would like to keep her around. I'm not sure what value SWK, Smith or Coffey have at this point. I'd take a gamble on trading any of them and hope the player we get in return is better.
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TotalCardinalMove
Joined: 13 Oct 2013
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| Posted: 09/11/20 9:44 am ::: |
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| johnjohnW wrote: |
Forgive me for calling Turner expendable. I was working off the supposition that she and BG are a bad fit and thought you were suggesting the Mercury may need to trade BG as a result. I definitely think they can be a good fit together and hope Sandy can make that happen. At the end of the day, the Mercury are in good position to have one of them on the floor at all times.
That being said, I really like Cunningham and would like to keep her around. I'm not sure what value SWK, Smith or Coffey have at this point. I'd take a gamble on trading any of them and hope the player we get in return is better. |
I think for SWK, it’s a bit concerning Sandy opts to go with Cunningham and/or Peddy in crunch time. And that’s with one having back issues and the other even newer on the team. Cunningham does what she’s asked and seems to be able to play with anyone, and holds her own defensively. I think she’s a keeper, even though I wasn’t fully convinced after last season.
I’m not sure I’d keep Breland. I also don’t think Coffey is worth bringing back either. It’s a real shame they chose her over Cooper.
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shontay33
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
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| Posted: 09/11/20 10:41 am ::: |
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| mercfan wrote: |
Does anyone else feel like Turner, Griner and Diggins won't work next season unless Griner can step out to the three point line?
Turner is everything Griner isn't but clogs up the lane with Griner, who needs that space to make an impact offensively. Griner doesn't allow Diggins space to go north south and dramatically slows down the offense which is not when Skylar is at her best.
I absolutely love Brittney but I am starting to wonder what we are going to do with the roster in order to maximize potential. You can't dump Turner and you can't bench her either. I am just not sure Griner and Turner works.
Lastly, thinking about Brittney and hope everything is okay in her personal life. |
My take is this:
1. You will get what you will get out of BG. I don't expect her to be a double digit re bounder or 3pt shooter. She is who she is and the Mercury has accepted that.
2. BG and Candice Dupree played together and won a championship with both of their strengths being back to the basket players so having Turner out there will not be an issue because, she is a great re bounder and holds her own on defense. The Mercury will definitely need Turner. Once Turner develops an outside shot then we wont have to question if she fits. She has already made strides as a player.
3. As far as clogging the lane and style of play, its up to Sandy if she wants to play to the strengths of SDS and Hartley or BG. This depends on the rotation she uses next season. Once BG goes out, you can bring Turner in to run the floor as she is capable of playing at a fast pace.
4. Back court wise if DT retires, they should play to their strengths which is playing at a higher pace. But with BG,it would be difficult to do that because when BG decides to play it becomes a strength for the
mercury but, the pace slows down because someone has to give BG the ball in order for her to be effective. This gives me the conclusion that we will see both styles of play based on the lineups that Sandy has at certain points of the game.
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Luuuc
#NATC
Joined: 10 Feb 2005
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| Posted: 09/11/20 5:54 pm ::: |
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I don't think Dupree = Turner is a very good comparison.
Every team needs a Turner so I'm glad we have one, but at the moment her effective shooting range is about 2', whereas Dupree from mid-range is something that opposing defenses need to be very wary of.
So for sure it's going to be a challenge to make a Griner-Turner front court effective offensively. eg. pick-and-rolls lose an option straight away when the screener can't shoot.
It'd be great if BT developed a jump shot but even if she doesn't she's already an asset, so the immediate challenge for Brondello & Co is to build something in the off-season that makes this tandem more effective. I guess the other option already mentioned by some is trading their way out of the situation, but I don't see that happening in this case.
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Thanks for calling. I wait all night for calls like these.
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I was really enjoying her shutting us up for complaining about her contract.
