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Rule #1

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

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

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

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

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"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

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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.

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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:

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Rule #4

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

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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
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Indianapolis Star

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

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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).

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

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Rule #10

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Interesting Sam Smith read, some Pacers stuff

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  • #1

    Interesting Sam Smith read, some Pacers stuff

    http://chicagosports.chicagotribune....=cs-columnists
    INSIDE THE NBA

    Curry no cinch to stay on Knicks
    Insiders say ex-Bull not a good fit for N.Y. coach Brown
    Sam Smith
    On Pro Basketball

    April 17, 2006

    Could Eddy Curry be on the move again?

    Clearly, big changes figure to be coming in New York after this miserable season and it's hard to believe the Knicks wouldn't give coach Larry Brown one more chance with a different roster. Changing that overpaid, underachieving roster won't be easy. But you figure general manager Isiah Thomas has his eyes on one big name who is likely to be involved in trade talks this summer, Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal.

    That would be Thomas' type of move. It was O'Neal who was most upset when Thomas was fired as Pacers coach and threatened to force his way out. Feelings were soothed, but O'Neal has kept up a personal relationship with Thomas. And last week Pacers general manager Larry Bird, in saying coach Rick Carlisle wasn't going anywhere, challenged the players and hinted at a major shakeup of the disappointing Pacers. Could they be trading partners?

    Believe it or not, Thomas has a plan. It's to accumulate assets and combine them in deals for players he wants. He got Steve Francis from Orlando for Trevor Ariza. How bad can that be as long as finances don't matter? Which they don't in New York.

    Figure the Pacers, like everyone else, to make a run at Kevin Garnett. And with Garnett sitting out the rest of the season, it does make you wonder if the Timberwolves are taking a look at what their team would be without Garnett. But they continue to insist they'll add a player to complement Garnett, and many believe it could be former teammate Stephon Marbury. No one is untouchable in New York, nor should be.

    It seems clear that O'Neal has had his run in Indiana. You know Thomas would love to have him back, and O'Neal would lend some credibility as a rough post player, more to the liking of Brown. Who knows whether the Pacers would be interested in Curry, but Carlisle does run a slower, post-up offense that would seem to suit Curry better.

    Curry will never fit with Brown, say coaches who know both. Brown is known for his intense dislike for offensive players and has had some of his most celebrated differences with David Robinson, Danny Manning and Reggie Miller. It's why Chauncey Billups could not break out until Brown left. So it was no surprise to many that, before Brown left ill last week, Curry was regularly being benched for Jackie Butler, whoever that is.

    "I'll be ready for whatever, if he goes in a different direction or not," Curry said. "It's pointless to ask me what the reason is [for the benchings]. He'll give you a better answer. It's hard for me to [know] when he's going to put me out there or not."

    Curry has played fewer than 30 minutes in seven of the last eight games and is averaging 9.5 points and 4.4 rebounds in that span.

    "I'm not down on Eddy Curry," Brown insisted last week. "I think Eddy Curry is a key to our team. . . . [But] I've been telling Isiah from Day One, having a point guard and having a center who rebounds and defends are the two critical areas for any team."

    Those who saw Curry on the Bulls for four years know he'll never be that player.

    Certainly, the Knicks aren't going to interest the Pacers with Curry alone. But if they offered Channing Frye and a first-rounder, perhaps they could get O'Neal and Brooklyn-born point guard Jamaal Tinsley, whom the Pacers would love to get rid of. It's hard to say what might work, if anything, but figure the Knicks to make some calls and that Curry's future in New York is hardly guaranteed.

    Back to Bulls' issues

    Because Mondays are "What if" days in the NBA--for me, anyway--and this is a job someone has to do, I'm often asked what is the most realistic deal for the Bulls. All of them, I explain.

    But it seems more likely that Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Garnett will remain with their teams, but this is the NBA, so you never say never.

    Instead, if you are looking for one big-time player who could be most available, it may be Seattle's high-scoring, 6-foot-10-inch Rashard Lewis, who has had uneasy times with his team and supposedly will opt out of his contract next summer. The Sonics say they want to keep him, though they're also working on retaining Chris Wilcox and just last week NBA Commissioner David Stern indicated a possible move or sale of the financially unstable team.

    Lewis told Seattle reporters last week he wasn't sure the Sonics could afford him. Added Ray Allen: "We've been the leaders of this team ever since I got here, but maybe he wants to do something else with rest of his career."

    Some believe a deal would make sense for Seattle, which blames many of its problems this season on contract uncertainty with players. "We had guys this year (Vladimir Radmanovic, Reggie Evans and Ronald Murray) who didn't know whether they were going to be here, and that affected not only them, but everybody else too," Lewis said.

    Lewis is primarily a small forward, the Bulls' most solid position with Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni. But there's no reason Deng couldn't develop into a shooting guard and give the Bulls a big perimeter lineup. Would the Sonics be interested in Tyson Chandler and the Bulls' two No. 1 picks with Seattle giving the Bulls back their lottery pick, which should be in the middle range?

    Then the Bulls could go out in free agency for a defensive center like Joel Przybilla or Nazr Mohammed, both of whom are said to be interested in Chicago. The Bulls still would have a lottery pick while the Sonics get two and Chandler. It might make sense for them to deal a player they may not be able to re-sign and thus could be a distraction next season.

    Cavs-Bulls flashback?

    How appropriate would this be: LeBron James plays the Bulls in his first playoff on his way to being the next Michael Jordan?

    It was against the Cavs in 1989 that Jordan made that big game-winning shot that moved him among the elite players with playoff success. James now needs that. It was always the Bulls spoiling the Cavs' seasons. Could it happen again? It will if the Bulls can jump to the fifth seed, behind the fourth-seeded Cavs.

    The NBA already seems to be looking for Cleveland in the second round, which likely would mean a matchup with the Pistons. NBA Vice President Stu Jackson last week admitted the NBA is watching the behavior of the teams after several incidents this season in which Rasheed Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas clashed. Last week Anderson Varejao took a cheap shot at Wallace, clearly retaliation for Wallace's takedowns of Ilgauskas in a February game.

    An underlying issue is the attitude within the Cleveland team. There were whispers of teammates not standing up for Ilgauskas, who went after Wallace on his own the next time the teams played, which in a scheduling quirk was the next day. And this time it was another international player, Varejao, who stepped up.

    Detroit doings

    Little was made of Ben Wallace's refusing to enter a game earlier this month because Wallace is no Darius Miles. But it did raise a quiet concern around the Pistons. One of Larry Brown's strengths was rewarding his hard-working players and giving Wallace more touches on offense and plays than he has ever had. Flip Saunders is more of a traditional NBA coach who likes to ride a hot hand or go with his established scorers. That has been at the core of Wallace's frustrations this season.

    "That championship year we had, everybody played," Wallace said. "It wasn't trying to win with one or two guys. We used everybody that we had, including our bench. That's the only way you can win in this league."

    Double dribbles

    The Warriors' Jason Richardson has confirmed that it hurts to dunk. Said Richardson: "When you dunk it hard and come down screaming, `Ahhhhh,' everybody gets into it. But you're really screaming, `Ahhhhh, my arm!'" George Gervin used to say he developed his finger roll because he hurt his hand so often dunking. . . . One of the NBA's good guys, the Kings' Shareef Abdur-Rahim, should get to the playoffs for the first time after 743 games and counting. He is the all-time active leader and second all-time to Tom Van Arsdale, who played 929 games without going to the playoffs. . . . The Bulls see Orlando on Monday. Dwight Howard, making a run to become the youngest rebounding champion, had 26 rebounds Saturday against the 76ers. If he averages 20 in the last two games, he'll pass the idle Garnett. Howard's 26 was a league season high.

    Coach TruWarrior

    Ron Artest doesn't always make sense, but he knows the game. And when he shut down Carmelo Anthony on Saturday in an easy Kings win, he clearly identified why the Nuggets' top player isn't yet a true NBA star and why Denver is a likely first-round casualty.

    Said Artest, who held Anthony to 15 points: "I wish I had a chance to work with him. Hopefully, one day I can be a coach and coach a guy like Carmelo. He's got to move a little more, pass to his teammates a little more, do more without the ball. If you're not scoring, do something else. I would tell him that, but I don't want to give him too many of my tips. He got frustrated a couple of times when he got passed up, but that happens sometimes. You just keep playing."

    ----------

    sasmith@tribune.com
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Interesting Sam Smith read, some Pacers stuff

    I was just going to post this.

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Interesting Sam Smith read, some Pacers stuff

      Originally posted by Larry Brown
      I've been telling Isiah from Day One, having a point guard and having a center who rebounds and defends are the two critical areas for any team.
      Trading for an all-star power forward fills neither of those two critical areas.

      Jermaine can play center, of course, but he seems to get too banged up when ask to do that every game.

      I'm not buying it, and I can't see Larry wanting Curry (a lazy player by everyone's account) and I can't see Larry or Donny eagerly dealing with Isiah.

      This just won't happen unless Jermaine DEMANDS a trade, which is unlikely.
      The poster "pacertom" since this forum began (and before!). I changed my name here to "Slick Pinkham" in honor of the imaginary player That Bobby "Slick" Leonard picked late in the 1971 ABA draft (true story!).

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Interesting Sam Smith read, some Pacers stuff

        There is nothing in this next article about the Pacers, but I found it rather interesting.
        http://www.nwherald.com/print/285874929786006.php


        Building an NBA title contender



        Two NBA figures personify the options available to Bulls general manager John Paxson during what will be a crucial summer for the franchise.

        One is Kevin Garnett, the Minnesota Timberwolves' superstar who could be available in a trade.

        The other is Joe Dumars.

        Paxson held Dumars in high regard when the two played for the Bulls and Detroit Pistons, respectively, and he continues to admire Dumars now that the two are general managers for those same franchises.

        Paxson credits Dumars for putting together a group that wins with balance and chemistry, rather than by relying on a superstar.

        Hence the temptation to not trade what could be the No. 1 overall draft pick – which the Bulls acquired from New York in the Eddy Curry deal last fall – or the Bulls' own pick, which could fall in the top 15.

        And hence the temptation to use the team's salary-cap space to sign two productive players in free agency, rather than use that cap space to fit in the salary of a superstar who would come via trade.

        All of that is tempting. But so is Garnett.

        "All I can say is we expect to have different directions that we can go in this summer," Paxson said. "What we have to decide is which would allow us to achieve our ultimate goal – to become a championship contender, and sustain that long-term."

        Garnett, whose contract runs through 2008-09 at $20 million a season, might end up on the market after two consecutive disappointing seasons with the Timberwolves.

        With career averages of 20.4 points on 49 percent shooting and 11.2 rebounds, the 11-year veteran would instantly become the Bulls' best player since Michael Jordan.

        He would fill the Bulls' biggest need, a low-post player who can score, and he would energize a fan base that has not seen the team win so much as a playoff series since 1998.

        The Bulls would have to pay a price in return for all that, however. Garnett conceivably could cost them either Ben Gordon or Luol Deng, plus Tyson Chandler and the Knicks' draft choice.

        "[Superstars are] great to have, but they don't assure you a championship," Skiles said. "If you don't have the right pieces around them, you can struggle. I can think of at least three or four guys who would be considered superstars who will probably end up with losing records [this season]."

        Garnett, Philadelphia's Allen Iverson and Boston's Paul Pierce all fit that description. So, arguably, do Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal, Seattle's Ray Allen and Houston's Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady.

        None of Detroit's players can compare to the aforementioned players individually, but the Pistons have been to the last two NBA Finals.

        Many around the league think Dumars' blueprint is spreading, citing as examples the Bulls and other rising young teams such as Orlando and Memphis.

        Bulls assistant coach John Bach, a coach on one level or another for 53 years, said that kind of team actually is a throwback.

        "If you go back to the Boston Celtics teams that won all those championships [in the 1960s], you'll see that they won because of the way they played together and fed off each other," Bach said. "They didn't have that one guy who really dominated. [Bill] Russell dominated defensively, but that's all."

        The resounding success of larger-than-life players Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Jordan helped change the prototype. Teams began concentrating scouting efforts on landing the one player who could take them to the top.

        The Pistons' recent success in dethroning the Los Angeles Lakers, who rode Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, might have taken teams' approach toward franchise-building back in the other direction.

        "You have guys, like LeBron [James], who may take it back the other way again," Bach said. "But that may not be for another few years. Like a lot of things in life and sports, it's probably cyclical."

        If so, Dumars is more responsible than anybody else for the current cycle.

        The Pistons' general manager traded stars such as Grant Hill and Jerry Stackhouse for players who were less heralded, such as Ben Wallace and Richard Hamilton. He signed Chauncey Billups when Billups was considered a journeyman and took a chance on Tayshaun Prince in the draft.

        Those players – along with Rasheed Wallace, who also came in a trade – have coalesced into the Eastern Conference's team of the decade thus far.

        "These guys aren't five stiffs from off the street," Dumars said. "They're excellent players. But the key was their willingness and ability to mesh with each other and the ability of our coaches [Larry Brown and now Flip Saunders] to help that process along."

        Paxson does not want to sound arrogant by predicting the same success for the Bulls' current nucleus, but he thinks players such as Kirk Hinrich, Gordon and Deng can grow together into something impressive.

        They would need help, of course, and long-term support could come this summer in the form of a top draft pick such as LaMarcus Aldridge, as well as free agents such as Al Harrington and Joel Przybilla.

        "I've tried to use this year to evaluate where we are as a team and what we need to get better," Paxson said. "I've seen plenty of things to like and certainly areas where we need to improve. How we go about doing that, obviously, is the question.

        "Any number of things could happen, but I'm not dead-set on radically changing the direction we're going in. You have to take everything into account and project where this team can go from here."

        The basketball purist in Paxson and Skiles ultimately may tell them to go with the Detroit model, but that example will not be easy to replicate.

        Other teams – the Charlotte Bobcats and New Orleans Hornets, for example – also feature balanced rosters without players who dominate the offense. Neither will make the playoffs this season, and neither might make it anytime soon.

        "If you're going to have a team of role players, you'd better have a team of guys who truly understand their roles," NBA analyst and former Bulls guard Steve Kerr said.

        Kerr would know, having been an archetypal role player during his career.

        "Detroit has guys who do their jobs consistently night in and night out," Kerr said. "They don't necessarily have that one single player who can cover up other guys' mistakes, but it doesn't matter because they make few mistakes."

        Kerr looks at the Bulls as currently constituted and sees a team that could move into the upper tier of the NBA when players such as Hinrich and Gordon mature and become steadier and more well-rounded.

        However, although it is easy to envision Hinrich and Gordon in multiple all-star games, the odds say neither will make as big an impact as Garnett could make under the right circumstances.

        "You can scout or coach for 25 years and not get a player like that," Kerr said. "The thought of putting him on your team and seeing what you can do with him has to be appealing."

        As Kerr said, Garnett would help the Bulls improve more rapidly than they would by trying to follow the Pistons' model. But nobody knows whether he ultimately would take them farther.

        The pressure involved in such decisions is why Paxson gets paid a lot of money.


        By NICK HUT

        nhut@nwherald.com

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Interesting Sam Smith read, some Pacers stuff

          Curry, Channing Frye and a first rounder for JO and Tinsley? Although it'sNew York we are talking about here, which makes a deal a little more unlikely I would atleast have to think about it. I would certainly not immediately dismiss it. IF this happens then keeping Foster is CRUCIAL and we need to get a veteran player with some serious leadership capabilities.

          Regards,

          Mourning
          2012 PD ABA Fantasy Keeper League Champion, sports.ws

          2011 PD ABA Fantasy Keeper League Champion, sports.ws

          2006 PD ABA Fantasy League runner up, sports.ws

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Interesting Sam Smith read, some Pacers stuff

            Somehow throw Crawford's name into the mix and my ears may perk up somewhat.
            You know how hippos are made out to be sweet and silly, like big cows, but are actually extremely dangerous and can kill you with stunning brutality? The Pacers are the NBA's hippos....Matt Moore CBS Sports....

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Interesting Sam Smith read, some Pacers stuff

              Thanks for the articles, guys. Good reads.

              This quote stuck out to me:

              ""[Superstars are] great to have, but they don't assure you a championship," Skiles said. "If you don't have the right pieces around them, you can struggle. I can think of at least three or four guys who would be considered superstars who will probably end up with losing records [this season]."

              Garnett, Philadelphia's Allen Iverson and Boston's Paul Pierce all fit that description. So, arguably, do Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal, Seattle's Ray Allen and Houston's Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady."

              I think the superstar model was shattered by expansion as much as anything. I think the league has gotten so diluted that a lot of teams only have one true stud player, but the role players are weaker than years past with the slow shift away from fundamentals in basketball.

              Although Garnett is appealing, I'd stay the course if I were them. They just don't have the depth to give up Gordon, but I would look long and hard at it. If you can get Sweetney to man the middle and play smarter, it might be worth it to get Garnett.

              Look at me. It's been more fun to watch the Bulls of late than the Pacers. How sad is that?
              Hey! What're you kicking me for? You want me to ask? All right, I'll ask! Ma'am, where do the high school girls hang out in this town?

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Interesting Sam Smith read, some Pacers stuff

                Originally posted by RWB
                Somehow throw Crawford's name into the mix and my ears may perk up somewhat.
                Yeah, mine too. Right before I get the tickle in the back of my throat that means I have to vomit.

                Does NY even HAVE a draft pick?
                This space for rent.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Interesting Sam Smith read, some Pacers stuff

                  Originally posted by Anthem
                  Yeah, mine too. Right before I get the tickle in the back of my throat that means I have to vomit.

                  Does NY even HAVE a draft pick?
                  I think they still have a 2nd rounder in 2349. But I don't remember the specifics of the Francis trade anymore.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Interesting Sam Smith read, some Pacers stuff

                    Sam Smith has no idea what the hell he is talking about. He just makes stuff up out of no where. Just ask the Bulls fans.

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Interesting Sam Smith read, some Pacers stuff

                      Originally posted by Skaut_Ech
                      but the role players are weaker than years past with the slow shift away from fundamentals in basketball.
                      Very insightful! While I think we've all noticed the erosion of fundamentals, that's a very nice observation that it is particularly significant in the role players.

                      It's tough to be a rebounding role player when you don't know how to box out. Or become a defensive specialist if you don't know how to position your feet or direct your man to the help or rotate correctly. Or a shooter/scorer if you can't hit a mid-range jumper. Role players tend to develop a bit later after they have picked up a fair bit of experience. And since "kids these days" tend to just rely on their physical skills - jumping, quickness - they don't seem as interested in picking up the basketball skills that usually go along with years in the league.
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                      • #12
                        Re: Interesting Sam Smith read, some Pacers stuff

                        I am sure that I have brought it up before....but I've read this article before about Eddy Curry on CNNsi written by the knowledgeable folks at 82games.com . Its a very good read about how Eddy Curry maybe pretty solid as an offensive player....but what you see now....is pretty much what you are going to get for the rest of his career.

                        http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...cks/index.html

                        He sucks at rebounding and Shotblocking for a guy that is 7+ feet tall.

                        I'm only half way through the article and the only thing that I can say is....NO ON CURRY. As a matter of fact.....NO ON ANY TRADE with the Knicks.
                        Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Interesting Sam Smith read, some Pacers stuff

                          You would figure that if the Bulls have the chance to draft someone and to also sign a top Free Agent....that they would do that instead of trying to make a run for KG or even JONeal.

                          They seem to be in the position to get that player ( if not multiple players ) that they think they need while still contending for a playoff...if not Championship spot.

                          I know that teams like Orlando would prefer to trade their pick for some veteran help this offseason.....but I would think that very few teams like the Bulls have the opportunity to not only draft a top 3 player but still sign a top tier Free Agent.
                          Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Interesting Sam Smith read, some Pacers stuff

                            The Pacers wont trade Jermaine ONeal unless it is for KG or some other type of low post player. The Knicks have nobody we want.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: Interesting Sam Smith read, some Pacers stuff

                              Originally posted by RWB
                              Somehow throw Crawford's name into the mix and my ears may perk up somewhat.
                              So you want to add TWO headcases to the team instead of one??
                              No thanks.

                              Comment

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