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The Rules of Pacers Digest

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Below are the rules of Pacers Digest. After you have read them, you will have a very good sense of where we are coming from, what we expect, what we don't want to see, and how we react to things.

Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

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"Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good? "

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We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.

Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.

A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.

There's always a small minority that like to push people's buttons and/or test their own boundaries with regards to the administrators, and in the case of someone acting like that, please be aware that this is not a court of law, but a private website run by people who are simply trying to do the right thing as they see it. If we feel that you are a special case that needs to be dealt with in an exceptional way because your behavior isn't explicitly mirroring one of our above examples of what we generally discourage, we can and we will take atypical action to prevent this from continuing if you are not cooperative with us.

Also please be aware that you will not be given a pass simply by claiming that you were 'only joking,' because quite honestly, when someone really is just joking, for one thing most people tend to pick up on the joke, including the person or group that is the target of the joke, and for another thing, in the event where an honest joke gets taken seriously and it upsets or angers someone, the person who is truly 'only joking' will quite commonly go out of his / her way to apologize and will try to mend fences. People who are dishonest about their statements being 'jokes' do not do so, and in turn that becomes a clear sign of what is really going on. It's nothing new.

In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.

Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.

If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!

All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.

Rule #2

If the actions of an administrator inspire you to make a comment, criticism, or express a concern about it, there is a wrong place and a couple of right places to do so.

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B) Send a private message to the administrators, and they can respond to you that way.

If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.

Rule #3

If a poster is bothering you, and an administrator has not or will not deal with that poster to the extent that you would prefer, you have a powerful tool at your disposal, one that has recently been upgraded and is now better than ever: The ability to ignore a user.

When you ignore a user, you will unfortunately still see some hints of their existence (nothing we can do about that), however, it does the following key things:

A) Any post they make will be completely invisible as you scroll through a thread.

B) The new addition to this feature: If someone QUOTES a user you are ignoring, you do not have to read who it was, or what that poster said, unless you go out of your way to click on a link to find out who it is and what they said.

To utilize this feature, from any page on Pacers Digest, scroll to the top of the page, look to the top right where it says 'Settings' and click that. From the settings page, look to the left side of the page where it says 'My Settings', and look down from there until you see 'Edit Ignore List' and click that. From here, it will say 'Add a Member to Your List...' Beneath that, click in the text box to the right of 'User Name', type in or copy & paste the username of the poster you are ignoring, and once their name is in the box, look over to the far right and click the 'Okay' button. All done!

Rule #4

Regarding infractions, currently they carry a value of one point each, and that point will expire in 31 days. If at any point a poster is carrying three points at the same time, that poster will be suspended until the oldest of the three points expires.

Rule #5

When you share or paste content or articles from another website, you must include the URL/link back to where you found it, who wrote it, and what website it's from. Said content will be removed if this doesn't happen.

An example:

If I copy and paste an article from the Indianapolis Star website, I would post something like this:

http://www.linktothearticlegoeshere.com/article
Title of the Article
Author's Name
Indianapolis Star

Rule #6

We cannot tolerate illegal videos on Pacers Digest. This means do not share any links to them, do not mention any websites that host them or link to them, do not describe how to find them in any way, and do not ask about them. Posts doing anything of the sort will be removed, the offenders will be contacted privately, and if the problem becomes habitual, you will be suspended, and if it still persists, you will probably be banned.

The legal means of watching or listening to NBA games are NBA League Pass Broadband (for US, or for International; both cost money) and NBA Audio League Pass (which is free). Look for them on NBA.com.

Rule #7

Provocative statements in a signature, or as an avatar, or as the 'tagline' beneath a poster's username (where it says 'Member' or 'Administrator' by default, if it is not altered) are an unwanted distraction that will more than likely be removed on sight. There can be shades of gray to this, but in general this could be something political or religious that is likely going to provoke or upset people, or otherwise something that is mean-spirited at the expense of a poster, a group of people, or a population.

It may or may not go without saying, but this goes for threads and posts as well, particularly when it's not made on the off-topic board (Market Square).

We do make exceptions if we feel the content is both innocuous and unlikely to cause social problems on the forum (such as wishing someone a Merry Christmas or a Happy Easter), and we also also make exceptions if such topics come up with regards to a sports figure (such as the Lance Stephenson situation bringing up discussions of domestic abuse and the law, or when Jason Collins came out as gay and how that lead to some discussion about gay rights).

However, once the discussion seems to be more/mostly about the political issues instead of the sports figure or his specific situation, the thread is usually closed.

Rule #8

We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.

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Generally speaking, we try to be a "PG-13" rated board, and we don't want to see sexual content or similarly suggestive content. Vulgarity is a more muddled issue, though again we prefer things to lean more towards "PG-13" than "R". If we feel things have gone too far, we will step in.

Rule #10

We like small signatures, not big signatures. The bigger the signature, the more likely it is an annoying or distracting signature.

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Do not advertise anything without talking about it with the administrators first. This includes advertising with your signature, with your avatar, through private messaging, and/or by making a thread or post.
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Ben Hansbrough Begins Proving Himself (Again)

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  • Ben Hansbrough Begins Proving Himself (Again)

    http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/ben-h...-himself-again

    Tyler Hansbrough, normally as stone-faced as the Statue of Liberty after games regardless of outcome, couldn't contain himself.

    "This is hilarious to me," he said, following the Pacers' 96-81 win over Cleveland at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

    "Why's that?" he was asked.

    "Nothing," Hansbrough said. "I just think it's funny. He hasn't had an interview postgame for a long time. Now me and Ben get on the court and he's getting interviewed more over there than David West, who's an All-Star."

    It was true. Tyler's younger brother, Ben, was around the corner talking into a sudden and steady stream of microphones inquiring about the first meaningful game of his NBA career. His numbers don't jump off the box score—six points, one assist, two steals, no turnovers—but those who saw it had to be impressed. Ben not only brought some life to the second unit and looked every bit an NBA point guard while doing so, he brought out the best in Tyler, who has struggled to this point of the season.

    Coach Frank Vogel's decision to drop D.J. Augustin from the playing rotation and go with the rookie free agent was made easy by Ben Hansbrough's inspired play in practice and Augustin's uninspired play in games, so it doesn't qualify as prescient. But it does qualify as consequential. It wasn't that obvious by numerical measurement in Wednesday's victory because the bench was outscored 35-21, but it did show in less tangible ways.

    Like tweets. Afterward, Paul George, who had his fifth straight strong outing with 27 points, launched the following warning into cyberspace: "DON'T mess with the Hansbroughs!"

    Paul George@Paul_George24
    DON'T mess with the Hansbroughs !
    12 Dec 12
    It showed in leadership, too. The rookie point guard knew where everybody was supposed to be, moved the ball quickly, played physical defense and was even shouting instructions from the end of the bench when he wasn't in the game.

    "He wasn't perfect, but he definitely provided a spark," Vogel said. "That unit had great defensive energy and he's a guy who'll hit a guy in the mouth. That's what he brings to the table."

    He also seemed to provide Tyler with a flashback to the three years they started together on their high school team in Poplar Bluff, Mo. That was most evident in the fourth quarter, when Ben took an inadvertent elbow in the neck from Cavs forward Tristan Thompson and hit the floor. Tyler's brotherly instincts kicked in and he had to be restrained to the point that Ben had to calm him down. Ben hit one of the two free throws awarded from the Flagrant 1 foul. On the Pacers' next possession, a still-revved Tyler drove to the basket from the left side as if he were desperately hoping someone would hit him. Samardo Samuels did him the favor and was called for a foul.

    One can only imagine what it must have been like in the Hansbrough household when Ben, Tyler and their older brother Greg were of the roughhousing age. What slab of drywall would stand a chance against their headbanging antics? But while Tyler is usually stoic and serious-minded, Ben is more outgoing and a more natural leader. That could pay huge dividends for Tyler, who has been shooting less than 40 percent from the field.

    Related: Ben Hansbrough Hopes His Vibe is Contagious »

    Tyler finished with seven points and three rebounds, again nothing worthy of a game ball, but he seemed revitalized. He even hit a mid-range jumper for a change—on an assist from Ben. Tyler had passed up a jumper early in the second period. Ben told him to trust his shot. Moments later, Tyler hit a 19-footer. On the next possession, Ben hit his first shot attempt of the game, a three-pointer from the right corner in front of the Pacers bench.

    "Sometimes we know how to push each other's buttons and light a fire under each other," Ben said. "If I'm playing soft, or not playing to my potential, he better tell me. Because I know I'll tell him.

    "I understand Tyler's game better than anybody. We're good for each other."

    Said Tyler: "I know his tendencies. I know what he's thinking and what he's going to do. The only surprising thing is that we're on the same team together. I always had confidence he could play at this level, but it's a little shocking that we're on the same team."

    There's a story behind that.

    Ben was the Big East Player of the Year as a senior at Notre Dame and a second-team All-American. He seemed destined to be drafted, but tore tendons in his left ankle while working out at Park Tudor High School with coach Ed Schilling and some of his players a couple of weeks before the NBA pre-draft camp in Chicago. One of the Park Tudor players not named Yogi Ferrell got under Hansbrough as he went up for a jump shot and by the time he landed his draft dream was over.

    Undrafted, Hansbrough signed to play with a team in Germany. Still slowed by his injury, he barely played and was released. He then signed with a team in Slovenia, but left that team. His NBA future didn't look any brighter when he averaged just six points for the Pacers' summer league team, but what happened the rest of the summer saved his career.

    He spent time again with Schilling and other area college players at the Trader's Point Academy over the summer, where former Pacers trainer David Craig helped alleviate some of the pain in his ankle, but a chance meeting with Brandon Kuhn, the basketball trainer at Western Kentucky, was the breakthrough.

    Hansbrough was on campus to visit his father, and went to the gym to visit an assistant coach who he had known at his original collegiate stop, Mississippi State. Kuhn approached him and told him he didn't look to be in very good condition. He wasn't, weighing 215 pounds at the time, but Hansbrough was taken aback by the stranger's bold assessment.

    "All right, you want to work me out?" Hansbrough asked.

    "Be here tomorrow at 9 a.m." Kuhn said.

    Kuhn put Hansbrough through the most difficult workouts of his life. Part of the regimen included exercises in sand pits in 100-degree weather to strengthen his damaged ankle.

    "He just murdered me," Hansbrough recalled. "I'd have to take the rest of the day off. I wanted to go in the gym and get shots up but I couldn't do it. I was in the best shape I'd been in since my senior year at Notre Dame."

    It was widely assumed that Hansbrough was invited to Pacers training camp as a formality, maybe even a favor to Tyler. He'd be another warm body for camp and then dispatched to the Development League or overseas. What people didn't know was that he was 20 pounds lighter than in the summer league, and played with a healthy ankle again. Augustin opened the door for him with his insufficient play, and Hansbrough jumped through it. The updated impression is that he's going to cling to the backup spot for the rest of the season, which puts a cloud over Augustin's future. Augustin is working on a one-year contract, and could be a valuable trade chip given his solid play the past two seasons in Charlotte.

    That's projecting, though. Reflecting, Ben Hansbrough has made a habit of proving people wrong. He had only two scholarship offers coming out of high school, from Mississippi State and Southern Illinois. The fact he accepted Mississippi State's offer after his junior season cooled the interest of recruiters, but regardless he was regarded as a mid-major player. He played two seasons at Mississippi State and then transferred to Notre Dame, where he proved he could play at the highest level.

    The lightly recruited and undrafted younger brother has always been eager to prove himself. Now he's got another chance.

    "I kind of like being overlooked," he said. "I try to look on the bright side. I use that as a way to drive myself. I play against some of these guys who were drafted and I have to go out and prove myself. It gives me a chip on my shoulder."

    Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Indiana Pacers. All opinions expressed by Mark Montieth are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Indiana Pacers, their partners, or sponsors.

    Have a question for Mark about Pacers past, present, or future? Email him at askmontieth@gmail.com for a chance to be featured in a mailbag article.
    Peck is basically omniscient when it comes to understanding how the minds of Herb Simon and Kevin Pritchard work. I was a fool to ever question him and now feel deep shame for not understanding that this team believes in continuity above talent.

  • #2
    Re: Ben Hansbrough Begins Proving Himself (Again)

    Great article from Montieth! I had no idea that Ben tore ligaments in his ankle prior to the draft. It explains why he wasn't even drafted in the 2nd round of a very weak draft.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Ben Hansbrough Begins Proving Himself (Again)

      Wait, there is an older Hansbrough? Does he hang out with Cooper Manning a lot?

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Ben Hansbrough Begins Proving Himself (Again)

        Nice article, thanks for posting.. I had no idea he damaged his ankle either pre draft. Good for Ben, he looked pretty good last night.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Ben Hansbrough Begins Proving Himself (Again)

          "What slab of drywall would stand a chance against their headbanging antics?"

          This will be a line in my forthcoming "The Ballad of the Indiana Hans-bros".

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Ben Hansbrough Begins Proving Himself (Again)

            Originally posted by BornReady View Post
            The updated impression is that he's going to cling to the backup spot for the rest of the season, which puts a cloud over Augustin's future. Augustin is working on a one-year contract, and could be a valuable trade chip given his solid play the past two seasons in Charlotte.


            This space for rent.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Ben Hansbrough Begins Proving Himself (Again)

              Originally posted by Anthem View Post


              Montieth is putting in a plug for Augustin right after explaining that he's been demoted because of his poor play. Trading him should be as easy as it was to trade Jamaal Tinsley, right?

              Oh, that's right! Nobody wants a player that's not good enough to be a back up PG especially one that started on the worse team in NBA history and that got benched by a rookie.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Ben Hansbrough Begins Proving Himself (Again)

                Originally posted by naptownmenace View Post
                Montieth is putting in a plug for Augustin right after explaining that he's been demoted because of his poor play. Trading him should be as easy as it was to trade Jamaal Tinsley, right?

                Oh, that's right! Nobody wants a player that's not good enough to be a back up PG especially one that started on the worse team in NBA history and that got benched by a rookie.
                No one except teams who might be desperate for cap space, but they most likely wouldn't have much to offer us anyways.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Ben Hansbrough Begins Proving Himself (Again)

                  I thought that he played well. He did not turn the ball over, he got the ball to the right people and played good defense. It may have not been flashy or stat worthy but he did his job well.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Ben Hansbrough Begins Proving Himself (Again)

                    Yep, we don't need flashy from our backup point. We just need not-putrid. Steady. Not too many mistakes. If Ben can continue to do that I'll be happy. We'll see what happens when teams start aggressively trapping him. It's coming.
                    "Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better." - Albert Camus

                    "Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." - Voltaire

                    "Everyone's values are defined by what they will tolerate when it is done to others." - William Greider

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Ben Hansbrough Begins Proving Himself (Again)

                      That article sure was dumping on Augustin considering it came from the Pacers' own website and writer....
                      Nuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.

                      ------

                      "A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork."

                      -John Wooden

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Ben Hansbrough Begins Proving Himself (Again)

                        Originally posted by Bball View Post
                        That article sure was dumping on Augustin considering it came from the Pacers' own website and writer....
                        It's not cool, but I can't say I blame him... DJ has been undeniably awful this season- especially given the hype we all ate during the preseason.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Ben Hansbrough Begins Proving Himself (Again)

                          Originally posted by gummy View Post
                          Yep, we don't need flashy from our backup point. We just need not-putrid. Steady. Not too many mistakes. If Ben can continue to do that I'll be happy. We'll see what happens when teams start aggressively trapping him. It's coming.
                          Excellent question. I even remember that he struggled with this in preseason against the Bulls at ND. This is the only real concern I have the remains to be addressed. I think in all other areas, he can probably give us what we saw v. Cavs with reasonable consistency.

                          Will that really be what we need? I don't know if it will be enough or not. It could be adequate. If not, and barring a miraculous response to benching by DJ, I'd have to think Lance get's next crack at back - up point guard (at least once DG is back). Not anticipating a trade to address this spot whether it's really the best option or not.
                          I'd rather die standing up than live on my knees.

                          -Emiliano Zapata

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Ben Hansbrough Begins Proving Himself (Again)

                            I'm excited to see him prove himself this time - especially given he's 100% healthy now
                            Peck is basically omniscient when it comes to understanding how the minds of Herb Simon and Kevin Pritchard work. I was a fool to ever question him and now feel deep shame for not understanding that this team believes in continuity above talent.

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