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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"

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"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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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Rule #10

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A Bird statement that will most likely impact draft.

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  • #16
    Re: A Bird statement that will most likely impact draft.

    Originally posted by Hicks
    Am I the only one who noticed our offense opening up and become a little faster up until 11/19?
    Unfortunately, I don't think that 7 games at the beginning of the season really mean all that much. Yes it was a little quicker, but other teams were not yet "tuned in."
    “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill

    “If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning.” - Catherine Aird

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    • #17
      Re: A Bird statement that will most likely impact draft.

      Originally posted by Hicks
      Am I the only one who noticed our offense opening up and become a little faster up until 11/19?
      No, we discussed it at the time. You're definitely right. I guess on nights you only have 6 players you probably don't want to run the whole time. And running's hard when your players aren't used to each other. So this would have been a rough season to do much running.

      We'll see what happens this fall.
      This space for rent.

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      • #18
        Re: A Bird statement that will most likely impact draft.

        Originally posted by Anthem
        No, we discussed it at the time. You're definitely right. I guess on nights you only have 6 players you probably don't want to run the whole time. And running's hard when your players aren't used to each other. So this would have been a rough season to do much running.

        We'll see what happens this fall.
        I wouldn't be surprised at all if the offense looks like it did at the beginning of last season once this one gets going. I think he scrapped the changes he'd made over the summer once the **** hit the fan and we started playing 20 different people.

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        • #19
          Re: A Bird statement that will most likely impact draft.

          Originally posted by Hicks
          I wouldn't be surprised at all if the offense looks like it did at the beginning of last season once this one gets going. I think he scrapped the changes he'd made over the summer once the **** hit the fan and we started playing 20 different people.

          absofriggenlutely.....and even late in the season u saw an offense that involved ball movement around the perimeter(partly because we had no inside presence)....this is why i say this past season isnt the greatest barometer for things....

          we never had our whole team intact...ever...the closest we came were in the few games leading up to the brawl game and even then....jo missed a game and ron missed two and jeff was out as well as bender....

          this team, as far as the future was concerned, was built last summer like this...

          artest and jo at the forwards....jeff at the center....jax and jt at the guards.... bender and f. jones the two main guys off the bench....

          the type of game that u can play with that team is exactly what bird was talking about....you have a team if they wanted to could play similar to phoenix offensively, yet be as good a defensive team as their is in the league...

          now, take a look at that core and see what injuries and suspensions did to that team and u can see why i basically say u can throw the season out the window...

          i think they will definitely make individual decisions regarding certain players but i dont think the formula will change much...

          i think they were really looking for bender to blossom with als departure and a somewhat new team approach....as bird says he cant count on bender, but u could see where jj might take the place of benders production-maybe....he also will utilize this last season to see if he really feels the core players have the skills to perform in the system as he sees it...

          any changes made will tell us what his final takes were on these reviews...but i really think this is the basic formula he has for the team....

          and while, at first glance, it would appear that rick doesnt coach that way...the team was different prior to the brawl...and was also much different after....and rick was applauded for his abilities...

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          • #20
            Re: A Bird statement that will most likely impact draft.

            For this to work, JO really needs to learn how to pass the ball...
            Don't ask Marvin Harrison what he did during the bye week. "Batman never told where the Bat Cave is," he explained.

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            • #21
              Re: A Bird statement that will most likely impact draft.

              I just have a question.

              How does Jermaine O'Neal fit into a free flowing offense? Doesn't he need the half court set to maximize his abilities?


              Basketball isn't played with computers, spreadsheets, and simulations. ChicagoJ 4/21/13

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              • #22
                Re: A Bird statement that will most likely impact draft.

                Originally posted by Peck
                I just have a question.

                How does Jermaine O'Neal fit into a free flowing offense? Doesn't he need the half court set to maximize his abilities?

                If he'll run the floor, he can take the ball off the break and slam it home...thus giving himself ample opportunities to posture for the cameras (note tongue firmly planted...kinda).
                Ever notice how friendly folks are at a shootin' range??.

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                • #23
                  Re: A Bird statement that will most likely impact draft.

                  Originally posted by Peck
                  I just have a question.

                  How does Jermaine O'Neal fit into a free flowing offense? Doesn't he need the half court set to maximize his abilities?
                  though i ve tried to forget all the zeke years remember jermaine flourished....jermaine is a tremendous athlete....he is a bit heavier in the form of muscle nowadays....however jermaine has the ability to get up and down the floor better than most of his counterparts....back when zeke was here, he wasnt a far cry from the way amare plays in that regards....in fact i think u could make a lot of comparisons to the type of season amare had and the type of season jo had a couple back....to me the similarities are striking...

                  to me that is what makes them both so valuable...they can play both ways-slow or up and down...with ricks presence his first year u saw jo bulk up and play mostly the low post game-rick didnt have much in the way of up and down game...

                  this year however we got a glimpse of interjecting some of that before all hell broke loose....and we didnt have the bodies to do it the rest of the year...

                  you look at the core players on this team...jo, artest, jack, and jt....they all have a great ability to play both ways....giviing us a tremendous amount of flexibility and versatility to attack opposing teams....

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                  • #24
                    Re: A Bird statement that will most likely impact draft.

                    Originally posted by Suaveness
                    For this to work, JO really needs to learn how to pass the ball...
                    actually....yes and no...i know what u mean...but let me say this...

                    passing the ball requires more vision than ability...and more opportunity than vision...at this level they all know how to pass the ball....

                    you have to have a teammate in position to receive the ball and u have to have the knowledge that he will be there and then the vision to find him....

                    in fairness to jo, the coaching staff, and his teammates....this season is not a good barometer for that....after nov. 19, everything was makeshift and doing the best with what u can...the type of offense we are somewhat describing when it comes to the half court and passing back out of the post for something other than a repost is much more complicated and requires many, more repetitions ....ur talking about off the ball screening, back cuts and away from the ball movement....that then has to be so familiar that jo just instinctively knows where to go with the ball....once all hell broke loose....as far as iim concerned that option was gone for the remainder of the season...and the pacers just had to do the best they could with very simplistic sets...

                    its hard to get any rhythm when the players that are availabe are so constantly changing....and this type of offense requires tons and tons of work together....

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                    • #25
                      Re: A Bird statement that will most likely impact draft.

                      Originally posted by Peck
                      I just have a question.

                      How does Jermaine O'Neal fit into a free flowing offense? Doesn't he need the half court set to maximize his abilities?
                      I remember him scoring in the high 20s 3 or more times before 11/19 in the "faster" offense.

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                      • #26
                        Re: A Bird statement that will most likely impact draft.

                        Originally posted by Suaveness
                        For this to work, JO really needs to learn how to pass the ball...

                        I wouldn't say that because then someone might say your Calling JO a ball hog and jump all over you when you really should be cussing at Rick for Jermaine's lack of court vision.
                        Life without water is tough, life without air is hard,life with one leg only is wobbly, Life without Reggie Miller, is impossible.

                        Do Not Trade Austin

                        Originally posted by Conrad Brunner
                        Veteran Austin Croshere, the longest-tenured Pacers player on the roster, has proven reliable when called upon, invariably ready to step in regardless of the circumstance.

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                        • #27
                          Re: A Bird statement that will most likely impact draft.

                          Originally posted by Hicks
                          I remember him scoring in the high 20s 3 or more times before 11/19 in the "faster" offense.
                          if i recall correctly...i checked this a while back...

                          jo was averaging nearly 30 a game before the brawl in games he started and ron was 25....

                          the team looked really really good...i know weve been thru alot...but wow...can we really forget how much we really dominated the pistons that nite...

                          and i can remember almost getting goose bumps before the game when hearing ben wallaces comments regarding it not going to be a regular game...that it was definitely a statement game kept coming out of players from both teams....the intensity level was amazing for a regular season game-especially so early in the season....

                          and we flat drilled them...the team looked great....i think it really gets lost how great we were playing as a team back then...partially because of rons 'time off'....but the facts are facts...those games were impressive...

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                          • #28
                            Re: A Bird statement that will most likely impact draft.

                            Originally posted by Hicks
                            I remember him scoring in the high 20s 3 or more times before 11/19 in the "faster" offense.
                            Which wasn't bad, considering he was supposed to be on the I.L. anyway.
                            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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                            • #29
                              Re: A Bird statement that will most likely impact draft.

                              Originally posted by Jay@Section204
                              Which wasn't bad, considering he was supposed to be on the I.L. anyway.
                              yup..exactly...IIRC...he missed the first game, came off the bench the 2nd and maybe the third....when early on they were talking about him missing 5-10 games...

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: A Bird statement that will most likely impact draft.

                                Originally posted by Anthem
                                No, we discussed it at the time. You're definitely right. I guess on nights you only have 6 players you probably don't want to run the whole time. And running's hard when your players aren't used to each other. So this would have been a rough season to do much running.

                                We'll see what happens this fall.
                                Rick mentioned in one of his post game interviews that you can't run with a short bench. Our hand was forced.

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