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The Rules of Pacers Digest

Hello everyone,

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

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

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

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

Rule #1

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

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

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

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

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

"He/she is just delusional"

"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rule #2

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

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

The right places to do so are:

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

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

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

Rule #3

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

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

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

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

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

Rule #4

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

Rule #5

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

An example:

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

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

Rule #6

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

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

Rule #7

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

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

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

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

Rule #8

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

Rule #9

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

Rule #10

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

Rule #11

Do not advertise anything without talking about it with the administrators first. This includes advertising with your signature, with your avatar, through private messaging, and/or by making a thread or post.
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Star: New Start, Same Goal

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  • #1

    Star: New Start, Same Goal

    November 2, 2005
    http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl...47/1004/SPORTS
    New start, same goal
    Pacers return with full roster, title aspirations

    By Mike Wells
    mike.wells@indystar.com

    It's a new beginning for the Indiana Pacers. Reggie Miller is gone. Ron Artest is back. And tonight in Orlando, Fla., they take the first steps in what they expect to be a journey to the NBA championship.
    All-Star forward Jermaine O'Neal has said anything short of the title will be a failure.
    Team president Larry Bird has said if O'Neal can't produce one, he'll find someone who can.
    With two top players in O'Neal and Artest and one of the deepest benches in the league, the talent is there.
    They know it, and so does the rest of the league.
    "The only way we don't win this year is that we self-destruct or we don't want it as much as we say we do," O'Neal said. "There's going to be situations that come up where we're going to be challenged. I'm interested to see how we take to it."
    Does that optimism sound familiar? It should. The Pacers entered last season fresh off a 61-win season and immediately set their sights on winning a ring for Miller. Those hopes vanished Nov. 19, when O'Neal, Artest and Stephen Jackson took part in a brawl that produced season-altering suspensions.
    O'Neal was out until late December and Jackson until late January. Artest was barred from the final 73 regular-season games and the postseason.
    "I think we have a lot to prove," forward Austin Croshere said. "I think this type of talk might have been fair last year, because two years ago I thought we had a great year. But we weren't in the NBA Finals last season. We weren't even in the Eastern Conference finals. I think it's unfair to think it's a given it's going to work itself out from Day 1. People are picking us to win a championship, but that's based more off talent than what we have done on the court in the last 12 months."
    Said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle: "I can't imagine any of our guys would get ahead of themselves after what happened to us last year. We were in the same position, the same situation and things changed dramatically, literally overnight. So I don't see that as a problem. We know we should be one of the better teams, but we have to go out and prove it."
    O'Neal can't wait to try. After injuries, suspensions, 30 starting lineups and a second-round playoff exit last season, he said the Pacers have been tested.
    "That's why I feel so positive," O'Neal said. "It couldn't get any worse than last year. That's not just the brawl, it's everything; sicknesses, injuries, whatever, we had it last year. Things happen for a reason and it has built this team up. We depend on each other and we have full confidence in one another."
    The Pacers went into camp relatively healthy, but they'll limp into tonight's game. Center Jeff Foster is out until at least Thanksgiving with an Achilles problem, and Scot Pollard isn't ready to return from his calf injury. That leaves O'Neal, who is a power forward, and banged-up David Harrison to play center.
    The Pacers were 5-3 in the preseason despite not having their projected starting five together. Better than the record, however, was how the team interacted. Artest, O'Neal and Jackson, the team's top scoring options, were on the same page for the most part. Sarunas Jasikevicius and Danny Granger, the team's only offseason pickups, have given added stability off the bench. Four players averaged double figures, and Artest was willing to come off the bench.
    "It goes a little bit further than us playing together," O'Neal said. "Everybody has to set aside agendas. We can't worry about personal accomplishments. It's about this team reaching the highest goal and that's the championship.
    "If you put those things aside, which I think we're right on course, we'll be a tough team."
    The Pacers will get an early indication of where they stand when they play Miami twice in their first four games.
    Talent is only part of the equation to winning the title, O'Neal said. The Pacers haven't matched the mental toughness of San Antonio and Detroit, the past two NBA champions.
    "Personally, I don't think the Pacers have ever had a team like this as far as talent," O'Neal said. "The one thing we have this year to go with talent is we have the mental toughness that's needed to take us over the top. The last couple of years we've always had more talent than anybody else, but we didn't have experience and toughness mentally. This year is a different story."

    Today's opener
    • Who: Pacers at Magic.

    • When: 7 p.m.

    • TV: WTTV-4.

    • Radio: WIBC-1070 AM.

    PLAYERS TO WATCH TONIGHT
    • Pacers: Ron Artest. He stayed relatively quiet in the preseason. The All-Star forward led the Pacers with 16.3 points and 5.7 rebounds a game in the preseason. Tonight will be his first regular-season game since the brawl last Nov. 19. He's averaging 17.3 points a game against the Magic as a Pacer.
    • Magic: Dwight Howard. The top pick in the 2004 draft averaged 12.0 points and 10.0 rebounds as a rookie. He started all 82 games and was one of eight players to average a double-double. Howard and Charlotte's Emeka Okafor are the first rookies to accomplish the feat since 1992-93.

    SERIES TREND
    The Magic didn't make the playoffs, but they won three of four meetings against the Pacers last season. The Pacers are 13-17 at Orlando. This is the Pacers' only visit to Orlando this season. Brian Hill, who led Orlando to the NBA Finals in 1995, is back for his second stint as coach of the Magic.

    5 things to watch this season

    The NBA season tipped off Tuesday with four games. The Indiana Pacers open their season tonight in Orlando. Here are five story lines to watch this season:

    1. Ron Artest Artest was on his best behavior (for the most part) in the preseason. When he wasn't playing, Artest was busy gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated and Penthouse, challenging Ben Wallace to a pay-per-view boxing match and doing an HBO interview. The Pacers will be legitimate title contenders as long as Artest focuses on being the best all-around player in the league.

    2. Fashion patrol The new dress code went into effect Tuesday. Jeff Foster, Eddie Gill and Scot Pollard will have a chance to show off their designer threads as all three are expected to be on the inactive list against the Magic tonight. Stephen Jackson, who called the league's ban on chains a racial statement, won't be wearing his chains to the arena.

    3. Will it be a Hollywood ending in L.A.? Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant are reunited in Los Angeles. They're good, but the Lakers probably won't make the playoffs this season. The person they both need is 7-1 and calls South Beach his home.

    4. Is there a "D" in New York? Larry Brown preaches defense. But there's a problem: His players in New York don't play much of it. The Knicks will be better, and possibly compete for a playoff spot, but Brown will probably age a few years trying to get his team to stop anybody.

    5.How will the reigning MVP do without his running mate? Steve Nash averaged 11.5 assists and won the MVP trophy by throwing the ball near the rim and letting Amare Stoudemire throw it down for dunks last season. Stoudemire is out at least four months with a left knee injury. Nash better hope former Pacer James Jones can catch his passes and quickly knock down 3-pointers.

    -- Mike Wells
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Star: New Start, Same Goal

    GOD!!, I'm so pumped. I've been waiting for this moment for almost a year.
    (well at least since Nov. 19th)

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Star: New Start, Same Goal

      I recall after hearing of Artest's season long suspension, thinking of how long it would be untill we'd see him play in an NBA game again. And here it is already. My how time flies by.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Star: New Start, Same Goal

        It went by pretty slow for me. but now there's 3 hrs and 20 mins left

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Star: New Start, Same Goal

          Originally posted by PaCeRs_GuRL
          It went by pretty slow for me. but now there's 3 hrs and 20 mins left
          It did go by pretty slow for me too.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Star: New Start, Same Goal

            1hr, 46 minutes......WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Star: New Start, Same Goal

              Originally posted by brs14ku
              1hr, 46 minutes......WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
              Do you guys know if WB4 will do a pregame show for us tonight? Usually only FSNMW does...

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Star: New Start, Same Goal

                pacers.com says it starts at 6. . .

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Star: New Start, Same Goal

                  I cant wait, I cut school today so I make it in time.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Star: New Start, Same Goal

                    It's definitely at 7.

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Star: New Start, Same Goal

                      Originally posted by Believe_in_blue
                      pacers.com says it starts at 6. . .


                      Artest's Return Marks Season-Opener
                      Tonight's Game: Ron Artest's official return to the NBA comes tonight in Orlando when the Pacers begin a 2005-06 season with title asiprations against the Magic (7:00, WB4).

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Star: New Start, Same Goal

                        ok, just the courtside box says 6

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: Star: New Start, Same Goal

                          SCOUTING REPORT!!!


                          PACERSvs.MAGIC

                          Jamaal
                          Tinsley                          		Point
                          Guard
                          Steve
                          Francis

                          Stephen
                          Jackson                          		Shooting
                          Guard
                          DeShawn
                          Stevenson

                          Ron
                          Artest                          		Small
                          Forward
                          Hedo
                          Turkoglu

                          Austin
                          Croshere                          		Power
                          Forward
                          Dwight
                          Howard

                          Jermaine
                          O'Neal                          		Center
                          Tony
                          Battie

                          Sarunas
                          Jasikevicius                          		Sixth
                          Man
                          Pat
                          Garrity
                          QUOTABLE
                          "After what we went through last year, we're looking forward to getting started. … If we play hard and play together we're going to win our share of games."
                          - Rick Carlisle
                          PACERS.COM SCOUTING REPORT

                          Artest's Return Marks Season-Opener
                          By Conrad Brunner | Nov. 2, 2005
                          There have been many minor milestones along the way: first practice, first organized game, first intrasquad scrimmage, first exhibition game and so on. But for Ron Artest, the real first step in his return to the Pacers comes tonight in Orlando (7:00, WB4) when he takes the floor for a regular-season game for the first time since Nov. 19, 2004.
                          Everything up until now has simply been preparation for this moment, when his comeback becomes real.
                          "It's definitely been a long time," said Artest. "It's going to feel good to get back out there. I'm definitely ready to pick up where I left off. I want to get my teammates involved and win games."
                          Artest's presence at both ends of the floor will be most welcome for the Pacers, who lost a player averaging 24.6 points per game while holding the title of reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year at the time of his suspension. Artest has added about 10 pounds to his already robust frame and used the summer league and preseason games to knock off as much rust as possible.
                          "I'm sure he's very excited to be in a real game," said Coach Rick Carlisle. "Exhibition games don't show true reality as far as our league goes. I'm sure he's anxious to be out there and we're excited for him."
                          Coming off a 36-46 season, Orlando brought back Coach Brian Hill, who guided the team to its biggest success , going 167-79 from 1993-96. Hill's Magic beat the Pacers in seven games in the 1995 Eastern Conference Finals to make their lone NBA Finals appearance, losing to the Rockets. Hill has a mix of emerging young stars, starting with power forward Dwight Howard, and established veterans like guard Steve Francis. Grant Hill will miss at least three weeks with a sports hernia, a setback for an Orlando team hoping to build needed confidence with a quick start.
                          KEY MATCHUP
                          Point Guard - Francis never got untracked against the Pacers last season, averaging just 15.0 points on 33.8 percent shooting in four games, with nearly as many turnovers (17) as assists (18). Neutralizing Orlando's primary offensive threat is central to the Pacers' plan.
                          INJURIES
                          Pacers - C David Harrison (abdominal strain) and G Jamaal Tinsley (viral infection) are probable; F Jonathan Bender (knee) is questionable; C Jeff Foster (sore left Achilles) and C Scot Pollard (strained left calf) are out. Magic - G Keyon Dooling (right heel contusion) is questionable; C Mario Kasun (right ankle tendinitis) is doubtful; and F Stacey Augmon (hernia) and F Grant Hill (hernia) are out.



                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: Star: New Start, Same Goal

                            1 more hour

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: Star: New Start, Same Goal

                              45 mins!!!

                              STARTING TA GET GOOSEBUMPS NOW!!!

                              Comment

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