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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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Rising stars to watch in the 2010-11 season

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  • Rising stars to watch in the 2010-11 season

    Like the Hoopsworld article pwee31 posted, here's another one recognizing Collison as a guy to watch next season. I can't remember the last time the Pacers were getting this much positive press. It's also worth noting that Carl Landry made the list, too.

    http://www.nba.com/2010/news/feature...s=iref:nbahpt1

    by Shaun Powell

    Rising stars to watch in the 2010-11 season

    Posted Aug 31 2010 9:38AM

    You'll hear it in about five weeks. It happens every training camp, how this player is much lighter, and that player is much stronger, and such-and-such is much wiser, blah, blah. It's almost cliché to say certain players are poised for a breakthrough, and when April arrives, nothing special happened. He's still the same player.

    Every now and then, though, it's true. A player does take the next step, and his foot doesn't land on a banana peel in the process.

    You can almost see who's ready to elevate their status. Some already showed improvement late last season. Others will see a new life with a new team. And certain players will get more playing time because a spot opened up.

    That said, here's a list of players primed for a big leap in 2010-11:

    • Darren Collison, Pacers: The Pacers have never had an All-Star point guard, and the club's all-time assists leader is Reggie Miller. That's a roundabout way of saying the Pacers aren't exactly point-guard central. Could this change in the near future? Collison gets his own team to run, something he earned after spelling Chris Paul so smoothly last season in New Orleans. Quite surprisingly, the Hornets' point guard position didn't suffer as much when Paul sat two months with injuries, which made Collison an unexpected surprise and trade bait. Although occasionally sloppy with the ball, Collison showed poise and savvy for someone so young and untested, and averaged 18.8 points and 9.1 assists over 37 games. The potential drawback, though, is putting too much weight on those 37 games. The NBA graveyard is full of players who soared in limited action, then were exposed as teases once given a bigger load over a longer stretch. Given the Pacers' history with point guards (Mark Jackson excepted) and their current options, the bar isn't exactly set high here. Collison should clear it with room to spare.

    • J.J. Redick, Magic:. It's only a matter of time before he replaces Vince Carter, or at least gets more minutes in the rotation. That was assured when Redick outplayed Carter in the playoffs (especially against the Celtics in the conference finals) and when the Magic matched the 3-year, $19 million offer sheet he received from the Bulls. It's no secret that Redick's biggest fan, after Coach K, is Stan Van Gundy, who showed plenty of confidence in Redick during the post-season by using him in big spots. Redick has spent the last two years toning his body, working on his dribble game and his defense, to the point where neither are major weaknesses anymore. With more time and responsibility, he could become the Magic's most reliable outside shooter, ahead of Rashard Lewis. This should be the season Redick averages double-figures and makes people pay for doubling on Dwight Howard.

    • Andray Blatche, Wizards: Arguably, nobody improved so suddenly after the All-Star break than Blatche, one of the few bright spots in an otherwise forgettable Wizards season. Blessed with length and velvet skills for someone 6-foot-11, Blatche knows his way around the rim and gained confidence in his jumper as the season wore on. Not shy about rebounding in traffic, either, Blatche was a revelation in the final 32 games, averaging 22 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals. His numbers may even increase with John Wall finding him. Of course, Blatche's ego soared right along with his productivity, which led to a late-season benching by Flip Saunders. And Blatche is known for being a free spirit. So, the question is: Has he matured following a series of missteps (driving recklessly, solicitation, benching), and if not, will further episodes limit his growth?

    • Robin Lopez, Suns: He has a ways to go before he's the best player in his own household. But he could gain on twin brother Brook this season, or at least give the Suns an inside presence with Amar'e Stoudemire gone. The opportunity is there for Lopez, who brings good size and high energy, which compensates for being fairly raw offensively. After becoming a starter, Lopez averaged 11.3 points, shot 59 percent with 6.3 rebounds. Realistically, he's cut in the Joakim Noah mold, although not as aggressive a rebounder as Noah.

    • Carl Landry, Kings: He's a critical piece to the renaissance taking place in Sacramento, and gave a hint last season after arriving from the Rockets that he's the real deal. In 28 games with the Kings, he averaged 18 points, shot 52 percent and had good chemistry with Tyreke Evans. Is he the next good, young power forward? Perhaps. Not sure how many touches he'll have playing next to rookie center DeMarcus Cousins, but at the very least, Landry should be a major weapon for the Kings this season, his first as a full-time starter.

    • J.J. Hickson, Cavaliers: Who needs LeBron? OK, bad joke. Anyway, Hickson has "ready" stamped on his forehead after some encouraging moments last season, to the point where the Cavaliers deemed him untouchable in any mid-season deals. He's not polished and his mid-range game needs major work, but the basics are there and perhaps the will as well. Should the Cavaliers endure a losing season, as anticipated, Hickson could get the playing time and numbers. Somebody's got to score, right?

    • Stephen Curry, Warriors: He's already the best all-around shooter in the game. Yes, already, with all due respects to Ray Allen. But to dwell on shooting wouldn't be doing Curry justice. In the latter half of his rookie season, Curry showed solid passing skills and even drew raves for his passing on Team USA this summer. Just a hunch: Curry will make the All-Star Game, finish among the top 3-point shooters, lead the Warriors in assists and average well over 20 points. This would shock you?

    • Greg Oden, Blazers: Is this the year it happens? Does Oden make it through in one piece and flash signs of being a franchise-type player? Both are iffy propositions, based on history if nothing else. For sure, much is riding on 2010-11 for Oden. This is a money year; the Blazers can offer him an extension, which would remove him from the restricted free agent market, but they'd be foolish to spend big before seeing some progress. Also, this is a reputation year; Oden (if healthy) has a chance to finally build a foundation for himself. What's crummy is that after missing 21 games and then 61 games the last two seasons, Oden's still raw offensively; he'll need at least a full season to develop a move or two. But the basic big man stuff is there (rebounding, defense) which is enough for him to contribute in a meaningful way. Steering clear of injury and silly fouls are the immediate goals, although that's easier said than done.

    • Kevin Love, Timberwolves: He operates in an unconventional world. Love is a walking contradiction. For two years he averaged only 26 minutes a night for a losing team, and yet is one of the Wolves' better players. He's a solid rebounder who lacks low-post moves, and a deft passer who plays a rugged position. Maybe this is the year the Wolves figure out how to best use Love and keep him on the floor. He's always around the ball and tends to make something happen. And he wasn't chosen to Team USA this summer by accident. With no Al Jefferson around, Love finally has his chance to become the low-post presence for a team that doesn't have many. You think the Wolves will finally, you know, put him in the starting lineup?

    • Tyrus Thomas, Bobcats: He can be a bit flaky, and undisciplined at times on the court, but there's no denying the physical gifts here. Thomas brings tremendous hops and a desire, if not the technique, to play solid defense. Larry Brown thinks Thomas can be a star. We'll see. The Bobcats were smitten enough to keep him from escaping as a free agent this summer, something the Bulls, who had him for three years, were unwilling to do. Thomas will be given the platform to prove himself, because the Tyson Chandler experiment in Charlotte was a short one and there really isn't another big-man option in town (Kwame Brown? DaSagana Diop? Nazr Mohammed?). He'll need to develop a trusty mid-range game and tone down the mistakes to fulfill Brown's hope. At the very least, Thomas should begin to challenge Emeka Okafor as the best big-man in Charlotte's short history, for what it's worth.
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