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The Rules of Pacers Digest

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

Rule #1

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

"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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CBS Positional Rankings: Power forwards

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  • CBS Positional Rankings: Power forwards

    Positional Rankings: Power forwards
    By Tony Mejia
    CBS SportsLine.com Staff Writer
    Tell Tony your opinion!


    Our second batch of positional rankings gives us a difficult choice at the top. Who is the game's greatest power forward, Kevin Garnett or Tim Duncan? You can't go wrong with either, but someone has to be No. 1.



    Owner of three titles, Tim Duncan is Tony Mejia's top power forward. (Getty Images)
    Garnett, Minnesota's stat-sheet-stuffing marvel, altered the game when he turned pro right out of high school. He changed the way contracts are structured, pioneered the now-extinct preps-to-pros jump and became the first legit 7-footer to prove he could consistently handle and set up others.



    Despite all that, plain old Tim Duncan, the fundamentally sound San Antonio star, has to get the nod. Simply put, he's up three rings on K.G. Here's the way the top power forwards line up, with Toronto's Chris Bosh and Orlando's Dwight Howard omitted because both are expected to spend significant time at center this season.



    1. Tim Duncan, San Antonio: It will be interesting to see how revered Duncan is 20 years down the road. Unquestionably, he's one of the top five players to grace the game over the past decade, in the same class as Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Karl Malone, two of the best ever at their positions. But because he doesn't get all up in your face and doesn't command a constant spotlight, there are those that take his greatness for granted. Some even dismiss him as boring. Memo: Fundamentals and going about things the right way, expertly, should never be trivialized.



    2. Kevin Garnett, Minnesota: Because of the impact he has had on the game, it's hard to imagine Garnett looking up at anyone. Still, his team comes off its worst season in almost a decade, failing to make the playoffs a year after reaching the Western Conference finals for the first time. There's no doubt Garnett left it all out on the court last season, playing with an abandon and desire that's a rarity for most mega-stars. That has to earn your respect, but ultimately, when the team fails, he'll take the blame. He wouldn't have it any other way.





    Last year's rankings
    2005 2004 Stock
    1. T. Duncan 1 SAME
    2. K. Garnett 2 SAME
    3. J. O'Neal 3 SAME
    4. D. Nowitzki 5
    5. E. Brand 4
    6. K. Martin 9
    7. R. Wallace -- SAME
    8. A. Jamison 8-SF NP
    9. L. Odom 5
    10. P. Gasol --
    Complete 2004 Rankings

    3. Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana: Now that he has had all summer to rest that ailing shoulder, he'll be back to being the dominant post presence he has been since joining the Pacers. O'Neal did more wincing than anyone else over the latter part of last season and had some uncharacteristically horrendous shooting nights during the playoffs. Rest was the only remedy, and it was a luxury Indiana couldn't afford. The double-double machine should quickly re-capture his form -- in the East, only the other O'Neal is more effective inside.

    4. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas: He enjoyed an MVP-caliber season a year ago, helping the Mavericks overcome the loss of good friend Steve Nash. But he struggled with his jumper in the playoffs, and the Mavericks wilted as a result. After spending the summer playing for Germany in the European Championships, Nowitzki should be in excellent shape when he reports to camp and should be extremely ready for his first full season under Avery Johnson and his defense-first philosophy.



    5. Elton Brand, L.A. Clippers: He has quietly starred for losing teams since coming into the league six years ago, consistently putting up 20 points and 10 boards. Despite that, he has been to just a single All-Star game, hindered by Clips syndrome and the fact he's over shadowed by the likes of Duncan, Garnett and Nowitzki. Only 26, his best days seem to be ahead.



    6. Kenyon Martin, Denver: It took him some time to get adjusted out West, and whether he struggled with the altitude, foreign surroundings or change of playing style, the good news is the kinks should now be out. A dominant defender and shot blocker, Martin should join Marcus Camby to form the most feared defensive big man tandem in the league. On the offensive end, expect him to be much more comfortable, particularly if he's able to fully recover from the knee injury that hampered him.



    7. Rasheed Wallace, Detroit: Wallace, after all those years caught up in controversy in Portland, has made a great home for himself. The fans love him, his teammates adore him, calling him the pulse of the squad, and he's satisfied with his role. It remains to be seen whether he changes with new coach Flip Saunders taking over.



    8. Antawn Jamison, Washington: After earning his first All-Star berth in 2005, Jamison has an even bigger task ahead as he and Gilbert Arenas aim to replace the lost production of Larry Hughes. Though undersized to play the four, Jamison has consistently averaged more than seven boards per game and isn't easily pushed around by bigger foes. Offensively, his mid-range jumper has turned into a deadly weapon, complementing his skills down low.



    9. Zach Randolph, Portland: He played in just 46 games last season with a knee problem, but when healthy, all he does is produce. With Shareef Abdur-Rahim gone, the Blazers' rebuilding project will undoubtedly be built around him. He and Sebastian Telfair could emerge as a potent combination once they get their chemistry down.



    10. Pau Gasol, Memphis: The 7-footer opted to rest and not play for Spain in the European Championships, which was probably the right decision given his bout with plantar fasciitis that cost him time last year. He must bounce back from a disappointing season in which he was expected to become a star but was instead stuck in traction. He's too talented to be so streaky.



    11. Chris Webber, Philadelphia: He'll never be what he once was, one of the most complete forwards in the game, but C-Webb still has enough juice left to be an effective second option behind Allen Iverson. He committed himself to getting healthy and getting to camp in shape, and if that part is taken care of, his game will no doubt follow.



    12. Emeka Okafor, Charlotte: Though his offense is still raw, questions about his ability to succeed at the pro level were erased emphatically in his rookie season, and he'll no doubt be higher on this list next year. He led the Bobcats in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots despite hitting the wall for a spell as the season's grind got to him. That's no knock -- most rooks struggle through a dry spell -- and Okafor was able to battle through it and finish strong. Expect him to be significantly better.



    13. Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Sacramento: New life awaits in Sacramento, where Abdur-Rahim likely will be handed a starting spot on a playoff contender, something he has never been able to enjoy. Abdur-Rahim's versatility and post skills seem to be a perfect fit for the Kings opposite Brad Miller and could help lead an ascent back to the top of the Pacific Division.



    14. Carlos Boozer, Utah: He missed 31 games with a foot injury and clashed with management in his first season since coming over from Cleveland, pitching into the Jazz's freefall to 30 games under .500. He'll look to get back on track this year, and it should help to have a healthy Andrei Kirilenko by his side. When his mind and body are right, Boozer is among the league's top rebounders and hustlers.





    Schedule
    Date Position
    Sep. 13 Small Forwards
    Sep. 20 Power Forwards
    Sep. 27 Centers
    Oct. 4 Point Guards
    Oct. 11 Shooting Guards
    Oct. 18 Top 50

    15. Troy Murphy, Golden State: He's getting better and better, both on the boards and from the perimeter, quietly becoming one of the West's most consistently productive bigs. He's only this far down on the list because he isn't one of the quickest forwards out there, putting his defense at risk. First-round pick Ike Diogu should take some of his minutes, although don't expect a significant dropoff in his numbers.

    16. Antonio McDyess, Detroit: He proved during the playoffs that he's still got it, having amazing bounced back from numerous knee surgeries and mentally staying strong after nearly calling it quits. If he can continue to make strides toward what he once was, the two-time defending East champs may not surrender their crown.



    17. Al Harrington, Atlanta: In his first year as a starter, Harrington averaged nearly 18 points per game, pacing the Hawks -- but he shot just 21 percent from 3-point range and consistently found himself in foul trouble. He's extremely skilled and must continue to mature. It will be telling to see what Atlanta chooses to do with him having brought Marvin Williams on board, but all that's left for Harrington to do is work hard and keep improving.



    18. Tyson Chandler, Chicago: The Bulls rewarded Chandler with a contract this offseason and now must get him to reach his vast potential. His offense is a work in progress and will be for a few more seasons, but defensively and on the boards, he's capable of taking over games. The problem is he doesn't often play smart, consistently finding himself in foul trouble. That needs to change; his talent and desire are certainly there.



    19. Al Jefferson, Boston: How does a guy who played fewer than 15 minutes per game last season crack the Top 20? Simple. He's a beast. At 6-10 and over 270 pounds of solid granite, Jefferson is about to break out. We just thought we'd hop on the bandwagon and get a good seat before it starts getting crowded.



    20. Nenad Krstic, New Jersey: The Serbian forward is slight of frame, but boy does he have some silky post moves. Only 22, he has a remarkable future considering the flashes of Kevin McHale-type footwork he put on display as a rookie. He has to become a more aggressive rebounder, but the Nets clearly uncovered a jewel with the 24th pick of the 2002 Draft.



    Also considered: Drew Gooden, Cleveland; Kurt Thomas, Phoenix; Donyell Marshall, Cleveland; Stromile Swift, Houston; P.J. Brown, New Orleans; Udonis Haslem, Miami; Kenny Thomas, Sacramento; Nene, Denver.


    http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/8866386


    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
    -- Albert Einstein

  • #2
    Re: CBS Positional Rankings: Power forwards

    Thats how it should be

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: CBS Positional Rankings: Power forwards

      Can't really argue with that no.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: CBS Positional Rankings: Power forwards

        Alright! I was getting tired of that Dirk > JO crap.
        You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: CBS Positional Rankings: Power forwards

          Originally posted by SoupIsGood
          Alright! I was getting tired of that Dirk > JO crap.
          I know! but JO did say Dirk was a great guy to play one-on-one or was that target practice?

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: CBS Positional Rankings: Power forwards

            Um, no Dwight Howard? Or is he going to be a permanent center?
            House Name: Pacers

            House Sigil:



            House Words: "We Kneel To No King"

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: CBS Positional Rankings: Power forwards

              Pretty good rankings, nothing I really disagree with. The only thing I do disagree with is his statement that someone has to be # 1.

              Not always. Sometimes people are so closely matched that the winner of a particular match might be the one who got the best nights sleep. In other words the real #1 isn't worth writing down because it changes hour to hour.

              Of course in this case I agree that Duncan is #1 because he has 3 titles and Kevin has trouble getting his teams out of the first round.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: CBS Positional Rankings: Power forwards

                Kenyon is too high up. He can't shoot the ball worth ****.
                Don't ask Marvin Harrison what he did during the bye week. "Batman never told where the Bat Cave is," he explained.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: CBS Positional Rankings: Power forwards

                  No way KMart is the 6th best PF in the NBA.
                  I think Jamison is more of a SF than a PF.

                  Just because Orlando/Toronto are too inept to have a decent C next to their stud PFs, is no reason to rate Howard/Bosh as Centers. I think they should rate players at their primary position, rather than where their teams will force them to play out of position.

                  Otherwise a pretty good ranking...

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: CBS Positional Rankings: Power forwards

                    How can they get the PF's so right and the SF's so wrong

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: CBS Positional Rankings: Power forwards

                      I like where JO is. I think that is a pretty good list in general.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: CBS Positional Rankings: Power forwards

                        First time I've agreed with anybody's top 5 in a while.
                        This space for rent.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: CBS Positional Rankings: Power forwards

                          Where's Amare Stoudamire?

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: CBS Positional Rankings: Power forwards

                            Originally posted by Pacersfan





                            5. Elton Brand, L.A. Clippers: He has quietly starred for losing teams since coming into the league six years ago, consistently putting up 20 points and 10 boards. Despite that, he has been to just a single All-Star game, hindered by Clips syndrome and the fact he's over shadowed by the likes of Duncan, Garnett and Nowitzki. Only 26, his best days seem to be ahead.










                            Didn't he list Jermaine ahead of Nowitzki?

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: CBS Positional Rankings: Power forwards

                              Originally posted by travmil
                              Where's Amare Stoudamire?
                              That's what I was going to ask...unless I missed something.

                              Comment

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