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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.

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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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Miami relinquishes 6+ draft picks to S&T Bosh and James

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  • Miami relinquishes 6+ draft picks to S&T Bosh and James

    I posted this on the free agency thread, but it seems like noone is seeing it, so I'm going to repost it here:

    http://j.mp/bCXHSJ

    Udonis Haslem will not be left out of the party.

    The Miami Heat mainstay who seemingly was about to be left out of the franchise's return to its heyday, appears to be on the verge of a free-agent return after some late maneuvering by Heat President Pat Riley.

    In a significant turn of events, the Heat completed a sign-and-trade agreement Friday night with the Cleveland Cavaliers for free-agent forward LeBron James, who already had agreed to join the Heat

    The maneuver offered Riley the flexibility to re-sign Haslem. An NBA source said Friday the expectation was Haslem would now return to the Heat.

    The Heat also plans to add Washington Wizards free-agent swingman Mike Miller. The Heat is expected to sign the former University of Florida standout to a contract in the five-year, $30 million range.

    In essence, the Heat is completing its end game.

    The Heat also finished off a sign-and-trade agreement Friday with the Toronto Raptors that allowed it to give free-agent power forward Chris Bosh a six-year free-agent contract instead of the maximum five-year contract an outside free agent can receive. The Raptors, in turn, will receive the Heat's 2011 first-round pick and the future pick that Toronto owed to the Heat. The Raptors also received a trade exception of roughly $15 million.

    With the sign-and-trade with Cleveland, James also received a six-year package, instead of the maximum five-year deal an outside free agent could receive. The Cavaliers also would receive a $15 million trade exception, in addition to a package of future Heat draft picks that has been reported by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as likely being two first-round picks and two second-round picks.

    The arrangements allow Bosh, James and re-signed Heat free-agent guard Dwyane Wade to each receive similar six-year contracts starting just below the league maximum of $16.6 million for next season.

    The Heat then turned its attention to retaining Haslem. The Heat entered Friday able to only offer Haslem a veteran-minimum 2010-11 contract of $1.1 million. The Heat then could have made up the money to Haslem in 2011-12 and beyond.

    However, with Bosh and James acquired by sign-and-trade agreements, wiggle room was created for a Haslem return.

    Haslem has had contact with several teams, with the Utah Jazz emerging as a suitor in the wake of losing free-agent power forward Carlos Boozer to the Chicago Bulls.

    The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that Orlando Magic free-agent forward Matt Barnes said he has been in contact with the Heat. Barnes earned $1.6 million last season, opting out of the $1.6 million he otherwise would have earned this coming season.

    Other names linked to the Heat are free-agent guards Jason Williams and Mike James, and Cavaliers free-agent center Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

    ESPN is reporting Riley also has a meeting scheduled with Los Angeles Lakers point guard Derek Fisher, although the finances would not appear to work. It is, however, a sign of league-wide interest in the Heat's new high-powered trio.
    Also:

    http://twitter.com/PDcavsinsider

    #Cavs sign-and-trade deal with the Heat for #LeBron has not been finalized but will happen. Sources say Cavs will get 4 picks: 2 1st, 2 2nd

    Cavs also will receive a trade exception of up to $16 million. Appears they will not renounce FAs to get under cap and will take exception
    The implications of this seem huge to me:

    * Heat lose 6 draft picks... they're going to have to do it all in free agency over the next few years

    * All three members of the triumvirate get 6 year, pretty much max contracts

    * Heat get more cap space to sign both Mike Miller and Haslem

    Man, this makes James' cops of sacrifice even more ludicrous sounding.

  • #2
    Re: Miami relinquishes 6+ draft picks to S&T Bosh and James

    Wow, they're going to live and die by the MLE the next few years...that is if the CBA keeps a similar system in place.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Miami relinquishes 6+ draft picks to S&T Bosh and James

      Also, even though the exception and picks are great for Cleveland, I'm almost surprised they agreed to this. Seems like Gilbert would have been tempted to not let Lebron get 6 years/max $$$.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Miami relinquishes 6+ draft picks to S&T Bosh and James

        Guess you can do that when your key guys are in the 20's and already superduperstars.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Miami relinquishes 6+ draft picks to S&T Bosh and James

          How crazy would it be if Cleveland turned that TE into Gilbert Arenas? Maybe it doesn't make sense but its just this weird hunch I have. I don't think Dan Gilbert wants to rebuild.
          "As a bearded man, i was very disappointed in Love. I am gathering other bearded men to discuss the status of Kevin Love's beard. I am motioning that it must be shaved."

          - ilive4sports

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Miami relinquishes 6+ draft picks to S&T Bosh and James

            Those draft picks won't mean anything to them anyway when they're winning 65+ games every year and picking last in each round.
            "I had to take her down like Chris Brown."

            -Lance Stephenson

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Miami relinquishes 6+ draft picks to S&T Bosh and James

              I know Cleveland needs the draft picks, but honestly I am shocked. I thought the last ink they'd offer LeBron was the infamous open letter. In fact, after reading the open letter I'm surprised they aided the Heat.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Miami relinquishes 6+ draft picks to S&T Bosh and James

                Originally posted by BRushWithDeath View Post
                Those draft picks won't mean anything to them anyway when they're winning 65+ games every year and picking last in each round.
                I don't know, ask the San Antonio Spurs what picking towards the end of the first and second round of every draft can do for you.

                They might not miss out on a star but I wouldn't say they won't mean anything.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Miami relinquishes 6+ draft picks to S&T Bosh and James

                  Originally posted by Young View Post
                  I don't know, ask the San Antonio Spurs what picking towards the end of the first and second round of every draft can do for you.

                  They might not miss out on a star but I wouldn't say they won't mean anything.
                  Teams don't care if they missed out on a draft pick when they are hanging banners.
                  "I had to take her down like Chris Brown."

                  -Lance Stephenson

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Miami relinquishes 6+ draft picks to S&T Bosh and James

                    LeBron is making his new team give up 4 draft picks so he can earn another $30M? Yup, sure have to admire the kid for not caring about money.

                    Come to the Dark Side -- There's cookies!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Miami relinquishes 6+ draft picks to S&T Bosh and James

                      I thought it wasn't about the money? So much for leaving that 30 million behind...

                      And it doesn't sound like any of them are taking less of than the max...

                      This whole situation just sucks more and more if I'm a Cleveland fan. Talk about a lot of empty reasoning from the Lebron. I bet they were hoping this would mostly get swept under the rug.


                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Miami relinquishes 6+ draft picks to S&T Bosh and James

                        Wow why would Gilbert agree to help the Heat, enabling them to sign all these support player like Mike Miller, and Haslem. What an idiot. What happened to the promise that the Cavs would win before the King, he is practically helping them lay the foundation!
                        You can't get champagne from a garden hose.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Miami relinquishes 6+ draft picks to S&T Bosh and James

                          Originally posted by graphic-er View Post
                          Wow why would Gilbert agree to help the Heat, enabling them to sign all these support player like Mike Miller, and Haslem. What an idiot. What happened to the promise that the Cavs would win before the King, he is practically helping them lay the foundation!
                          I guess he figured he better get something from Lebron leaving rather then nothing. But yes he is still an idiot!
                          Avatar photo credit: Bahram Mark Sobhani - AP

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Miami relinquishes 6+ draft picks to S&T Bosh and James

                            I wish all the media sycophants who said "See, it's not about the money" would print retractions now.
                            Come to the Dark Side -- There's cookies!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Miami relinquishes 6+ draft picks to S&T Bosh and James

                              He did take away the only thing James had in his pocket by helping him make up the money he "sacrificed" to play in Miami. Now if one of the three goes "Grant Hill" ala Orlando they may be missing those draft picks.

                              Comment

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