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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 ___________"

"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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Draft Express - NBA Player Scouting Reports

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  • Draft Express - NBA Player Scouting Reports

    Mildly interesting, but doesn't tell us much we don't already know. The paragraph on Tinsley's defense makes me wonder if they've ever watched him play. They generally seem to do a better job highlighting a player's strengths rather than his weaknesses.

    http://www.draftexpress.com/article/...on--Part-Two-/



    Indiana Pacers


    Marquis Daniels


    Overview: A versatile young wing who may never reach the potential he displayed in his fantastic rookie season as an undrafted free agent. Has everything you look for in an NBA wing physically: height, strength, and foot speed. As smooth as they come. Possesses the skills and quickness to cover some point guards. Explosive enough take his man off the dribble and finish above the rim. Does a little bit of everything. Struggles with his perimeter jumper. Can hawk the ball much better than most players his size. Made a name for himself at Auburn with his defensive production. Garnered All-Rookie second team honors in 2004 despite going undrafted. Still has some room to grow as a player, but is already a good asset due to his ability to play multiple positions. Off-court problems have given him more attention than on-court play.

    Offense: Gets about a fifth of his offensive from each of fast break opportunities, pick and rolls, and spot ups. Shows solid one-on-one skills as well. Decent jump shot. Doesn’t show ideal follow through. Won’t hit many three pointers, but he’ll take them when he is open. Takes some questionable shots with a hand in his face. Shows decent footwork, but could stand to work on his fundamentals in that regard. Won’t always set his feet consistently. Good ball handler. Can play a bit of point guard. Not a great scorer off the dribble, but can create for teammates. Likes to pull up for jumpers when he drives right. Will work hard off the ball. Does the little things. Pretty good finisher at the basket. Will play above the rim when he has space. Mediocre foul shooter. Valuable as a passer and scorer, but not a standout in either.

    Defense: The Pacers most versatile perimeter defender. Can defend all three backcourt positions. More effective against the two guard positions than small forwards. Shows great intensity and effort on the defensive end. Displays tremendous lateral quickness and fast hands. Plays physically, but doesn’t foul. Very intelligent in that way. Does a good job reading passers off the ball and jumping in front of telegraphed passes. Doesn’t do a whole lot of rebounding. Very sound on the defensive end.


    Travis Diener

    Overview: A steady backup floor general who can knock down shots from the perimeter and get his teammates involved. Lacks ideal physical assets, and isn’t tall enough to compensate for his lack of bulk. Isn’t terribly fast, quick, or explosive, but does everything crisply. Shoots the ball well and runs the point efficiently. Had had a tremendous career at Marquette. Turned great collegiate point guard play and great shooting into an NBA contract. Despite his lack of minutes, he is a great third point guard.

    Offense: Gets almost half of his offense off of pick and rolls, with the rest of his opportunities coming from fast breaks and spot ups. Does what he’s good at and nothing more. Won’t force anything. Pretty shooting stroke with good range. Will knock down his spot up jumpers from beyond the arc and from the midrange. Isn’t aggressive off the dribble. Looks to move the ball rather attack. Great passer and steady ball handler. Not flashy, but efficient. Limited by his athleticism as a finisher, but isn’t going to try and make a play at the rim unless he feels he has space. Lights out from the foul line. High basketball IQ. Knows how to create passing angles. Runs the pick and roll effectively with easy.

    Defense: A defensive liability in many situations due to his lack of athleticism. Doesn’t have the quickness to stay in from of quicker guards or the strength to defend the post. Won’t create a lot of turnovers. Will scrap for loose balls. Not a very good rebounder. Has a hard time closing out shooters and bothering players that pull up over him. Will give his best effort hawking the ball up and down the floor, but doesn’t have the physical assets to capitalize on his great attitude. Can match up very well with similarly gifted players.


    Ike Diogu

    Overview: A developing power forward who has imposing strength, but has had a hard time earning consistent minutes. Lacks ideal height for a power forward, but has a 7-3.5 wingspan to compensate. Doesn’t have great speed, but is passably explosive. Extremely strong down low, and knows how to throw his weight around. Rebounds the ball well. Can score very efficiently when he gets position. Was dominant during his time at Arizona State, but hasn’t had an easy transition to the NBA, mainly due to his defensive shortcomings. Per-40 numbers are always off the charts. Commits too many fouls due to his lack of foot speed. Needs to cut down on his mistakes to play more minutes.

    Offense: Gets about a quarter of his offense off of post ups with the rest of his offense coming from his effort off the ball. Won’t take a lot of jumpers, but can hit from the midrange. Shoots the ball with his elbow out to the side and brings it up from his hip. Decent foul shooter. Won’t put the ball on the floor to get by his man. Shows some decent post moves. Has the strength to create space to get the ball at the rim. Has a tough time against taller players who won’t let him gain position. Will use fakes to get his man into the air after he uses his dribble. Draws a lot of contact. Makes some mistakes as a passer. Runs the floor hard when he sees an opportunity to get an easy basket. Tremendous offensive rebounder. Finishers a lot of second chance opportunities. Still has a lot of room to grow as a player.

    Defense: May be strong enough to be a good defender, but absolutely has to cut down on his fouls. Has stunted his development by being too aggressive on the defensive end. Needs to learn to stay on his feet and not go after fakes. Displays the strength and foot speed to be a passable defender, but makes too many mistakes. Does a good job of cleaning the glass. Can throw his weight around, but needs to be more disciplined when his man has the ball.


    Mike Dunleavy

    Overview: A heady small forward who has started to show how good he can be in the right setting. Has great size for the perimeter. Doesn’t have great physical strength. Possesses below average athleticism for his position. Doesn’t compensate with toughness. Shows a great feel for the game. Can work on and off the ball offensively. Able to initiate the offense. Shoots the ball well from the perimeter. Developed good fundamentals at Duke, where he was part of the team that won the NCAA Championship in 2001. Needed a few seasons to come around in the NBA. One of the most fundamentally sound players in the game today. Son of Los Angeles Clippers Head Coach Mike Dunleavy.

    Offense: A crafty, versatile offensive player who has really come into his own. Has a high basketball IQ and supreme size at his position. Gets one quarter of his offense as a spot up shooter and another quarter in transition. Does most of his damage as a jump shooter. Has a very fundamental stroke and shows great footwork out on the perimeter. Great catch and shoot player. Very good from beyond the arc. Shows great consistency off the dribble. Likes to pull up when driving right. Not a very good finisher at the rim. Lacks the strength to lay the ball in with contact. Gets to the line at a decent rate. Shoots a very respectable percentage. Great ball handler and passer for his size. Will drive and dish periodically. Will get a little bit too aggressive with his dribble sometimes. Isn’t strong enough to recover the ball when he loses it. Very nice offensive option.

    Defense: A heady defensive player who doesn’t have the physical assets to be a standout, but is big and smart enough to get by. Displays good help side fundamentals. Reads ball handlers extremely well when he is playing off the ball. Will make an effort to use his length to deny penetration, but he is susceptible to both quicker and stronger players. Won’t leak out in transition. Does his best to help with rebounding duties. Very disciplined defender. Not dynamic, but won’t make many mistakes either.


    Jeff Foster

    Overview: A veteran center who is a productive hustle player down low. Has good size and strength by NBA standards. Gets off the floor pretty well. Shows relatively good mobility for a player his size, but that is primarily the result of his effort level. A classic glue guy. Rebounds the ball extremely well. Plays active defense. Collects garbage point underneath. Doesn’t have great offensive skills, but outworks his man to score. Averaged a double-double during his final two seasons at Southwest Texas State. Won’t wow anyone in a workout, but does the little things.

    Offense: Classic hustle player in the post. Gets most of his touches off of offensive rebounds, cuts, and pick and rolls. Will get spot up chances from time to time. Shows a consistent midrange stroke. Doesn’t get a lot of elevation, but shoots the ball with a lot of arch. Won’t shoot outside of his range. Decent finisher at the rim. Not great with his left hand. Isn’t going to put the ball on the floor. Moves very well off the ball. Great offensive rebounder. Sets good screens. Runs the floor hard. Provides a nice compliment to Jermaine O’Neal.

    Defense: A terrific defender who really gives a great effort to shut his man down. Does a good job deny post entry passes and jumping into position when the ball is entered. Can step out and guard most centers that float out to the midrange. Shows nice lateral quickness for his position. Will slide over and help out when his teammates get beat off the dribble, but isn’t a threat to reject many shots. Goes straight up rather than attempting to challenge players at the rim. Tremendous rebounder. Boxes out on every possession. Gets minutes because he is a defensive workhorse.


    Stephen Graham

    Overview: A solid swingman who has good physical tools and has developed a serviceable perimeter repertoire. Possesses good size and a tremendous physique for his position. Shows very good speed and explosiveness. Has developed some nice offensive skills, but hasn’t translated them to the NBA. Showed nice versatility in the NBADL, putting up good numbers across the board. Does a lot of things well, but nothing good enough to see minutes in the NBA. Never saw a lot of minutes at Oklahoma State until late in his career. Has shown that he has skills despite not seeing the floor very often. Needs a chance to show what he can do, and may look for one this summer. Twin brother Joey currently plays for the Raptors.

    Offense: Provides some nice versatility off the bench. Handles the ball well, displays good court vision, and can knock down open jumpers. Has an effective compact stroke. Isn’t terribly consistent or assertive from the outside. Looks to pass rather than shoot, something that isn’t ideal in an NBA swingman. Moves very well without the ball. Rebounds well due to his strength. Pretty good finisher at the rim for the same reason. Needs to be aggressive and show what he can do when he gets the chance.

    Defense: A very solid defender who doesn’t take very many risks. Has all the makings of a good defender in terms of athleticism, quickness, and strength. Shows good discipline as well. Needs more playing time to improve his awareness. Able to deflect passes due to his explosiveness and length. Won’t get many strips or block many shots. Not aggressive, but sound across the board. Good rebounder.

    Danny Granger

    Overview: A good second option at either forward spot who has been one of Indiana’s best players since he was drafted. Has great size for the perimeter. Shows good strength and explosiveness as well. Very versatile. Can play a little bit of power forward. Does it all on the floor. Can shoot from the outside, or use his size and touch in close. Cleans the glass on both ends. Shows good versatility and effort on the defensive end. Was an impact player as a junior and senior at New Mexico after spending the beginning of his collegiate career at Bradley. Decision to remain in school for his senior year may have helped him translate his game to the NBA as seamlessly as he did. Plays smart, which makes him a valuable asset to any team. Very high character player with an outstanding work ethic.

    Offense: Gets one third of his offense in spot up opportunities where he can make a play. Gets a significant number of touches in transition as well. Very consistent shooting stroke. Capable of hitting off balance shots with a hand in his face. Shoots a very good percentage from three point range. Good shooter off the dribble as well. Prefers to get to the rim though. Handles the ball reasonably well for a player his size. Solid passer as well. Will makes some bad passes sometimes. Hard to stop in one-on-one situations. Good offensive rebounder. Gets to the line at a very high rate and shoots an impressive percentage. Needs to work on finishing at the rim with contact since he draws so much of it. Very versatile and talented player.

    Defense: A solid defender who can defend both forward spots rather effectively. Has the quickness to step out and defend most small forwards on the perimeter, but has trouble against players with elite foot speed. Can also mix it up underneath and hold his own against stronger players on the block. Shows good lateral footwork. Contests shots when he can. Does a good job of always getting a hand up. Will block some shots because of that. Scrappy when he can get a hand on the ball. Commits some unnecessary fouls when he has to defend the post, but since he isn’t always asked to do that it isn’t a problem. Rebounds at a good rate, and elevates to meet the ball in the air rather than staying on the floor and waiting for it to come to him.


    David Harrison

    Overview: A burly center with enough physical tools to be a decent backup on the NBA level. Has great size and bulk for an NBA center. Stills moves pretty well, but isn’t terribly explosive. Possesses the tools necessary to be a solid pro, but doesn’t always put them together. Shows some serviceably moves offensively, and knows how to use his weight. Blocks some shots due to his length. Was a highly touted recruit out of high school, and made an impact during his time at Colorado. Has had some issues off the court which may dictate his future, mainly with life-style choices. Effort has been questioned. Needs to show a commitment to improving his game and losing some weight if he wants to reach his peak as a player. Could find a better opportunity in free agency.

    Offense: Gets the vast majority of his touches one-on-one in the post. Will find other opportunities by being active off the ball. Won’t take many jumpers. Shows a decent hook shot. Can finish with both hands. Raw post skills. Likes to turn right when he’s on the left block. Goes to the line at a good rate. Shoots an awful percentage. Good offensive rebounder. Gets quite a few putbacks. Shows a willingness to set good screens and move without the ball. Can’t put the ball on the floor. Rather turnover prone.

    Defense: Does a good job defending the post due to his size. Will have a tough time defending quicker centers, but can match up against most players he is asked to guard. Does a good job rebounding his area, but has a hard time adjusting to offensive players crashing the glass. One of most foul prone players in the League. Doesn’t show good discipline. Needs to learn to go straight up. Could stand to lose some weight to improve his lateral quickness.


    Troy Murphy

    Overview: A skilled power forward who can make a killing as complimentary player to a good post scorer. Has good size and frame for the power forward position. Move pretty well, but isn’t very fast or explosive. Knows how to use his body on both ends. Shoots the ball with range. Great touch for a big man. Solid ball handler. Smart with the ball in his hands. Does a good job of boxing out defensively. Was a dominant rebounder and scorer at Notre Dame. Two time Big East Conference Player of the Year. First team All-American in final two college seasons. Turned the corner in his second season in the NBA. Creates some matchup problems due to his shooting skills. A great asset when Jermaine O’Neal is scoring well. Grossly overpaid.

    Offense: Gets almost half of his offense as a spot up shooter. Displays tremendous range on his jumper. Very fluid shooting stroke for a player his size. Possesses three point range. Shoots a solid percentage from downtown. Good ball handler for his height. Scores effective off the dribble. Can pull up from in close or finish at the rim with consistency. Not very effective from the midrange. Very good in transition. Great trailer. Doesn’t post up very often. Good offensive rebounder. Goes to the line at a decent rate. Shoots a good percentage. Nice complimentary post player.

    Defense: A passable defensive player who tends to focus on rebounding above other areas. Rebounds his area well, but isn’t athletic enough to clean the glass outside of his immediate vicinity. Has a hard time keeping up with quicker and more explosive power forwards. Has adequate lateral quickness, but can get beaten off the dribble. Shows good discipline defending the post. Won’t block many shots, but will go straight up on shooters when he can.

    Ronald “Flip” Murray

    Overview: A scoring guard who can make an impact when given the opportunity to dominate the ball. Not going to overwhelm anyone with his size or strength. Displays good quickness and jumping ability. Makes a living off of his great offensive instincts. Plays very aggressively on that end of the floor. Doesn’t always bring the same intensity to the defense end. A great role player due to his offensive ability, but doesn’t make his teammates better. Rodney Stuckey’s emergence made him expandable, and was therefore cut from Detroit.

    Offense: A talented offensive player who can be highly effective when he has the green light. Solid overall offensive skill set. Gets most of his shots off of isolations, pick and rolls, fast breaks, and spot ups. Very solid shooting stroke. Shot selection on the other hand is questionable. Not efficient, but can put points on the board over the course of a game. Takes too many threes given his below average results from deep. Doesn’t shoot a good percentage from the foul line either. Pretty good finisher. Tends to shoot more off the dribble than off the catch. Good at creating space, but will take shots without it too often. Good ball handler. Nice cross over. Quick enough to get to the basket. Will take quite a few shots from the paint each game. Good slasher. Volume shooter. A bit turnover prone compared to the rest of the Pistons’ role players.

    Defense: Solid perimeter defender when he wants to be. Gets really aggressive and shows a good stance when he gets serious. Can guard both guards spots pretty well. Much better at covering shooting guards. Quick enough and strong enough to make it tough for players to get by him. Goes after deflections in passing lanes. Likes to get up the floor rather than stay back and rebound. Not afraid to initiate contact.


    Jermaine O’Neal

    Overview: One of the League’s premier post players, despite the struggles he experienced early in his career after declaring for the draft out of high school. Supremely athletic and mobile for a near 7-footer, although he’s lost part of that recently due to physical problems. Filled out his frame over time. Very injury prone. Developed some nice post moves as soon as he came to Indiana. Shoots the ball well from the midrange. Finishes at the rim with strength and explosiveness. Plays good help side defense. Contests shots with regularity. Rebounds well on both ends. Had promise, but struggled to earn playing time after leaving Eau Claire High School. Never got the opportunity he needed with the Portland Trailblazers. Made an impact immediately for the Pacers. Won the Most Improved Player Award in 2002. Six time All-Star. Has a huge contract that he hasn’t been able to justify due to his injury problems.

    Offense: A great post player who has had a hard time putting up numbers like he used to. Gets more than half of his offense in the post. Will receive some drive and dish passes as a spot up shooter too. Great shooting stroke for a player his size. Doesn’t have three point range, but comes pretty close. Has a very high release. Likes to post up on the right block and turn over his right shoulder to his fadeaway jumper. Consistent turnaround. Hasn’t been playing very efficiently on the offensive end. Shooting percentages are low. Average passer. Will make some mistakes with the ball. Gets to the line at a high rate and shoots a decent percentage. Not getting nearly as many touches as he used to. Plays more efficiently when he gets the ball more often.

    Defense: One of the League’s best shot blockers due to his length and athleticism. Blocks quite a few shots when defending his man one-on-one. Will rotate over from the weak side to make plays as well. Can step out and defend midrange shooters. Still commits some fouls by being too aggressive, but he’s not the liability that he was early in his career. Great rebounder, although his production here fell off dramatically in 07/08. Will always make an effort to get a hand up. Plays good defense for a player that historically has to carry the load on the offensive end.


    Andre Owens

    Overview: A slightly undersized shooting guard who used a fine season in the NBADL to earn an NBA contract. Lacks ideal height for a wing, but has good size for the point, where he plays from time to time. Shows good quickness and burst, but isn’t an explosive leaper. Handles the ball well. Capable of knocking down shots from the perimeter. A sound hustle player more than anything else. Didn’t have a terribly distinguished career at Houston, but was a good player after transferring from Indiana. Not a true point guard, but can moonlight at the position. An extremely hard worker. Always gives his all. May have to prove himself again as a free agent this offseason.

    Offense: Gets about half of his offense from spot ups and fast breaks. Very good catch and shoot player. Will knock down three pointers with impressive consistency. Not very effective off the dribble. Won’t finish at the rim at a high rate either. Prefers to drive left. Decent ball handler. Can create for his teammates. Remains a bit turnover prone. Solid offensive rebounder for his position. Gets to the line at a good rate, but only shoots a decent percentage. Doesn’t look to assert himself when he’s in the game. More of a glue guy who knows how to move the ball and score when he has an open opportunity.

    Defense: A talented athlete who gives most of his effort on the defensive end. Better at defending the point guard position due to the size advantage he enjoys over most of his matchups. Has the quickness to stay in front of many players. Will close out very hard. Doesn’t give his man a lot of room to breathe. Contests shots, but doesn’t commit many fouls. Great rebounder for his position. Will get on the floor for loose balls. Brings nice intangibles to the defensive end.


    Kareem Rush

    Overview: A pure shooter who can do some other things on the floor when given an opportunity. Has decent physical tools across the board. Can really heat up from the outside. Doesn’t always get going from the outside, and can be streaky. Won’t create his own shot very often. Not very intense on the defensive end. Put up huge scoring shooting numbers in three seasons at Missouri. Has had his share of issues in the locker room. Doesn’t show an ideal work ethic. Will need to produce to find suitors as a free agent this offseason. Older Brother JaRon never made it in the League. Younger brother Brandon is a junior at Kansas.

    Offense: Gets about a third of his offense as a spot up shooter. Will float out the perimeter for shots in transition as well. Good catch and shoot player. Fluid stroke. Adequate ball handler. Not fancy. Tends to drive to the right. Likes to pull up instead of going to the rim. Rather effective off the dribble. Moves pretty well without the ball. Gets some easy baskets at the rim. Not very consistent from the foul line. Won’t create his own shot for the most part. Doesn’t crash the glass. Decent passer. Will turn the ball over from time to time. Can really help his team when if he hits his first shot. Heats up in a hurry.

    Defense: Very average defensively. Won’t always get in a good stance. Tends to take some plays off. Will make an athletic play occasionally. Better at covering shorter players than bigger forwards. Will never be asked to guard the best perimeter player on the floor. Could stand to give a better effort on the defensive end to augment his offensive skills.


    Jamaal Tinsley

    Overview: A talented point guard who does a great job of getting his teammates involved, but has developed into a solid scorer in recent seasons. Has good size and a strong frame for a point guard. Isn’t overly quick, fast, or explosive. Has a deceptive first step. Not very durable. Great ball handler. Sees the floor well. A tremendous distributor. Has a decent jumper, but has hot and cold spells. Tenacious defender. Made an immediate impact at Iowa State after attending Mount San Jacinto CC. Won the Big 12 Player of the Year award as a senior. Has been a starter since his rookie year. Needs to improve his consistency, since he doesn’t always play at the high level he is capable of. Off-court issues have been a distraction for Indiana.

    Offense: Gets about a third of his offense running the pick and roll. Gets another fifth of his touches in spot up opportunities. Capable in transition as well. Possesses a decent shooting stroke, but isn’t consistent. Shoots a poor percentage from three point range. More efficient off the dribble. Will pull up off the dribble, but won’t connect at a high rate. Is better at finding lanes to the rim. Good finisher for his position. Gets to the line at a decent rate and shoots a mediocre percentage. Makes a living as a point guard. Great distributor. Will turn the ball over periodically, but is a tremendous ball handler. Rather creative. The same can be said for his passing. Knows how to get his teammates open. Needs to improve his consistency to match his quality point guard skills.

    Defense: A very scrappy on the ball defender who shows a lot of toughness. Doesn’t have ideal quickness, but uses his body to deny penetration. Gets in a low stance and shows good defensive footwork. Will hawk the ball the length of the floor. Tends to reach from time to time. Gets his hands on the ball when his man makes the mistake of showing it to him. Displays good tenacity. Uses his size advantage to contest shots. Good rebounder as well.
    "A man with no belly has no appetite for life."

    - Salman Rushdie

  • #2
    Re: Draft Express - NBA Player Scouting Reports

    Yeah, I read these the other day. The description of Tinsley's D made me LOL.


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    • #3
      Re: Draft Express - NBA Player Scouting Reports

      Tinsley...you mean the one on the Pacers? Not his college report but his current version?

      um, I smell Tins fan doing this write up.


      Seriously though, if they said he was weak on ball but pretty good about sneaking into passing lanes or doubling for the blind side steal I'd 100% agree. And then you have the whole "has developed a jump shot" thing. Even a stats guy who never saw him play would know that's wrong.

      Very odd write up.

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      • #4
        Re: Draft Express - NBA Player Scouting Reports

        I mostly like this write up, but I saw some things I didn't agree with. Most glaringly Tinsley's D.

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