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The Rules of Pacers Digest

Hello everyone,

Whether your are a long standing forum member or whether you have just registered today, it's a good idea to read and review the rules below so that you have a very good idea of what to expect when you come to Pacers Digest.

A quick note to new members: Your posts will not immediately show up when you make them. An administrator has to approve at least your first post before the forum software will later upgrade your account to the status of a fully-registered member. This usually happens within a couple of hours or so after your post(s) is/are approved, so you may need to be a little patient at first.

Why do we do this? So that it's more difficult for spammers (be they human or robot) to post, and so users who are banned cannot immediately re-register and start dousing people with verbal flames.

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:

"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"

"People with intelligence will agree with me when I say that __________"

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

"I can't wait to hear something from PosterX when he/she sees that **insert a given incident or current event that will have probably upset or disappointed PosterX here**"

"He/she is just delusional"

"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

"I'm going to take a moment to point and / laugh at PosterX / GroupOfPeopleY who thought / believed *insert though/belief here*"

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

In general, if a comment goes from purely on topic to something 'ad hominem' (personal jabs, personal shots, attacks, flames, however you want to call it, towards a person, or a group of people, or a given city/state/country of people), those are most likely going to be found intolerable.

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.

The wrong place is to do so in the original thread in which the administrator took action. For example, if a post gets an infraction, or a post gets deleted, or a comment within a larger post gets clipped out, in a thread discussing Paul George, the wrong thing to do is to distract from the discussion of Paul George by adding your off topic thoughts on what the administrator did.

The right places to do so are:

A) Start a thread about the specific incident you want to talk about on the Feedback board. This way you are able to express yourself in an area that doesn't throw another thread off topic, and this way others can add their two cents as well if they wish, and additionally if there's something that needs to be said by the administrators, that is where they will respond to it.

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.

Rule #9

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.

Rule #11

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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Looking ahead.....

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  • #16
    Re: Looking ahead.....

    Personally, I like JJ - but I don't see much about him that makes me think he's worth much more than the league min. That said, I don't see him getting more money anywhere else, and I like having him on the squad. Heck of a late second round pick up from where I'm standing. Cheers, Donnie.
    "If you ever crawl inside an old hollow log and go to sleep, and while you're in there some guys come and seal up both ends and then put it on a truck and take it to another city, boy, I don't know what to tell you." - Jack Handy

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Looking ahead.....

      I think we keep him. He already knows the system which is pretty valuable and it should cost much to resign him. When is Pollard's contract up and Cros for that matter? We have Bender under contract for a bit right?

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: Looking ahead.....

        Originally posted by Peck
        I think James Jones becomes a restricted free agent this summer, what does everybody think we should do with him?

        Is he a keeper or should we let him walk?

        If Artest is still here, which is what I believe will happen, then our S.F. spot is R.A. with J.J. as backup?

        Jax will probably start at the two guard spot & we all know that when he plays Ron gets about 38-40 min. a game so J.J. would still get limited time.

        Fred will cover the backup 2, 3 & even some backup 1.

        Do we even wanna consider Bender into this mix?

        I guess what I'm saying is do we really want or need to invest any kind of money on James or could we get by with another second round or NBDL forward for real cheap to just get spot min. or even warm the I.R.L., assuming there is room with two of the three spots needing to be reserved for Jon & Jamaal.

        One would have to be absolutely insane to not consider Ron Artest's backup CRUCIAL. IF we keep him. (which I still don't think will happen, no matter what they are saying now)

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Looking ahead.....

          I think JJ's going to be a keeper. he hasn't shown enough for anyone else to pay him big $. I've seen several coaching staff comments about his strong work ethic. Pacers value that big time. He's come along way in the past year. He won't be a star, but he'll be a solid player, hopefully for us.
          We'll keep him.

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Looking ahead.....

            I'm very lukewarm on JJ. Good shooter, good rebounder, decent defender. Horrible pass, awful post passer, horrible ball handler. Nice guy who will nevr cause any problems.

            He'll never be more than a 8th or 9th man on a good team.

            If the price is right I have no problem keeping him, but if he plays a lot that means another bad season

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Looking ahead.....

              Originally posted by Peck
              However what I didn't get across in my initial post was that I am really wondering if he will be worth any kind of money even if it is just above league min. if all the guy is going to do is get 8 min. a game at most.
              And that would be 8 x more than what we have been getting from . . . .
              The best exercise of the human heart is reaching down and picking someone else up.

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Looking ahead.....

                I say keep him. Unless there is a very very stupid team out there that wants him (Knicks) and would pay him the mid level I think he will be in the 1m range and will be well worth it. Dump Edwards keep JJ.


                I am getting pissed off that Edwards is on the team. Actually I should say I am still pissed off that Edwards is on this team. He can provide nothing and we passed up a guy who would be able to give us valuable minutes.

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Looking ahead.....

                  Originally posted by Ragnar
                  I say keep him. Unless there is a very very stupid team out there that wants him (Knicks) and would pay him the mid level I think he will be in the 1m range and will be well worth it. Dump Edwards keep JJ.


                  I am getting pissed off that Edwards is on the team. Actually I should say I am still pissed off that Edwards is on this team. He can provide nothing and we passed up a guy who would be able to give us valuable minutes.

                  Who did we pass up ?

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Looking ahead.....

                    Holcomb

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Looking ahead.....

                      From my perspective, consider Bender's injuries and lack of perimeter defense, I believe that JJ is a much better fit for the needs of the Pacers than is Bender. JJ in his first year is a significantly better man on defender than Bender. And can be retained at a fraction of the price. So, I'd sign him for $700K or less per year for 2 years.

                      I'd be thinking to extend Freddie this summer, as well as sign Dale to a 2-3 year contract with some/most of the MLE.

                      Croshere can opt out of his contract, but that would leave over $18M (2 yrs) on the table. So the only way Croshere renogiates or leaves would be if he could get something like $30M for 5 years. If he did that, it would lower his average annual to $6M, making him a much better value to us and in possible trades.

                      As for the other players, I think the status of each player this summer is:
                      JO - starter
                      DD - starter
                      Artest - starter
                      SJax - starter
                      Tinsley - starter
                      FJones - 1st backcourt player off bench (some PT at 3)
                      Foster - 1st big off bench
                      Harrison - backup
                      Croshere - backup
                      JJones - backup
                      Draft pick #1

                      Pollard - trade bait (final contract year)
                      Bender - trade bait (2 yrs remaining on contract)
                      AJ - trade bait only if FJones extends contract

                      Gill - gone
                      Edwards - gone
                      Reggie - retired

                      The question in my mind is who among the primary players that I've listed will also be gone before next season.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Looking ahead.....

                        I am pretty convinced that the Pacers should take the money they saved on Ron and put it towards buying out Cro. I like Cro but it is clear he will never be a starter here for more than a couple of games and he needs pt to be effective.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Looking ahead.....

                          Pollard will be traded next year along with possibly Croshere. Pollard has one
                          year and Croshere 2 years left. Edwards will be gone. The Pacers will have Dale next year and a first round pick who will be a good player. That pick will probably be a point guard or a forward type. Hakim Warrick would replace
                          Croshere or back up the small forward. He will probably be gone at the Pacers pick. There are several good point guards available. The Pacers desparately
                          need a back up point that is similar to Tinsley in his ability to pass the ball.
                          Pacers


                          owl
                          {o,o}
                          |)__)
                          -"-"-

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Looking ahead.....

                            There is something about JJ that I like a lot. It's more of an intangible than anything else, and in that respect he reminds me of a less skilled but still talented Derek McKey. I think he has a chance to be a solid NBA player for a long time, and possibly a very good player if he continues to improve. I don't think you can count on Bender for anything, and the next Artest implosion is only a matter of time. Either way, without Reggie, it would nice to have a 3pt shooter off the bench that can stretch the defense.
                            sigpic
                            "It's a league game, Smokey"

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Looking ahead.....

                              I think there will be some roster juggling this summer, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone comes in that takes JJ's slot.

                              That said, the brass is really high on him, or at least they were until he curled up into a ball. But I'm not gonna make any predictions about what the Pacers will do until I see the new CBA, provided there is one.
                              Come to the Dark Side -- There's cookies!

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Looking ahead.....

                                Even if Ron's with the team, we still need a starting-caliber SF to take the minutes whenever he melts down.

                                I don't think JJ is that guy, but he might still be part of the plans as a "third SF."

                                Either way, we're going to be in the market for a starting caliber SF to either replace Ron via a trade or just replace Ron during the stretches in which he's benched, distracted, suspended, etc.
                                Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
                                Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
                                Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
                                Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
                                And life itself, rushing over me
                                Life itself, the wind in black elms,
                                Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

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