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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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04-29-04 Suns Blueprint

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  • 04-29-04 Suns Blueprint

    Will the Suns rise again in the West?

    By Chad Ford
    NBA Insider
    Send an Email to Chad Ford Thursday, April 29
    Considering the regularity with which the sun rises and sets every day . . . why is it the media are always a day behind when it comes to getting a handle on the Phoenix Suns?

    In 2002, the conventional wisdom was that the Suns would be the worst team in West. They had traded away star Jason Kidd for the erratic Stephon Marbury, had drafted a high school kid, Amare Stoudemire, to play power forward and had a gimpy, washed up Penny Hardaway playing power forward. Their starting group of power forwards -- Jake Voskuhl and Scott Williams -- induced snickers. An emerging Shawn Marion seemed like the only real selling point in Phoenix.

    That season, Marbury recorded his best year ever, Marion put up all-star numbers, Stoudemire became the first high school player ever to win Rookie of the Year, Hardaway found his groove and Voskuhl and Williams combined forces to become a pretty decent presence in the middle. The Suns ended up in the playoffs and scared the heck out of the eventual world champion Spurs in the first round.

    In 2003, the conventional wisdom said that the Suns were the best young team in the league. Marbury had turned the corner and had just received a nice fat contract extension. Joe Johnson, after a stellar summer league perfromance, was ready to take over from Penny Hardaway. Marion was now an all-star. Stoudemire had a shot at becoming an all-star. The draft had yielded two impressive prospects, Zarko Cabarkapa and Leandro Barbosa, who were supposed to step in and contribute immediately. The Suns were deep, athletic and poised to take on the big guns of the West.

    Then disaster struck. Marbury became selfish again. Johnson was erratic and Penny looked old. Marion's shot faltered. Stoudemire kept improving, but constant injuries kept holding him back. Cabarkapa went down with an early season injury. A trade of Bo Outlaw and Jake Tsakalidis to the Grizzlies back fired and the Suns suddenly were too small to defend the paint. Frank Johnson lost his job. Assistant Mike D'Antoni took over. Then, GM Bryan Colangelo pulled the plug.

    In the most shocking trade of the season, he sent Marbury and Hardaway to the Knicks for Howard Eisley, Antonio McDyess, Charlie Ward, Maciej Lampe, the rights to Milos Vujanic and the Knicks' No. 1 pick.

    The hottest young team in the NBA just went up in smoke. As Suns fans freaked and commentators everywhere scratched their heads, Colangelo remained calm. The team had realized early into the season that it wasn't going to win a championship with Marbury at the helm. His selfishness was already causing rifts in the locker room. With a huge extension under Marbury's belt, the Suns had to act quickly to trade him away while they still could.

    In the process the team slashed $31 million in payroll and actually positioned itself to be roughly $7 to $9 million under the cap this summer. Owner Jerry Colangelo subsequently put the team on the market and sold it within weeks of the regular season ending.

    With new owners coming in (Colangelo remains the team's CEO and his son, Bryan, remains the GM), a lottery pick, and lots of free-agent cash to spend this summer, the Suns have the potential to be one of the most improved teams in the league again next year.

    How will they do it? Here's a look at what to expect as Insider continues its summer blueprint series.

    Suns Summer Blueprint

    DRAFT: The Suns currently own the No. 6 pick in the draft, but all signs point to them attempting to move the pick this summer in an effort to clear more cap space.

    That may change if the Suns get the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in the draft. However, with just a 6.4 percent shot at getting No. 1, that scenario is pretty unlikely. Drafting sixth, the team could find another point guard or a European big man to create depth, but the team really doesn't need either right now.

    What the Suns really need is more cap room. That No. 6 pick amounts to a $2.1 million cap hold on their roster. The team would really like to package the pick along with Jahidi White (who makes $6.2 million in the last year of his deal) to a team with lots of cap room like the Bobcats. A trade like that could put them as much as $15 million under the cap next season.

    FREE AGENCY: Free agency could be the key to the Suns' turnaround next season. The team wants to add a superstar in the backcourt to complement Stoudemire. If the Suns can figure out a way to trade their pick and White, they'll have plenty of money to throw at Kobe Bryant.

    If they can't clear the cap space, the Suns will likely look to either make another trade to land the star they've been looking for or use the money wisely to add a few missing pieces. They've had their eye on the Pistons' Mehmet Okur for some time and have enough cash to make him an offer the Pistons would be unlikely to match.

    McDyess and Keon Clark both come off the books this summer, but neither is expected to be re-signed.

    The other big news on the free agency front concerns Vujanic. Vujanic, widely considered the top point guard in Europe, is currently in Italy playing for one of the top teams in Europe. He's had an excellent season and now has a top U.S. agent who will be in charge of handling a buyout this summer.

    Vujanic (who wisely turned down a chance to play for the dysfunctional Knicks last summer) sounds like he's ready to come to the NBA this year if the money is right. Expect the Suns to lure Vujanic here this summer. He'd be a great addition to their backcourt.

    TRADES: Here is where things could get interesting. If the Suns can't clear the cap room or get turned down by Kobe, they have enough assets to make a great trade for a star if they want to. The Suns would likely be willing to part with their first-round pick, Marion and possibly even Johnson to land another star.

    With star swingmen like Tracy McGrady, Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, and, at the point, Steve Francis, all potentially available, the Suns would have a nice pool of players to pick from. The Magic would likely be the most interested in making a trade with the Suns.

    The Magic would likely demand Marion, Johnson and the No. 1 for McGrady. Trading McGrady away would be tough to swallow in Orlando, but the two young swingmen plus the extra lottery pick would give the Magic a serious headstart in the rebuilding process in Orlando. If the Magic could turn their two number ones into Emeka Okafor and a point guard like Devin Harris or Ben Gordon, they would be in business with a very nice young core.

    McGrady would be a great fit alongside Stoudemire in Phoenix. Throw in free agents like Okur, Vujanic and the rest of the Suns young players like Carbarkapa and Barbosa and the team would be ready to take off again.

    COACHING: D'Antoni inherited a terrible situation in Phoenix and did the best with what he could. He's a good fit for the Suns. He likes to play an up-tempo type game and his European background has helped him relate to the plethora of international players on the Suns' roster. He's going to get another year to turn this thing around, and given D'Antoni's background, he may be able to do it.

    FRONT OFFICE: Bryan Colangelo is one of the most underrated GMs in the league. He has a great eye for talent. The Suns have been one of the best drafting teams in the league over the past five years. He also has made solid decisions about cap management and rebuilding the team. Now that the ownership situation is taken care of (Bryan is now a part owner) his job should be secure and he can get busy rebuilding the Suns back into a contender.

    If he can land a player of Kobe's or T-Mac's caliber this summer, the Suns should be able to hang with anyone in the West next year. If he has to settle for something less than that, the Suns still have enough talent to return to the playoffs next season. Either way, the future looks bright in Phoenix at the moment.
    Mickael Pietrus Le site officiel
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