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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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2010-2011 NBA Random Thoughts Thread part VII: Advent Children

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  • #16
    Re: 2010-2011 NBA Random Thoughts Thread part VII: Advent Children

    Originally posted by Kstat View Post
    Am I the only one thinking Houston can be a contender in the west with a healthy Yao?
    I sort of agree...I think that they are Playoff bound...but at best..I can see them make it into the 2nd round...but not the Conference Finals.
    Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

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    • #17
      Re: 2010-2011 NBA Random Thoughts Thread part VII: Advent Children

      Originally posted by Thingfish View Post
      Celtics with both Oneals are going to be badasses this year. I can see JO stepping in as a starter when Shaq takes his mid season break. Between the two of them, they will have one good big man.
      I agree with the Celtics and even add in that the Lakers did the same....they basically added ALOT of depth to their team.

      Look at the Celtics rotation ( 10 man deep ):

      Rondo/Allen/Pierce/KG/Perkins/JONeal/Shaq/Nate/BigBaby/Marquis

      Look at the Lakers rotation ( 10 man deep ):

      Fisher/Kobe/Artest/Gasol/Bynum/Odom/Blake/Barnes/Shannon/Vujacic

      What both Teams have done is added significant depth and veteran experience to their lineups. On paper, both Teams look scary IMHO and are built to outlast / outman the Heat.
      Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

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      • #18
        Re: 2010-2011 NBA Random Thoughts Thread part VII: Advent Children

        Boogie Cousins, Tyreke Evans and Omri Casspi are legit and Sacramento will surprise a lot of people this season and make a push for 40 wins out west.

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        • #19
          Re: 2010-2011 NBA Random Thoughts Thread part VII: Advent Children

          The NBA is back - all is right with the world. Can't wait to see Heat at the Celtics.

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          • #20
            Re: 2010-2011 NBA Random Thoughts Thread part VII: Advent Children

            Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
            The NBA is back - all is right with the world. Can't wait to see Heat at the Celtics.
            Couldn't agree more. I'm stupid psyched to watch the games tonight. Tomorrow night is going to be euphoric though. I wonder how long until the optimism wears off for me.

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            • #21
              Re: 2010-2011 NBA Random Thoughts Thread part VII: Advent Children

              Originally posted by Speed View Post
              Other thoughts

              Is there a legit starting player on Toronto other than Bargnani?
              I don't like Bargnani as a starter. I think I can think of 60 other big men I'd start over him - something to try some other day. I'd need to be desperate for points to play Bargnani starting minutes.

              Kleiza is a modest starter. I'm hoping for Amir Johnson to play more minutes and to improve on the fouling issues. I can also see Jarret Jack having a great season.

              Originally posted by Speed View Post
              Same with Minnesota and Love.
              Ridnour is an excellent backup/modest starter.

              Webster is a very good role-player. Ditto for Brewer. I think Wes Johnson will also be a good player, even if not a star. A quality starter. He probably won't be there this season though. Milicic can be a Kendrick Perkins type and level of player.

              I think they have plenty of players that are capable starters in the right situation + very good depth. They just lack above average players (with the exception of Love).

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              • #22
                Re: 2010-2011 NBA Random Thoughts Thread part VII: Advent Children

                I agree on Houston. So long as they stay healthy, they'll challenge the Lakers. But so long as the Lakers are healthy, they'll more than likely win.

                I think MVP goes to KD or Kobe this season. Just a prediction.

                The Spurs..they need better role players. I don't think their "dynasty" would be getting too old if they had others who could contribute. Obviously Jefferson is important..but I just don't feel like they're deep.

                I feel bad for Nash. It's funny, the guys who whine and moan end up with good teams (Kobe, Lebron) Nash kept his mouth shut and did his job. I'd like to see him get to the Finals, but I doubt it'll happen.

                I see chemistry issues, eventually, with the Heat. But I don't know if it'll be this season.

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                • #23
                  Re: 2010-2011 NBA Random Thoughts Thread part VII: Advent Children

                  Originally posted by cordobes View Post
                  I don't like Bargnani as a starter. I think I can think of 60 other big men I'd start over him - something to try some other day. I'd need to be desperate for points to play Bargnani starting minutes.

                  Kleiza is a modest starter. I'm hoping for Amir Johnson to play more minutes and to improve on the fouling issues. I can also see Jarret Jack having a great season.



                  Ridnour is an excellent backup/modest starter.

                  Webster is a very good role-player. Ditto for Brewer. I think Wes Johnson will also be a good player, even if not a star. A quality starter. He probably won't be there this season though. Milicic can be a Kendrick Perkins type and level of player.

                  I think they have plenty of players that are capable starters in the right situation + very good depth. They just lack above average players (with the exception of Love).
                  I think if you put Corey Brewer on a veteran team and just tell him not to worry about anything but locking down his man, he would be absolute asset on a championship caliber team. The kid is what most people around here claim Brandon Rush is (not that Rush isn't a good defender), a lockdown defender.

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                  • #24
                    Re: 2010-2011 NBA Random Thoughts Thread part VII: Advent Children

                    Originally posted by Kstat View Post
                    -Miami replacing Mike Miller with Jerry Stackhouse should be interesting. Unless he can turn the clock back 8 years, this is going to put a big early strain on the Miami thrice.

                    -Am I the only one thinking Houston can be a contender in the west with a healthy Yao?
                    I thought Stackhouse played decently for the Bucks last season. They'll miss Mike Miller, but James Jones and Stackhouse (and one of the small-guards like House here and there) should be enough to hold the fort for awhile. The big 3 needs minutes on the floor together anyway.

                    What I don't like about Miami is that they're playing Arroyo ahead of Chalmers (and now, with Miller's injury, I like it even less, because they'll have one of the PGs on the floor every second). Chalmers is losing confidence and he'd be a much better fit later on - better defender and shooter than Arroyo, less mistaken prone too. He should be playing 25-30mpg now, rebuilding his self-confidence and building team chemistry.

                    I have Houston as a top-3 team in the West.

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                    • #25
                      Re: 2010-2011 NBA Random Thoughts Thread part VII: Advent Children

                      Originally posted by cordobes View Post
                      Kleiza is a modest starter. I'm hoping for Amir Johnson to play more minutes and to improve on the fouling issues. I can also see Jarret Jack having a great season.
                      Kleiza looks beefy compared to when he was in Denver. He looks like he could bang around with power forwards now. But is he willing to defend, who knows.
                      Also, his Euro stint should help his confidence a bit, it's probably more rewarding to dominate Euroleague than back up Melo for 15 min a game.
                      Either way, I'm looking for him to be their 2nd best player. Anything less would be dissappointing.

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                      • #26
                        Re: 2010-2011 NBA Random Thoughts Thread part VII: Advent Children

                        Wow, I didn't realize the season begun today until now. Crazy how the offseason went by just like that.

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                        • #27
                          Re: 2010-2011 NBA Random Thoughts Thread part VII: Advent Children

                          Am I the only one who loves the title of this thread?
                          Don't ask Marvin Harrison what he did during the bye week. "Batman never told where the Bat Cave is," he explained.

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                          • #28
                            Re: 2010-2011 NBA Random Thoughts Thread part VII: Advent Children

                            I think that the Raptors have maybe Klezia as a starter. And Amir Johnson if he stays out of foul trouble.

                            I think Stack played great last season. He should be a great fit in Miami- especially if he's still doing p90x.

                            I'm not sold on Chalmers as much as you are Cordobes- i thought he's been in a slump ever since his rookie year and that he's basically hit his ceiling. But who knows- maybe he needs some confidence like you suggest.

                            I have Houston as a playoff team as of right now. That team is so deep and they have 6 starters on that team in my opinion. How Adelman will find minutes for everyone- I don't envy his job.

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                            • #29
                              Re: 2010-2011 NBA Random Thoughts Thread part VII: Advent Children

                              Originally posted by flox View Post
                              I'm not sold on Chalmers as much as you are Cordobes- i thought he's been in a slump ever since his rookie year and that he's basically hit his ceiling. But who knows- maybe he needs some confidence like you suggest.
                              You may be right, his shot deserted him last season and is yet to come back. In any case, his ceiling isn't very high, not much higher than were he were in his rookie season. But I think it's worth a try because Arroyo is such a poor player and House was pretty bad last season. Chalmers will certainly defend much better than any of those guys and defense + shooting + bring the ball up is what the Heat need at that position (and their best line-up is Miller + Wade + James, which means that PG won't be need to play on crunch time). If by the All-Star season the kid isnt' showing signs of improvement, you still have plenty of time to fall-back into one of the veterans.

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                              • #30
                                Re: 2010-2011 NBA Random Thoughts Thread part VII: Advent Children

                                http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/10/26/g...t-next-summer/

                                Greg Oden to Be Restricted Free Agent Next Summer
                                By Chris Tomasson
                                NBA Fanhouse

                                It's official. Portland center Greg Oden will be a restricted free agent next summer.

                                While it's not a surprise, considering Oden has played in just 82 games in his first three seasons due to injuries, the 2007 NBA top draft pick will become the first No. 1 selection to not have signed a contract extension after his third season since Kwame Brown was taken by Washington in 2001 and became a restricted free agent in the summer of 2005.

                                Bill Duffy, head of BDA Sports, which represents Oden, confirmed to FanHouse on Tuesday that Oden will not sign an extension by Monday's deadline.

                                "There's too much that he needs to do,'' Duffy said of Oden, who still has yet to be cleared to play after suffering a serious knee injury last December and missing the rest of the season.

                                Duffy called it a mutual decision between Oden's camp and the Trail Blazers to not to pursue an extension. He said it never really was discussed.

                                "It's really a foregone conclusion,'' Duffy said. "To evaluate what he's done so far, it's incomplete.''

                                Nov. 1 is the deadline for players taken in the first round of the 2007 draft to sign extensions that would kick in at the start of next season. It's normally Oct. 31 but was moved back a day this fall because Oct. 31 falls on a Sunday.

                                Only two players have signed so far, No. 2 pick Kevin Durant with Oklahoma City, and No. 9 selection Joakim Noah with Chicago. One agent representing a player taken in that first round speculates No. 3 selection Al Horford will end up re-signing with Atlanta, but that nobody else might sign. If that is the case, the number of players locked in would be three, half of the six who got extensions last fall.

                                "Owners really don't want to give them out because they believe there will be a collective bargaining agreement in place next summer that is more favorable to them,'' said the agent about the belief there will be a CBA that lowers salaries after the current one expires June 30, 2011.

                                There have been reports, though, that Phoenix forward Jared Dudley, drafted No. 22, and New York forward Wilson Chandler, taken No. 23, could get extensions.

                                "We're talking, but it's hard to predict what will happen,'' said Mark Bartelstein, Dudley's agent. "We'll see if we can get something done that makes sense.''

                                Bartelstein does not expect two of his other clients from the 2007 draft, No. 16 Nick Young of Washington, and No. 20 Jason Smith of Philadelphia, to sign extensions.

                                Duffy confirmed two of his other clients from the 2007 draft, No. 4 pick Mike Conley Jr. of Memphis and No. 14 selection Al Thornton of Washington also will not sign extensions by Monday.

                                "We think both of them are going to have breakout seasons,'' Duffy said of the two.

                                One player who still has a shot at getting an extension is guard Arron Afflalo, the No. 27 pick by Detroit in 2007 who is now with Denver. Sources close to the situation said there have been talks between the Nuggets and Afflalo's representation, but no salary numbers have been exchanged. While it still remains a long shot Afflalo will get an extension due to the uncertainty about Denver's long-term future (namely that Carmelo Anthony might be traded), it's expected the sides will talk again before the deadline.

                                Afflalo sure didn't hurt his cause by averaging a surprising 20.4 points in the preseason. He's already said he would like to re-sign with Denver as restricted free agent next summer if he doesn't get an extension this fall.

                                "It's a week (before the deadline). If something happens, I will be elated,'' Afflalo said. "If not, I'll just play it out.''

                                A lot of first-round picks from 2007 will be doing just that this season, including the top guy taken.
                                I guess I'm not surprised about Oden and Conley not getting an extension. My guess is that some Team will take a chance on Oden.
                                Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

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