195 Comments
Feb 24, 2023·edited Feb 24, 2023

I think three years from now Warriors fans will really regret losing Wiseman. He missed so much playing time and came into the league so raw, it was obvious it would take time for him to develop. However, cutting him seems almost like a salary dump at this point. I think if they had the patience to keep with him, maybe he hurts the team a little this year but they'd be set at the 5 for the next 10 years. Time will tell.

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Wow, Eric, no like today. First, you trashed James and put the failure on his shoulders, but, then, you finish by covering all the bases, from backup, to starter, to a ''lottery'' star, and, finish off by saying he ran out of time...

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This entire thing is way too positive. The good shot that missed analogy is poor. This is more like being given the opportunity to buy a stock valued at ~$20M for only $10M, and then holding and holding, throwing in another $10M and eventually selling for zero. Every month that passed between drafting and trading Wiseman was an additional miss.

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And selling for zero is being generous. We're paying the max a healthy GP2 is worth for an injured GP2. Could there be a bigger bust than a #2 pick traded for negative value after 2 years?

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lol..Hey, we got one heck of a coach....we brought him in to take a bunch of young, budding stars that MJax had individually developed -particularly our HOF guards- and asked him to win championships because we didn't think MJax could take them/team to the promised land. Kerr did that...4 'SHIPS and 6 Finals appearances, so, he is worth 10-20 mil just for that. So what if he doesn't particularly blow the roof off in the developing young talent from scratch department...

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I'm a Kerr fan, Bob fan, Lacob fan, Wiseman fan, GP2 fan, and agree the war was won, I just see this one battle as a total bust :p

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lol...agree.

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They Probably tried to trade down-out of that 2nd Slot, but, found no takers. #2 pick was too high for Haliburton or Toppin ….. Wiseman was not a bad pick. I fault Warriors for not making it work w/WISEMAN ‘this year’….

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Since we have an open thread, I was thinking about Igoudala, and I decided to offer this ditty, with apologies to Stephen Foster (since it's a parody of one of his songs):

Verse:

The morn of life is past,

And evening comes at last;

It brings me a dream of a once happy day,

Of merry forms I've seen,

Back in 2017,

Hooping with that old dog Dre.

Chorus:

Old dog Dre’s ever faithful,

Dunks cannot drive him away,

He's helpful, he is kind;

We'll never, never find,

A better wing than old dog Dre.

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If Wiggs is not available Thursday, looks like a loss. Boo!!

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Feb 22, 2023·edited Feb 22, 2023Liked by Eric Apricot

Alright… Curry doing non-contact on court work. Sounds like 2-3w away with a minutes restriction for another week or two. I bet EA is right on the nose with his 3/13 projection, sigh. It’s gonna be wild if we’re playing the Blazers in the last game of the season with a play in berth on the line…

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If it's a day later, he'll have an extra year for recovery.

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Nothing easy

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Well now that the bruises have healed, I have to say I’m not sad to see James go. I’m really sad that the experiment didn’t work out. I’m bummed we missed out on the alternate universe where this guy stays healthy, learns faster, and contributes at a rotation player level now, and is an eventual replacement for Looney in the future. Where Kerr devises some new master scheme that takes advantage of Wiseman’s skills and develops them over time. Ah well.

But in this universe I’m ok. James was all potential and no reality. He was like that cute girl in High School that bantered with you some time but never actually dated you. A dream, a fantasy.

The future? I’m curious about lots of stuff.

- Will the front office, when faced with a top draft choice go for upside and potential again? Does this failure mean a change of philosophy, or do we see them step up to the craps table again and bet on the hard ways?

- Will we all feel dumb in our worry once again when the Dubs win another ring this year?

- In that very very (very) unlikely world in which the Warriors stumble their way to an early playoff exit, how does the budget get cut? Goodbye Draymond and Poole, find some vets, and let the chips fall where they may?

- In 24/25 when the roster cost is more under control, who is on the team? Currently under contract are Curry, Wiggins, Looney, JK, GP2, Poole, Moody, Baldwin, Rollins. Maybe throw in TyJo. Add a few rookies and vets, and Klay on a team friendly contract, is that the squad? Somehow I doubt it. A few trades could and should spice things up. And the new TV contract will give the team a lot more breathing space.

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I'm sorry. if you get rid of Dray, you are just giving up on competing for championships and

you may as well trade Curry too and get a lot of draft picks.

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They may not have much choice. If Dray opts out and there’s a bidding war, it’s hard to see him staying. But I hope he does stay.

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Yeah. I don't see a huge bidding war, but you're right. nothing guaranteed. I'm just saying if they just choose not to re-sign him, they are giving up ... and then what GreenDray said below, but I hope Sabrina is right instead.

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AND, this is easily overlooked, would ownership force Steph to play out his last contract on a rebuilding team without a shot at the title? I don't see it. Steph has to be on a contender for the next 3 seasons, in the best possible place to showcase his magic until he's 38 or so, whether that's here or somewhere else. They owe him that.

If Dray goes, Steph probably does as well, and probably not for a huge return, either (unless it's this offseason).

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Man, I gots to book me a flight to go see them live before the curtain falls..

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In trades, you gotta give up something worthwhile to get back something worthwhile… I’ll continue having a hard time seeing that

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You’re right, likely trades combined with free agents would be what happens. Or maybe they make the current squad work!

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Dalton Johnson

@DaltonJ_Johnson

Andrew Wiggins is not at Warriors practice and it sounds like he won’t play Thursday vs. the Lakers. Wiggins is still tending to a personal matter

-----

This season... is just... not... it.

(Obviously Wiggs should take however long he needs, though.)

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It's like the Rams winning the SB last year and paying for it this season. We sold our souls for that 4th one and now the basketball gods are collecting.

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There’s a rumor — just a rumor mind you — that before the ‘21-’22 season, Joe Lacob and Bob Myers went on a so-called “fishing trip” to Clarksdale, MS. They met up with their guide at the crossroads of U.S. Routes 49 and 61. Some say they brought a guitar with them. After that, the Warriors went on that big winning streak to open the season and ended up with a title. And now we seem to have fallen on hard times. Coincidence? I think not!

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If Lacob and Bob are good negotiators -- perhaps they secured more than one more ring for their souls? Everlasting demise vs surpassing LeBron -- who says no?

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I think LeBron has been down to that crossroads to make a deal too. How else to account for his almost supernatural ability and longevity and his unholy grip on his club's FO?

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Fo real… I worry that there’s ongoing illnesses…

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Lakers vs Warriors...

It's MUST WIN mode for Lebron in LaLa land. How will the Warriors respond to this challenge? Are they going to lay down and die or set the tone for the playoff push? Will they win the next game if they beat LA or go right back to their inconsistent selves? Find out Thursday on the next episode of Dragon Ball Z.

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Slightly OT, but apparently Wemby is still growing? Went from 7 3 in shoes to 7 5. I sure hope he has a great physio team and can stay healthy for a long career, kid is really fun to watch. Would be just JWs luck if the Pistons win the lottery. Maybe they can try playing 5 guys all seven foot or taller, with Wemby at PG?

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Hmm, guess neither Beef Stew nor Duren are actually seven foot, but would still be fun to see the Troy Weaver dream team out there. Wait, Bagley isn't seven foot either? No wonder they wanted JW, their tall guys are all tiny.

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crazy! Sounds awesome:

1) Cade

2) Wemby

3) Wise

4) Beef Stew?

5) Duren?

Forget teaching Wiseman how to play proper drop coverage. Get him on the wing and teach him how to navigate screens & switch.

That’s a big lineup that has at least two shooters. It all depends on Wiseman’s outside shooting!

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Bagley and Noel are 6'11" and Duren is 6'10" (and 250 lbs). That's close enough. I don't know what their wingspans are though.

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In the spirit of Darko Milicic, the Pistons are secretly trying to construct a roster of primarily #2 overall draft picks. They now have Bagley and Wiseman, and probably have feelers out for D'Angelo Russell, Lonzo Ball, Jabari Parker, and Victor Oladipo.

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Feb 22, 2023·edited Feb 22, 2023

So, with McMillan gone, the list of hardass coaches is getting pretty small.

Thibs

Malone (and only partially, supposedly he got along very well with Cousins).

Spoelstra (maybe)

Steve Clifford (who will be gone in the summer)

Anybody I'm missing?

It's going to be the attack of the warm fuzzy coaches from here on out.

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I'd count Spoelstra. I don't follow the Heat all that closely, but any coach who is willing to fist fight his star qualifies as a hardass...

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author

Main question to me is whether ATL can entice Kenny Atkinson from GSW and what that means for the coaching staff

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Haven't been happy with Atkinson in Mike Brown's old spot (so far), but he must be a heck of a coach. He's turning down head coaching jobs and /still/ getting offers.

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Doesn't his son still have 2 more years in HS, which was one of the big reasons he backed out of CHA? Guess we'll see if that was the real reason, or he didn't appreciate being told he had to keep all the current asst coaches on staff because MJ is cheap

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That assistant coach thing didn't tell him about until he nearly took the job is the reason.

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Do you think Nate McMillan would be a good addition to the Warriors coaches?

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Feb 22, 2023·edited Feb 22, 2023

Better job than Charlotte certainly. But, I'm not really sure Kenny is a player-friendly coach (that's actually what made me think to post the list above). I wonder what Trae would say to that.

Edit: I could also see Kenny and Kerr coming to a mutual agreement to go their separate ways this summer. The coaching staff is going to be heavily scrutinized over the summer. I could certainly see Kerr feeling he needs a Mike Brown style coach, who perhaps can connect with the players more than Atkinson.

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Feb 22, 2023Liked by Eric Apricot

I think the Wiseman pick turned out marvelously. Even as a cautionary tale to the other young players who learned that playing time was not a birthright but something earned through defense and Staying Ready, Wiseman's presence/plight was likely an influencing factor in the development of our bench players who contributed mightily to our World Freaking Championship. I would not pluck a single tuft from a single wing of any butterfly that came across our path between the 2020 draft and the 2022 Finals. In the vacuum of available playing time stepped JK, OPJ, GP2, and within the howling need for 2nd or 3rd or sometimes 1st playoff scorer, we witnessed the emergence of the mercurial splash phantom JP (who, during this sentence, I have apparently named the Splash Phantom. It has been a slow day at work). No regrets regarding this draft, at all. Our result was perfect.

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Yeah this is the take I go for too. It's not that hard to imagine drafting Ball leading to a universe where the Warriors don't win last year. Maybe if Pistons drafted Melo, the rotations get skewed and they wouldn't have had the toughness to win in 2004. It doesn't mean Wiseman or Darko ended up being good picks, but it means that we have the privilege of not hemming and hawing too much over the misfortune of those picks. There are plenty of #2 overall busts. We busted, but somehow still win. Who has it better than us??

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I wish i could give this more likes.

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Yeah I am with you there. If drafting any other player in 2020 somehow affects our chances at a title in 2022, I would draft Wiseman all over again with 20/20 hindsight.

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Feb 21, 2023·edited Feb 22, 2023

Besides the obvious of how his lack of experience combined with rotten luck trying to play catch up, I think there are two aspects that fly under the radar.

1. The Warriors drafted Wiseman at a time when there were many concerns about the SC/KT/DG core. Klay wrecked his knee, Steph was at an age where a decline was to be expected and Draymond seemed like his body was starting to betray him. We all know now how premature reports of their demise were, but there was a very real chance that they’d need to start over and saw JW is a potential cornerstone.

2. With all the talk of “two timelines”, it’s really turned into one-and-a-half timelines. Instead of a rebuild, the core is still here and they have a new core of 20-something guys who are contributing now AND can lead a good team as the OG’s fade. Clearly, they see Poole, Wiggins and Kuminga as fitting the bill. (I’m certain they’d love to keep DDV for this reason, unlikely as it may be and I’d argue Ty Jerome is exactly the type of rare glue-guy role player that they should invest in.) They took most of this season (before his salary escalates) and determined JW’s not on that “1.5” timeline and was unlikely to supplant their existing 20-something current/future contributor who keeps getting improving and is the “moral compass of the team”.

Personally, I think a post-Curry/Klay/Dray era built around Poole, Wiggins, Kuminga, Looney and Ty, with perhaps any Moody/PBJ/Rollins stepping up in the next season or two, is pretty nice. Wiseman was simply too big a question mark (at too big a cost) to bet on him being a meaningful part of it.

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Ty Jerome is basically a poor man’s Ty Haliburton.

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Thats going to hurt some soles on here...

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Player A: 6’5”, 187 lbs, 48%FG/40%3P/86%FT, .610 TS%, 17p/4r/8.5a per 36

Player B: 6’5” 195 lbs, 51%FG/41%3P/91%FT, .621 TS%, 14.5p/3.3r/5.8a per 36

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Feb 22, 2023·edited Feb 22, 2023

A= Ty

B= other Ty

Amirite?

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Damn, I thought it’d be tougher!

(B is our Ty)

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They're both Ty, tho... that was the joke.

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That would be quite a feat.

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Yeah I just re-read that. Dyslexia is a bitch and why I hardly post.

Not a jab I know you're kidding it's just how it is.

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The post is fine, I just couldn't resist the malapropism.

My brother has dyslexia and finds it quite frustrating. Had I known, I would have refrained.

Apologies for that.

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All good as I said. and thanks.

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Feb 22, 2023·edited Feb 22, 2023

Right down to the funky-yet-effective jumper! Ty Jeromiburton!

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This may be the best short non-tl;dr post on JW and how I saw it and still do.

Still thinking in a transition year, we keep Poole and let Klay walk for the money and moving forward but we shall see.

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If somebody is going to give Klay $160M/4y starting in the 2024 offseason, the Warriors probably let him walk... sadly, but appropriately... But I expect he's not getting anything near that, and that they'll be able to keep him. Something along the lines of $100M/3y feels like something they'll be able to keep him with.

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That’s way more than Wiggins’ deal, who’s arguably more valuable and younger.

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Wiggins got a 4th year, but it's a year closer to the new CBA, Klay's a way more valuable offensive piece, and I bet Wiggins could have got more on the open market but chose not to, while I think Klay will try to "get what he's worth".

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I'm not sure Klay will go to where he gets the most. He spoke a lot during his rehab about the support he got from the Dubs, to me signaling that he, after getting paid a lot to not play, would take that into consideration - along with the points from ATH.

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"get what he's worth". You may be right about Klay but on the other hand he has repeatedly said he wants to stay and retire here, that he does not want to play for any other coach but Kerr. And $100M/3 yrs is not chump change. It would keep him and Steph together, and possibly Draymond (tbd). So I would not give up hope.

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This is the dream. Sync up Klay and Dray's contracts with Steph. At 38, 35, and 35, I think the team would be forgiven if Klay and Dray chose a big-money option elsewhere. But maybe they all sign on a sunset discount and come off the bench for a year or two. I'd love that. We'll see what /they/ love.

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Feb 22, 2023·edited Feb 22, 2023

Thanks and I agree about Klay. Between he, Steph and Dray, he seems the most expendable. With Wiggins, Kuminga and GP2 around, his on-ball defense less essential and his great shooting is still often offset by his shot hunting. At least we hopefully get one more season of them all together after this one.

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Sorry for the rambling post…

Don't blame it on the sunshine

Don't blame it on the moonlight

Don't blame it on the good times

Blame it on sativa

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That was some well-reasoned sativa!

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Not rambling at all. I thought it was right on point (except that I still held out hope for Wiseman).

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As did I, but he just couldn’t stay healthy enough to take advantages of potential playing time. After the whole mess at Memphis, I really think Wiseman would’ve benefited from a year in the G-League to really prepare himself to do battle against more grown men.

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I was rooting for this at the beginning of his rookie year. Manage the expectations and get him some much needed on-court experience.

The main reply I got was that you don't send the 2nd pick to the G-league. But it felt like an exceptional case -- 19 years old and with only 3 college games on his resume, he was basically a glorified high schooler. And with no summer league or training camp, they were throwing him into the deep end and just expecting him to swim by starting him on opening night. They really mismanaged his development and the expectations. By the time they figured that out, a bunch of damage had been done.

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I really wanted Wiseman to be able to work out over a summer with Hakeem and/or KG. And two summers ago he apparently was scheduled to work out with KG but his injury precluded it. Too bad because either of those guys could help him a lot. I don't know how good Detroit is at developing young players but I hope for JW's sake that he can stay healthy and that Detroit will be, well, wise enough to get him to someone like Dream or KG for tutoring.

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If you’ve ever felt the Paul George and Tatum seem to be a bit mentally soft but you haven’t been able to nail it down. This might help. 14 of 17 All-Stars polled are for keeping the first round a 7 game series. Tatum and George would prefer 5 games:

George: “I would like it, just because of how long the season is, how long the postseason is. I would like it, because the real battles happen later in the playoffs.”

Tatum:“Playoffs are long, right? Four seven-game series, that’s a lot. So if I had a vote, yeah, I’d go back to five.”

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Paul George came back from a nightmare lower leg fracture in 2014, and he came all the way back. That doesn't seem mentally soft to me.

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True. Lord knows rehab is hell. Anyone that comes back stronger is a total bad a$$.

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5 was put in place to get Koby a few more shots at the chip. Nothing else.

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I have the opposite take. 7 games for the first round is too long. 82 games is too long for the regular season. Anything shortening the 2 is positive for player health and fan experience.

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Completely disagree. Can't cut games without cutting salaries. Players won't go for that. Lots of other options - how about playing a lot more games within the division (reduced travel), then have a couple of tournaments where teams play against the other conference.

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No more B2B on the road. Let's at least start there.

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You should get into college basketball. Short and sweet. Two games a week and single elimination awesomeness in March.

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There's a simple way to avoid 7 game series. Win in 4.

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Feb 21, 2023Liked by Eric Apricot

Forgot to mention that I really enjoyed this write up about Wiseman.

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This!

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