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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.

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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:

"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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  • sniff sniff

    I ahve nothing to say but thanks for the postings, but by now I have grown accustomed to reading it

    So .... I start missing it

    is there any specific reason for not posting, if so please tell me, If I need to help with picking up the cost for a month or so no prob, tell me where to paypal how much.

    I enjoy reading most articles, in fact I dropped readin some newspapers for it

    thanks to those postingt
    So Long And Thanks For All The Fish.

    If you've done 6 impossible things today?
    Then why not have Breakfast at Milliways!


  • #2
    Re: sniff sniff

    Should the Magic trade Tracy? Insider- 3/18

    Last year around this time, Insider was making a case why Tracy McGrady should be the MVP of the
    NBA. In our opinion, there wasn't a more versatile or devastating basketball player in the NBA than
    McGrady.

    Shaq was more dominant. Tim Duncan was steadier. Kevin
    Garnett might have been the most complete. But no one was
    more valuable to a team, or a franchise, than McGrady was to
    the Magic.

    When he was on, he single handedly could carry the Magic
    on his sore, tired back. On most nights, he did just that.

    With Grant Hill on permanent disability, the most help T-Mac
    could count on last season was an occasional double-double
    by rookie Drew Gooden, an impressive scoring spree now and
    again by Darrell Armstrong or maybe a hot-shooting night by Pat Garrity.

    The Magic have never made it out of the first round of the playoffs with McGrady running the show,
    but when you looked at the rest of their team, it was pretty amazing they were in the playoffs at all.

    This was supposed to be the season McGrady, with
    additional help from Juwan Howard and Tyronn Lue, took the
    Magic to the next level. Howard gave the Magic a solid,
    veteran post presence. Gooden looked very good toward the
    end of last season. Gordan Giricek was emerging as another
    perimeter scorer, and Lue was billed as a younger, healthier
    version of Armstrong.

    A few months later, the state of the Magic couldn't be more
    different. The team is an absolute disaster. Popular head
    coach Doc Rivers got tossed to the curb just a month into the
    season. Long-time GM and former executive of the year John Gabriel has been demoted. A former minor
    league hockey executive is now running the show. Hill has suffered yet another setback in his rehab
    and is, once again, out for the year.

    The fans are fleeing, and, depending on the day and mood, McGrady sounds like he's ready to follow
    them. McGrady can opt out of his contract after the 2004-05 season, and everyone in the league
    (including Orlando) believes he'll bolt the first chance he gets, unless something dramatic happens to
    the team in the offseason.

    New GM John Weisbrod is promising fans he's going to dramatically alter the make-up of the team next
    season. He believes the Magic need to get tougher, especially in the front court, and he knows the
    team needs more consistent play at point guard. Weisbrod also is insisting management is willing to
    pay whatever it takes to make that happen.

    Of course, if you've followed the Magic at all this season, you know even a hockey fan could tell you
    what's wrong. In fact, Gabriel said the same thing last summer and in the pre-season.

    Everyone has a pretty good feel for what's wrong with the Magic. How to fix it is the real question. The
    team is capped out and has precious few tradeable assets that could bring back a dominant big man or
    top-notch point guard.

    As long as Hill remains on the books, the Magic are stuck. He and McGrady earn so much money ($29
    million combined next season) that Weisbrod has little flexibility to make the type of impact deals he
    needs to field a competitive team.

    Can Weisbrod save T-Mac and the Magic?

    Magic Summer Blueprint
    Orlando will have a high first-round draft pick, a mid-level exception and possibly Howard or Gooden as
    trade bait. It's hard to imagine a scenario where that brings back the players the Magic need to turn the
    franchise around overnight.

    DRAFT: Right now the Magic are looking at the second pick in
    the draft. Though the lottery makes this in an inexact science,
    chances are they end up with one of the top four picks. That
    means their first-round pick will either be a high school kid who
    needs two to three years to develop, or it could be UConn's
    Emeka Okafor -- a guy who would help the team immensely but
    plays the same position as Howard and Gooden.

    If it looks like Okafor will be off the board when the Magic pick,
    they're probably better off shopping the pick to a team with the
    patience to wait for a high school kid like Dwight Howard or
    Shaun Livingston or a big international player like Pavel
    Podkolzine or Andris Biedrins. There's been a lot of talk about
    Gabriel's infatuation with Podkolzine, but now that he's not
    running the show, expect that to end. There will be interest in the
    pick (especially if the pick is top 2), but not as much as in normal
    years.

    FREE AGENCY: The Magic have two semi-significant restricted
    free agents in DeShawn Stevenson and Steven Hunter. The team
    would like to hang onto Stevenson. Hunter is likely gone. Neither player will command a huge amount
    of cap space.

    The Magic are looking at a payroll of $50 million next season. That's far enough over the projected $47
    million cap to take away any chance of signing a free agent straight out.

    The mid-level exception could land a decent free agent, but it's unlikely to be a big man or a point
    guard. There are very few of them in the free agent market this year, and they'll all likely go for more
    than the mid-level.

    Their best bets may be someone like Boston's Mark Blount or the Warriors' Adonal Foyle.

    TRADES: The team could try to package either Howard or Gooden with their No. 1 pick, or, if the
    Magic nab Okafor, try to trade one or both of them straight up for some backcourt help. Before
    February's trade deadline, there was interest in Howard from the Timberwolves and in Gooden from the
    Warriors and Sonics. If the team could turn one or both of them into some backcourt help or a more
    rugged four, it could help things a little bit.

    After that, the Magic have few assets to deal. Rookie Reece
    Gaines was just the latest in a long line of draft screw-ups for
    the Magic. The other players on the roster -- Lue, Garrity and
    Andrew DeClerq -- won't have much value.

    The Magic's dire situation (especially if they fall out of the top
    two spots in the draft) has led many to a pretty obvious
    conclusion. The Magic must either trade McGrady this
    summer or prepare to lose him in 2005, when he can opt out of
    his contrac and become a free agent. The Magic have a pretty
    sore history of losing their stars with little or no
    compensation. Shaq bolted to the Lakers, leaving a gaping hole in the middle. Penny Hardaway left for
    the Suns and garnered the Magic just a draft pick in return. Can the team survive another defection?

    It depends. If Weisbrod can't turn McGrady into a couple of up-and-coming players and cap space, the
    team would be better off taking the cap space next year. It would be crazy to trade T-Mac unless
    Orlando got an awesome deal in return.

    However, Weisbrod should be able to get something significant for McGrady. What are some
    scenarios that might make sense? Here are five worth pondering:

    The Lakers could offer Kobe Bryant in a sign-and-trade. Shaq loves T-Mac, and Bryant, if acquitted,
    is probably as close to equal value as the Magic could get for McGrady. However, Bryant would have
    to agree to the trade, and given the Magic's problems ... why would he?

    The Celtics might be willing to part with Paul Pierce and a couple of first-round picks. Pierce may be a
    notch below McGrady, but he's locked into a long-term deal and sounds like he's looking for a new
    home.

    The Grizzlies might have the goods to get it done. They're
    one of the deepest teams in the league and a team searching
    for a superstar to complement their plethora of role players. If
    the Grizzlies offered Pau Gasol, Shane Battier, Earl Watson and
    either James Posey or Bonzi Wells, the Magic essentially
    would be getting four-for-one and nabbing a young 7-footer
    with star potential in Gasol.

    Would McGrady sign on long-term in a place like Memphis?
    With best friend Mike Miller now locked into a long-term
    contract there, you bet he would. The Grizzlies still would be
    deep; the team still would have an impressive power forward with upside in Stromile Swift, a solid
    starting point guard in Jason Williams, and two serviceable big men in Lorenzen Wright and Jake
    Tsakalidis.

    The Bulls could offer Eddy Curry, Jamal Crawford (sign-and-trade), their first rounder (right now
    slated to be No. 1 overall) and one contract like Jerome Williams' for filler. While the Magic wouldn't be
    getting the star power some other deals might bring, the chance to have two of the top picks in the
    draft, plus a promising center and big point guard in Curry and Crawford could be tempting -- especially
    if the Magic could turn around and trade Howard and/or Gooden for a young dynamic two guard.

    An Allen Iverson for McGrady swap only happens if the Magic get very, very desperate at the end.
    Iverson has the ability to sell out the arena and has more heart than McGrady, but he brings so much
    baggage I can't see the Magic pulling the trigger.

    And while we're on the subject ... no, Knicks fans, the Magic wouldn't be willing to swap T-Mac for
    Allan Houston. Mavs fans, a Michael Finley, Antawn Jamison or Antoine Walker for T-Mac swap does
    not work either (though a Dirk Nowitzki deal might). Rockets fans, forget about a straight-up Steve
    Francis for T-Mac swap. If the Rockets had more assets, maybe, but they don't. Everyone else, the
    Magic doesn't want your crap unless you're offering Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, LeBron James,
    Carmelo Anthony, Jermaine O'Neal or Amare Stoudemire as part of your package.

    http://www.phxsuns.net/index.php?nam...ewtopic&t=1494
    Mickael Pietrus Le site officiel

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: sniff sniff

      Turiaf and Simien loom large in the Midwest

      By Chad Ford
      NBA Insider
      Send an Email to Chad Ford Wednesday, March 17

      Who's playing in the toughest region in the NCAA Tournament?

      We'll let Dick Vitale and Andy Katz duke it out over that. What we do know is that NBA scouts can only be in one place at a time, and the chances they're hanging out in the Midwest bracket are slim.

      None of the top six draft prospects from the St. Louis regional, according to Insider's projections, have a great shot at making it into the NBA lottery. That isn't to say there aren't some talented players here. For the most part, these players have been under-scouted, to a certain degree, and are probably more worthy of a second look.

      But the reality is that big names draw, and most scouts will be out West or in the South checking out the blue-chippers.

      Insider talked to multiple NBA scouts and GMs to give you a look at the Top 5 NBA prospects they'll be watching in each NCAA region. Today, we look at the St. Louis bracket. Thursday, we'll tackle the West's Phoenix bracket.

      Also see: South | East | Insider's in-depth Tournament Guide.

      Midwest Region NBA Prospects

      1. Ronny Turiaf, PF, Gonzaga

      Gonzaga's Ronny Turiaf is a top NBA power forward prospect.
      The Skinny: 6-foot-10, 245 lbs, Junior. 15.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 53 percent shooting from the field.

      The Good: Turiaf is a big-time power forward who can both score and rebound. He's very aggressive on both ends of the floor, a rarity in big men today. He's a good athlete who excels at all the things a power forward should. He's great scoring with his back to the basket and possesses excellent footwork and soft hands. He's aggressive crashing the boards and is a good shot blocker. His body is a little on the thin side, but he's very strong and can hold his position on the block. He plays very physical and draws a lot of fouls.

      The Bad: Foul trouble. Turiaf is constantly getting fouls quickly, which limits his effectiveness (and minutes) for the rest of the game. He improved on his weakness this season, but he still isn't totally over the problem. He's also a little turnover-prone for a power forward. He has a decent face-the-basket game, but he doesn't show any 3-point range on his jumper.

      The Ugly: Scouts are very high on Turiaf. Though he struggles with inconsistency and hasn't lived up to his full potential in college, when he's on, he's one of the most devastating low-post scorers in the country. A big-time tournament showing certainly would help his stock as teams wonder a bit about his ability to step up in big games. If he declares for the draft this year (scouts expect him to) he's a mid- to late-first-round pick.

      2. Wayne Simien, PF, Kansas

      Simien
      The Skinny: 6-9, 250; Junior. 17.8 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 54 percent shooting from the field.

      The Good: He's a blue collar bruiser with a solid NBA body and plenty of strength and toughness. Simien is an outstanding rebounder, especially on the offensive glass. He has developed a nice baseline jumper, shows soft hands and is quicker than his bulky frame would suggest. He also has impressive leaping ability for a player his size. A very good free-throw shooter for a big man.

      The Bad: Size. Scouts feel he's closer to 6-8, the bare minimum for an NBA power forward. He's not a good shot blocker, which is a surprise considering his leaping ability. Durability is also an issue for Simien. He has missed a lot of games the past few years with injuries, although he's been relatively injury free this year.

      The Ugly: Simien says he's returning to Kansas for his senior season. There's a risk there. If he stays healthy and the Jayhawks are better next season, there's a chance to improve his stock. If he gets injured again, concerns about his durability will persist. If Simien has a big, dominating tournament and leads KU deep into March, he'll have to seriously reconsider his decision.

      3. Jarrett Jack, PG, Georgia Tech

      Jarrett Jack is a great prospect, but should he stay in school another year?
      The Skinny: 6-3, 200; Sophomore. 12.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 5.8 apg, 47 percent shooting from the field.

      The Good: He's a natural point guard who thinks pass first.Those are rare these day. He really knows how to run a team. He has good size and nice court vision, as well as an NBA body and athleticism. Other positives: A nice vertical; can really run the floor; nice perimeter shot from 18 feet in; excellent rebounder for a point guard. He's also a good defender who collects a decent number of steals.

      The Bad: Scouts worry that he plays a little out of control at times. His three turnovers per game are fairly high for such a natural point. He doesn't have great 3-point range on his jumper, and he struggles to shoot off the dribble.

      The Ugly: Jack's had a pretty solid season for Georgia Tech and is said to be leaning toward testing the waters. The biggest question for Jack? Is it the right time to declare? Given the depth at the point guard position in this draft, it seems like he'd be better off staying one more year at Tech.

      4. Ryan Gomes, SF/PF, Providence

      Gomes
      The Skinny: 6-7, 245; Junior. 18.6 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 51 percent shooting from the field.

      The Good: He's one of the most-improved players in the country. Has all the skills to play in the post, but added a nice perimeter game to his repertoire this season. Last season he attempted just three 3-pointers. This season he upped the number to 83, shooting 34 percent from behind the arc. He has good athleticism and great strength at both positions.

      The Bad: Position is the biggest issue with Gomes. He's a bit of tweener. Scouts feel he's too small to excel in the pros at his natural position, the four. While his perimeter game has improved to the point you can start thinking about him as a three, scouts wonder whether he has the quickness to guard threes in the league.

      The Ugly: There's some buzz on Gomes, but only as a late-first-round pick. However, the more scouts watch him, the more they like him. If he can lead Providence on an impressive run in the tournament, it might be enough to convince NBA teams his upside is worth the risk.

      5. Kirk Snyder, SG, Nevada

      Snyder
      The Skinny: 6-6, 225; Junior. 18.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.4 apg, 44 percent shooting from the field.

      The Good: Considered one of the most complete guard prospects in the draft. He does everything for Nevada. He's strong, athletic, has great speed, shoots the ball well, rebounds and defends. What really intrigues scouts is his playmaking ability at the two. He has a very good handle and appears to be a smart player.

      The Bad: Not much. The biggest issue is underexposure. Scouts didn't start paying heavy attention until late. Once he gets into workouts, he could explode. He's a very good talent.

      The Ugly: The best player in the WAC is starting to get a lot of attention from NBA scouts. He dropped 29 and 9 on Kansas in a win in December and turned a lot of heads. With so few good collegiate players in the draft, Snyder may be able to sneak into the late-first-round if he decides to declare. Given that he's a little off the radar screen, an excellent tournament would help immensely.

      Sleeper: Andrew Bogut, PF, Utah

      Bogut
      The Skinny: 6-10, 235; Freshman. 12.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 58 percent shooting from the field.

      The Good: Bogut is a sharp-shooting big man who is a great rebounder and good shot blocker. The native of Australia runs the floor well and has a very nice mid-range game. He has soft hands and great basketball IQ. He's a smart player who always knows where he needs to be.

      The Bad: He needs to get stronger, though most scouts believe he has the frame to add more bulk. His athleticism is just average. He runs the floor well, but he's not a great leaper or ball handler yet. Lacks lateral quickness which hurts him defensively.

      The Ugly: Bogut won MVP honors at the 2003 FIBA Junior World Championships in Greece in July. He averaged 26.3 points, 17.0 rebounds 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game while shooting 61 percent from the field. Bogut turned down several lucrative offers from European pro teams to play at Utah. He really got everyone's attention when he had double-double's in his first two games for the Utes, but he cooled considerably after that. Still, he almost managed to average a double-double for the season and put together several big games toward the end of the season. He really looked like a one-and-done player at the start of the season, but his stock probably isn't high enough to warrant a jump to the NBA now. However, if he were to dominate in the tournament, he could create the buzz he needs to declare.

      Others to watch: Paul Davis, PF, Michigan State; Blake Stepp, PG, Gonzaga; Keith Langford, G, Kansas; J.R. Giddens, SG, Kansas; Gerald Fitch, PG, Kentucky; Kelenna Azubuike, SG, Kentucky

      Draft Talk
      The e-mails keep rolling in, though many of you were distracted by the "trade Allen Iverson" story that also ran on Tuesday. To sum those e-mails up, you either hate or love AI. Those who love him don't want Philly to trade him. Those who hate him don't want their team to trade for him. The one thing they all seem to agree on? It's time for Sixers GM Billy King to get the axe.

      Let's get back to the mailbag and hear more about what you're thinking about the NBA's youth movement ...

      I think the NBA needs to find a way to prevent high schoolers from coming out. I liked your idea in the David Stern article that said to make the length of the contracts different depending on the age of the player.
      -- Brett Bialk, Lake Zurich, Ill.

      For those of you who missed the idea we floated in early January, here's the cliff notes.

      GMs think the league can do a better job of encouraging young players to stay in school or with their international teams. Currently, first-round picks get a three-year, guaranteed contract, with a fourth year at the team's option. That means first-round picks can't cash in on a big payday until after their fourth year in the league. A lot of young players make the jump primarily to start that clock ticking. They might not truly be ready, but they believe they will be in four years, when they hit free agency and can really cash in.

      GMs would like to see the number of years a player is bound to the rookie wage scale tied to the player's experience in college or overseas. Players who come to the NBA directly from high school would be under the rookie wage scale for six years. College freshmen would be under it for five years, sophomores for four and juniors for three. Players who play four years of college ball would be locked in for only two years before being eligible to negotiate a market-level deal. International players would be governed by something similar, likely based on age.

      Such a change takes away any penalty a player suffers from staying in school. For the kids who decide to forgo college anyway, the rule gives NBA teams more time to develop and evaluate them before having to commit millions of dollars long-term.

      Stern can expect a fight from the Players' Association over such a move, but all the GMs Insider polled back in January felt such a rule was crucial to stemming the tide of teenagers infesting the league.

      Here's my favorite e-mail, from a local who gets his heart broken during every NBA draft.

      Thanks a lot for doing your part to raid the college ranks. Memo: NOBODY cares about the NBA. Get a real job and stop ruining college basketball for everybody else.
      -- Kyle Faraday, Hartford, Conn.

      I think there are a lot of people out there that agree with Kyle. To me it's the most logical explanation behind why people hate the NBA youth movement. A lot of us (me included) are huge college basketball fans and don't want to see the game diluted.

      How much more exciting would it have been to see Carmelo Anthony going for a second straight NCAA title this year? Watching him do his thing for the Nuggets is nice, but I still prefer him in Syracuse orange.

      I think this is a great reason for people to be against the NBA's youth movement. I just think folks should be more like Kyle and be up front about it. The NBA is under no obligation to keep the NCAA up and running. The NBA is about finding the best players for its game.

      The NCAA needs to quit whining about all the defections and change its rules to give kids more of an incentive to go to school. I know a full-ride college scholarship means a lot, both in life experience and actual dollars, but for the elite players it pales when compared to the millions they could be earning, and the life they could be leading, in the NBA.

      I've always felt players should get something in their pockets for playing for their school, or at least be allowed to capitalize on their fame and earn outside income. Some of these kids couldn't afford to go to college if not for their basketball ability, and once they're on campus they still can't afford anything under the NCAA's stringent guidelines.

      Another thing, while I'm on the topic: At times the NCAA pushes these kids into the NBA. The ridiculous rule that allows high school stars to play in only two All-Star games this spring is a great example. If a kid like Sebastian Telfair wanted to play in six all-star games and really gauge the interest level of NBA people, he couldn't without losing a full year of college eligibility. That's just silly. The NCAA is forcing Telfair and kids like him to make uninformed decisions.

      Another reader thinks NBA scouts are to blame for the dilemma.

      Don't you think the reason for the influx of teens (domestic and foreign) is more due to scouting behaviors than anything else? It seems like scouts are like people with no attention span controlling the remote control. At first they like a program (high school or freshman) and see all its good points, but after seeing it for a while become bored with it and harp on its negatives (soph/junior year). Thus, they start flipping through the channels until they find something interesting again and start the process over. It just a matter of when the player gets into the draft that truly makes any difference. The less scouts can see you the better, because they can think "upside" instead of actually basing their decision on facts. The only difference between high schoolers (and international teens) and college players is that we've been able to see them long enough to discover their flaws and get bored with their individual abilities
      -- John Litvay, New York

      There's some truth to this theory. Scouts do get excited about upside and potential, and they get discouraged when players don't reach it quickly enough. The NBA draft's second round is littered with players who once had first-round or even lottery potential but never lived up to it in college.

      Remember when Felipe Lopez was the greatest high school player to ever play the game? Ugh. I think John has a point that many of these kids, if forced to stay in school, would also develop slowly and watch their stock drop.

      That's why so many kids make the decision to go pro after one stellar season or a great performance in the NCAA tournament. There is such a thing as "buzz" in scouting. The opposite holds true as well. Once one prominent scouts calls the kid a bust, he usually gets trampled by a plethora of scouts jumping off the bandwagon.

      Players like Josh Howard and Carlos Boozer come to mind -- good college players who were picked to pieces by critics because they stayed in school too long. It happens on the international side, too. Brazilian forward Anderson Varejao and Russian forward Viktor Khryapa both were considered potential lottery picks at one point, but they chose to stay overseas and haven't developed as quickly as scouts had hoped. This year, both seem like afterthoughts when you talk to scouts.

      Buzz can be a funny thing. A good example is Pavel Podkolzine last year and Martynas Andriuskevicius this year. Many scouts didn't even know their names before Insider wrote about their size and potential. Within weeks of the reports there was a stampede overseas to see the kids play. Buzz is created, and kids "rocket" up imaginary charts.

      Internet sites and even some print reports immediately incorporated these kids into their draft lists when it's safe to say those doing the "reporting" had never seen the kids play. Ever.

      I'm not suggesting Pavel or Martynas don't deserve the attention. They are both amazing prospects because of their size and skill level at that size. But I'm not sure how they go from nothing to lottery overnight. The answer, in short, is that they don't.

      Let's do one more e-mail today, about another important draft issue -- the art of the bluff.

      Are some of the sly-fox GMs and scouts sending others on wild goose chases or red herrings when they talk about some of these European players? I can see Jerry West mentioning some little-scouted player, and other teams allocating resources to check it out. Jerry would do something like that to divert attention away from the one he has in mind. What do you think?
      -- Glenn Overall, Memphis

      I think this goes on all the time. I'm not talking about West in particular, but scouts and GMs do lie. They'll tell you they don't like a player when they really do. They'll tell you, off the record of course, that a certain prospect is really hot. But you soon find, with further investigation, that they're not.

      Agents also contribute to the madness. They lobby hard (and rightfully so) for their players. In the process, some of them like to leak negative information about other players whom they don't represent.

      I don't think it goes on as much as you'd think, though. If everyone starts lying, the entire informational structure crumbles.

      Keep the letters coming ... we'll wrap up the dialogue tomorrow.

      James leading Cleveland's surge

      By Terry Brown
      NBA Insider
      Wednesday, March 17
      Updated: March 17
      8:51 AM ET

      With 8:54 remaining in last night's rout of the Chicago Bulls, LeBron James threw up a three-point shot that missed so badly it banked off the glass and straight into the net. The Cleveland Cavaliers happily clapped and cheered their way to a seventh consecutive victory.

      But the question remains.

      Did he call backboard?

      ''Yeah,'' James said in the Lorraine Morning Journal. ''After it went through the net.''

      And that's how it's gone for the Cavaliers ever since they lost to these same Chicago Bulls on March 1 in Chicago. James took two three-pointers that night, missing them both, and the team went 1 for 12 from long range.

      The Cavs have won seven straight games, pushing their record to 31-36 and catapulting them to the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.


      LeBron James is taking better shots and helping the Cavs win.
      Zydrunas Ilgauaskas was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Carlos Boozer has become the fifth best rebounder in the league at 11.4 boards per game. Jeff McInnis is averaging 9.2 assists per game in his last 10 contests and temperatures are expected to hit 50 degrees this weekend in Cleveland after dipping to 20 last week.

      And, all of a sudden, LeBron James can shoot.

      But the truth of the matter isn't that James is shooting better. It's that the Rookie of the Year frontrunner is shooting smarter.

      Before the streak started, James was averaging 20.3 points per game on 40.6 percent shooting from the field. On average, he was taking 19 shots per game, three of which were from long range. As a result, he was also averaging 5.1 free throws per game.

      By comparison, Carmelo Anthony is averaging 6.2 free throws per game and 2.6 three-point attempts per game.

      Almost 16 percent of James' shots were from three-point range and he was shooting only 28 percent from that distance.

      Now jump back to the streak. Better yet, go back a little further to the last 12 games, where the Cavaliers have gone 10-2.

      James is averaging 22.9 points per game on 45.8 percent shooting from the field. He is still taking 19 shots per game but only 1.9 from long range. As a result, he is also averaging 6.3 free throws per game.

      Now, only 10 percent of his shots are from three-point range.

      His points are up. His shooting percentage is up. And the Cavs are winning. The simple fact of the matter is that when LeBron James shoots four or more three-pointers in a game, his team has gone 7-14. When he has shot three or less, his team has gone 24-22.

      He isn't shooting better. He's shooting smarter.

      And all of a sudden those bank shots look that much better.


      Peep Show

      NBA Insider
      Wednesday, March 17
      Updated: March 17
      9:28 AM ET


      Robinson
      Golden State Warriors: Clifford Robinson belongs on the All-Defensive team, and he doesn't mind saying so himself. "They have these guys out here who are worth $120 million. I have to be worth at least half of that, because I can go out on the floor and be effective at stopping a lot of these guys," Robinson told the San Francisco Chronicle. "And I'm 37." So bring on Shaq and Duncan and Garnett. "There are some guys who might be in awe of your ability," Robinson said. "I look at it as, you have to show me something. ... You're going to have to come out with your best stuff when you play against me."

      Miami Heat: If you thought the Heat looked bad, you should have seen the team that lost the fight. "They [the Hornets] turned it into a very ugly street fight," Heat coach Stan Van Gundy told the Miami Herald. "And we got through it, another major step for us." After six technicals, two ejections and several near fights, the Heat were finally declared the winner, unlike their last bout. "It said in my [scouting] report, they didn't play a better basketball game than we did [last Wednesday], they just turned it into a street fight in the second half and won that. They did the same thing tonight," Van Gundy said. "They just made it very, very physical. Not even good basketball-physical stuff, a lot of cheap stuff."


      Szczerbiak
      Minnesota Timberwolves: Wally Szczerbiak is getting smaller and smaller in the Timberwolves' rear-view mirror. "Believe me, it's no fun," Szczerbiak told the Star Tribune. "This has been a serious adjustment. I've never been a guy to get pulled off the floor." Since his return from a foot injury, Szczerbiak has seen his team lose more often than while he was out, and he sees only one solution. "Redeeming the season for me," he said, "would be winning a championship. If I can help this team win games in the playoffs or even now, that would redeem it."

      Philadelphia 76ers: All Sixers president Billy King wanted was a little face time with his star player. "I think we had a good conversation, I really do," King told the Philadelphia Inquirer after he flew to Memphis for the occasion. "We both did a lot of talking. It wasn't a heated conversation. We hadn't had a chance to talk, and that's one reason I came here. I really didn't want to talk via telephone. I wanted to have a chance to talk with him face-to-face." And after talking with coach Chris Ford, too, King came away with the same feeling. "They both want to win, bottom line," King said. "I think they both want to win. Hopefully, what has happened is in the past and we can move forward."

      Phoenix Suns: Mike D'Antoni may be the head coach of the Phoenix Suns, but he's also the resident dunk judge when it comes to Amare Stoudamire. "It was like seeing heat come off the sidewalk around here in the summertime," D'Antoni told the Arizona Republic after Stoudamire's dunk on Yao Ming. "The energy just came off of him in waves. Against Olowokandi, Amare went up. But on this one, he just went through the guy."

      * Robinson, at 37, thinks he's had first-team All-NBA defensive ye
      Brad Weinstein / San Francisco Chronicle
      * Heat takes `street fight'
      Israel Gutierrez / Miami Herald
      * Szczerbiak's aching for more
      Steve Aschburner / Minneapolis Star Tribune
      * King flies to Memphis to smooth things out
      Joe Juliano / Philadelphia Inquirer
      * Stoudemire slam on Yao earns D'Antoni's cheers
      Norm Frauenheim / Arizona Republic

      http://www.hawksquawk.net/forums/sho...&fpart=1#46678
      Mickael Pietrus Le site officiel

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: sniff sniff

        thank you

        abel
        So Long And Thanks For All The Fish.

        If you've done 6 impossible things today?
        Then why not have Breakfast at Milliways!

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: sniff sniff

          I bet the Magic would do this deal.

          Indiana trades: PG Anthony Johnson (6.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.9 apg in 22.2 minutes)
          PF Primoz Brezec (1.2 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 0.2 apg in 3.8 minutes)
          PG Fred Jones (4.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.0 apg in 17.7 minutes)
          SF Jonathan Bender (6.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.5 apg in 12.7 minutes)
          PF Al Harrington (13.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.6 apg in 31.1 minutes)
          C Scot Pollard (1.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.2 apg in 11.4 minutes)
          Indiana receives: SG Tracy McGrady (28.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5.5 apg in 39.9 minutes)
          PF Juwan Howard (16.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.9 apg in 35.5 minutes)
          Change in team outlook: +10.7 ppg, -2.0 rpg, and 0.0 apg.

          Orlando trades: SG Tracy McGrady (28.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5.5 apg in 39.9 minutes)
          PF Juwan Howard (16.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.9 apg in 35.5 minutes)
          Orlando receives: PG Anthony Johnson (6.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.9 apg in 60 games)
          PF Primoz Brezec (1.2 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 0.2 apg in 14 games)
          PG Fred Jones (4.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.0 apg in 66 games)
          SF Jonathan Bender (6.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.5 apg in 17 games)
          PF Al Harrington (13.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.6 apg in 64 games)
          C Scot Pollard (1.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.2 apg in 50 games)
          Change in team outlook: -10.7 ppg, +2.0 rpg, and -0.0 apg.

          TRADE ACCEPTED

          Due to Indiana and Orlando being over the cap, the 15% trade rule is invoked. Indiana and Orlando had to be no more than 115% plus $100,000 of the salary given out for the trade to be accepted, which did happen here. This trade satisfies the provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.


          --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: sniff sniff

            I bet the Magic would do this deal.

            Indiana trades: PG Anthony Johnson (6.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.9 apg in 22.2 minutes)
            PF Primoz Brezec (1.2 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 0.2 apg in 3.8 minutes)
            PG Fred Jones (4.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.0 apg in 17.7 minutes)
            SF Jonathan Bender (6.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.5 apg in 12.7 minutes)
            PF Al Harrington (13.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.6 apg in 31.1 minutes)
            C Scot Pollard (1.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.2 apg in 11.4 minutes)
            Indiana receives: SG Tracy McGrady (28.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5.5 apg in 39.9 minutes)
            PF Juwan Howard (16.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.9 apg in 35.5 minutes)
            Change in team outlook: +10.7 ppg, -2.0 rpg, and 0.0 apg.

            Orlando trades: SG Tracy McGrady (28.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5.5 apg in 39.9 minutes)
            PF Juwan Howard (16.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.9 apg in 35.5 minutes)
            Orlando receives: PG Anthony Johnson (6.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.9 apg in 60 games)
            PF Primoz Brezec (1.2 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 0.2 apg in 14 games)
            PG Fred Jones (4.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.0 apg in 66 games)
            SF Jonathan Bender (6.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.5 apg in 17 games)
            PF Al Harrington (13.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.6 apg in 64 games)
            C Scot Pollard (1.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.2 apg in 50 games)
            Change in team outlook: -10.7 ppg, +2.0 rpg, and -0.0 apg.

            TRADE ACCEPTED

            Due to Indiana and Orlando being over the cap, the 15% trade rule is invoked. Indiana and Orlando had to be no more than 115% plus $100,000 of the salary given out for the trade to be accepted, which did happen here. This trade satisfies the provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.


            --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            hehehe Yeah they would no doubt about that, but I think the P's wouldn't, isn't it a little over the top to get rid of AJ (and Al)
            So Long And Thanks For All The Fish.

            If you've done 6 impossible things today?
            Then why not have Breakfast at Milliways!

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: sniff sniff

              Sorry. I've just been slammed at work for the past couple of weeks. I'll get back to posting again - but possibly not until April.
              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

              Comment

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