Announcement

Collapse

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.
See more
See less

Mark Montieth; "I thought Bradley should have received a flagrant for break

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 1
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous template Next
  • #1

    Mark Montieth; "I thought Bradley should have received a flagrant for break

    He was kidding about the flagrant, but he did get a new laptop. Interesting questions and answers today.

    http://www.indystar.com/articles/8/025639-4458-116.html

    Mark Montieth: Pacers Q&A
    Indianapolis Star sports reporter Mark Montieth answers your questions about the Pacers.
    March 31, 2004

    Question: I saw the game against the Mavericks and saw that Shawn Bradley destroyed your computer. Were you able to retrieve your information off the hard drive? Who pays for the damages? (Dave from Inglewood, Calif.)

    Answer: I had the most famous laptop in America that night, didn't I? That was quite an experience, and a lot of people got a laugh out of it, including friends and relatives who were watching the game.

    Fortunately, the Star's IT department was able to transfer the data from my hard drive to another machine. Bradley crushed my screen, but the rest of the computer wasn't damaged. That was huge. It would have been nearly tragic to lose all the files in my laptop. I had a new one late the next morning, and took it with me to Orlando for Friday's game.

    A lot of people were suggesting we send Bradley or Mark Cuban a bill, but the Star's insurance coverage took care of a replacement. Otherwise, it would have been our misfortune. I don't believe we could have justified billing anybody for the loss of the computer. That's one of the risks you take when you sit courtside.

    By the way, did you notice how quickly I got out of the way when Bradley headed my way? I've still got it, when properly motivated.



    Question: Since Ron Artest is boosting his scoring and still maintaining his defense are there any comparisons with MJ or Scottie Pippen? These two players also did good work on both ends of the floor. Could Ron be the team scorer in the future instead of the defense stopper if he can't be both? (Tom from Heerlen, The Netherlands)

    Answer: There are few players in league history who have excelled at both ends of the court, and Artest has an opportunity to become one of them. He's a great defender now -- one of the best in league history, I believe. I can't think of anyone who can defend so many positions so well. Artest has a rare combination of strength, reach, foot quickness and good hands. And, he loves to play it.



    Question: Is there something going on behind the scenes with Kenny Anderson? Anthony Johnson has performed admirably all season but when he struggles, as he did versus Damon Stoudamire and Mike Bibby, why isn't Anderson seeing any minutes? Also, why is it absolutely necessary to maintain the 11-man rotation when the reserves are getting pounded? Coach Carlisle waited too long to bring the starters back in the Kings game. (Adam from Indianapolis)

    Answer: There's nothing wrong with Anderson or his relationship with Carlisle. The Pacers have gone with two point guards all season, and Carlisle wants to maintain stability with his rotation. He's willing to make exceptions, however, as he did in the game at Orlando. Tinsley and Johnson were getting burned by Tyronn Lue, so he played Anderson in the first half.

    Carlisle wants to play Anderson. They've had a good relationship for many years, and Carlisle's presence was the primary reason Anderson signed with the Pacers. It's been awkward and frustrating for both of them to have Anderson sit out games. But he'll be on the playoff roster and no doubt will get some chances. And if there's an injury he's back in the rotation.

    In fact, as I write this before the game at Milwaukee on Tuesday, Tinsley is sick so Johnson will start and Anderson will get backup minutes. It's a luxury to have a proven veteran available for that role.

    As for bringing the starters back too late against the Kings, that's the sort of thing that's easy to second-guess. There have been other games when people wondered if he should have stayed longer with the reserves. There's no formula for it. Carlisle likes to keep a fairly predictable substitution pattern, though, and players generally prefer that.



    Question: In my opinion, the suspension of Ron Artest was unjust. It was not an intentional elbow from my vantage point. Why hasn't Shawn Bradley been reprimanded for his blatant elbow to Jamaal Tinsley? (Jerrod from Indianapolis)

    Answer: I've heard different opinions of Artest's elbow. Some thought it was intentional, some did not. I don't believe it was intentional, because I've never seen Artest deliver a cheap shot that might hurt someone intentionally. He's certainly willing to give hard fouls, but he's not reckless by nature.

    I believe he acted instinctively while fighting through a screen. Therefore, I thought he should have received a Flagrant 1 penalty, not a Flagrant 2. Flagrant 1's are for excessive contact. Flagrant 2's are for excessive and intentional contact. It was a difficult call for the league. Artest has gotten a couple of breaks on questionable plays this season, so perhaps Stu Jackson believed it was time to send a message.

    I can't speak for the play on Bradley. Plays such as that are a matter of interpretation. I thought Bradley should have received a flagrant for breaking my laptop, though.



    Question: There is a strong chance that Jamison Brewer won't play again for the rest of the season or the playoffs. Despite Artest's fondness for his game, we really haven't seen very much of him. What are the Pacers' plans for Brewer after the season? (Justin from San Antonio, Texas)

    Answer:You're right, Brewer is unlikely to play again this season unless one of the other three point guards is injured. He becomes a free agent this summer, so it will be interesting to see what happens. Kenny Anderson also is a free agent, and Anthony Johnson has an option to become one if he wants. I doubt he'll take it, unless he believes he can get a better contract elsewhere.

    The Pacers will have to make decisions on Anderson and Brewer. They'll have to weigh them against other point guards who will become available. But they believe Brewer has a future in the league. He's athletic and hard-nosed, and a very good defender. He needs to improve his shot, and he's not really a quarterback yet, but he can improve in those areas.



    Question: I am intrigued by the demise of Ron Mercer. He has been on six or seven teams now in his somewhat brief career. I thought he was one of the best players in the draft behind Tim Duncan when Rick Pitino drafted him out of Kentucky. Is he disruptive to the team? Why does he keep getting traded and why do you think no team has picked him up for the minimum for the remainder of the season? (Pat from Sterling, Mass.)

    Answer: These are good questions. Mercer has, indeed, had an interesting career. He was first-team all-rookie in Boston and averaged 19 points a game for Chicago three seasons ago.

    Mercer damaged his reputation when he was traded to Denver. He did not want the move and refused to attend the press conference. He was unhappy with the Nuggets, and didn't hide it.

    As for his time with the Pacers, he didn't seem like a bad guy at all. He once sent me an e-mail in the off-season, thanking me for being fair with him. That sort of thing doesn't happy very often. San Antonio's beat writer, Johnny Ludden, told me Mercer also went out of his way to thank him for a story.

    I haven't known any of Mercer's teammates to dislike him, but he doesn't get close to many people. He keeps to himself, and for that reason is sometimes viewed as arrogant. I don't think that's the case, however.

    Still, it can't be denied that he's had difficulty throughout his career, and he obviously has to take responsibility for that. For example, he had a run-in with Isiah Thomas last season. They exchanged words in practice one day, and then Mercer refused to report into a game. That's why Thomas left him on the bench last season. It took awhile to figure out what happened, but that was it.

    Mercer keeps in touch with a few Pacers, and says he's considered retirement. He was greatly frustrated to be released by the Spurs. But if he gets a chance to sign with a winning team next season, he'll do so. He'll no doubt have to take a cut in pay, however.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Mark Montieth; "I thought Bradley should have received a flagrant for b

    Some interesting responses.

    My opinion on Mercer: I don't think he is a bad guy, I just don't think he is very good.

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Mark Montieth; "I thought Bradley should have received a flagrant for b

      Excatly nice guy bad player. I was a fan of his at Kentucky but he has come a long way from that time.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Mark Montieth; "I thought Bradley should have received a flagrant for b

        Mercer is your typical servicable player. Good role player, often injured, but he can light it up at times.


        2006 WORLD CHAMPION INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Mark Montieth; "I thought Bradley should have received a flagrant for b

          I love to watch Mercer.

          The trouble is is that you have to give him the ball at the exact place at the exact moment for him to be consistent. He really needed to develop another shot. If I knew he had something else in his repertoire besides the mid-range jump shot, I would bring him back to the Pacers.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Mark Montieth; "I thought Bradley should have received a flagrant for b

            Still, it can't be denied that he's had difficulty throughout his career, and he obviously has to take responsibility for that. For example, he had a run-in with Isiah Thomas last season. They exchanged words in practice one day, and then Mercer refused to report into a game. That's why Thomas left him on the bench last season. It took awhile to figure out what happened, but that was it.
            Slick's biggest complaint about Isiah after his firing was his benching of Mercer. Now that we know what happened, what was Zeke supposed to do?
            Come to the Dark Side -- There's cookies!

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Mark Montieth; "I thought Bradley should have received a flagrant for b

              Still, it can't be denied that he's had difficulty throughout his career, and he obviously has to take responsibility for that. For example, he had a run-in with Isiah Thomas last season. They exchanged words in practice one day, and then Mercer refused to report into a game. That's why Thomas left him on the bench last season. It took awhile to figure out what happened, but that was it.
              Slick's biggest complaint about Isiah after his firing was his benching of Mercer. Now that we know what happened, what was Zeke supposed to do?
              What Slick did when he coached: play the guys that could help him win. Even if he recently "exchanged words" with them or chased one of them (Neto) around the lockerrroom swinging a hockey stick at him. Coaches that hold grudges against individual players are coaches that lose the respect of the rest of their players pretty quickly. A head coach doesn't need to be liked by any of his players, but he/she needs to be respected by all of them.
              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

              • #8
                Re: Mark Montieth; "I thought Bradley should have received a flagrant for b

                I like the way Carlisle handles conflict. Or at least the way I think he does.

                Directly, and immediately, and then he moves on.

                The greatest example is the Artest situation in late December. Did not harp on it

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Mark Montieth; "I thought Bradley should have received a flagrant for b

                  Still, it can't be denied that he's had difficulty throughout his career, and he obviously has to take responsibility for that. For example, he had a run-in with Isiah Thomas last season. They exchanged words in practice one day, and then Mercer refused to report into a game. That's why Thomas left him on the bench last season. It took awhile to figure out what happened, but that was it.
                  Slick's biggest complaint about Isiah after his firing was his benching of Mercer. Now that we know what happened, what was Zeke supposed to do?
                  What Slick did when he coached: play the guys that could help him win. Even if he recently "exchanged words" with them or chased one of them (Neto) around the lockerrroom swinging a hockey stick at him. Coaches that hold grudges against individual players are coaches that lose the respect of the rest of their players pretty quickly. A head coach doesn't need to be liked by any of his players, but he/she needs to be respected by all of them.
                  Conflict is one thing, but refusing to play? That's one of the last taboo's in the NBA. From what I've heard it most certainly killed any chance 'Melo had at ROY, and he publicly apologized. 10 years later, it's still the defining moment of Scottie Pippen's career without Jordan.

                  I hate to bring this up, but it does lend credence to the rumor that Mercer was one of the guys JO wanted gone.
                  Come to the Dark Side -- There's cookies!

                  Comment

                  Previous template Next
                  Working...
                  X