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The Rules of Pacers Digest

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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"

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"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

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"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

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"Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good? "

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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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The Goon Squad

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  • The Goon Squad

    I know this is being discussed in other threads, but I like the name and identity and thought it merited its own thread title.

    I've really hoped, for years, for a second unit that had some swagger and an identity, well it seems like that day has come.

    http://www.indycornrows.com/2011/2/1...-off-the-bench


    by Tom Lewis on

    2/16/11

    The Indiana Pacers bench outscored the Miami Heat bench, 53-14 in last night's loss, which was impressive and futile at the same time considering LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh combined for 90 points, doing enough damage on their own to win the game.
    But the Pacers took the best shot from the Heat's Big Three and stayed in the game until the closing minutes thanks to the second unit. Dwyane Wade had 22 first-quarter points and the Heat seemed to think they had an early knockout on their hands. But Indiana's second unit wouldn't have it.

    A.J. Price and Dahntay Jones scoffed at the 22-point hole the Pacers were in after the first quarter and came out to start the second quarter intent on changing the tone of the game. Tyler Hansbrough, Paul George and Jeff Foster joined Price and Jones to just start making plays, deflecting passes, forcing jump shots and looking for any excuse to hit the floor and beat their Heat counterpart to the ball.

    They epitomized the blood and guts, smash-mouth effort coach Frank Vogel preaches, picking the team up off the canvas to start throwing hay-makers at the Heat. What was once a 24-point deficit eventually became a 5-point lead for the Pacers which simply doesn't happen without the second unit coming together and going to work. As the chemistry of this group continues to develop, they've become a big asset.
    These guys need a nickname.

    "We call ourselves the Goon Squad," Hansbrough said following the game. "We're going to go out there and do the dirty work, hustle and give a lot of energy. Be prepared."

    Goon Squad works.

    Hansbrough has no problem putting the goon in the Goon Squad with his willingness to join Jeff Foster in banging bodies in the paint.

    "If someone's going to get an easy basket, they're going to have to go to the free throw line," Hansbrough said. "I'm not going to back down. I'm not a shot blocker, but I can jump and contest some shots and I will."

    A.J. Price has run the show for this group off the bench and has lived up to his nickname, Juice in the past few games by energizing the Pacers off the bench.

    "That's my role, that's my unit's role, the second unit we have to come in and bring energy," Price explained.

    "We have an advantage by sitting there and being able to watch the game first. Especially from a point guard perspective, I get to see what needs to change, and I thought our tempo was too slow to start the game so I came in to tried to pick it up."

    Price smiled and shook his head when asked about the Goon Squad.

    "We definitely take pride in what we do as a unit, try to come in and out play the other second unit," Price said. "That's always our goal every single game to try to outplay them.

    We did that tonight, but against a team like this you can't have lulls and lapses, you have to play for 48 minutes. We didn't do it down there in the fourth quarter when they beat us and we didn't do it up here in the first quarter tonight."

    Paul George chuckled when asked about his role in the Goon Squad.

    "We know when that second unit comes in we have to bring a spark," George said, continuing the familiar refrain of trying to change the game off the bench.
    "If the starters aren't getting it done, we know we have to get it done. Everybody is out there pulling for each other. It starts from us competing in practice and carries over to games."

    George, by the way, is playing through a bout of sickness, dealing with a few coughing fits last night while playing as though he were 100% healthy. He said he feels like he's trending toward getting better, though.

    Dahntay Jones echoed George's sentiments, and as a vocal leader in the locker room, Jones has the pulse of the Goon Squad and knows why it is coming together.
    "We have good chemistry," Jones said. "We practice together as a unit on a daily basis and we enjoy competing. That's the essence of us, all competitive, we compete at all types of things throughout the season and we enjoy competing together."

    When asked about the Goon Squad, the post-defeat tone of Jones' voice perked up, as did Roy Hibbert sitting nearby offering some background commentary.

    "That's right," Jones said, giving Hansbrough credit for the name. "(Hibbert: The Goon Squad!) We have an identity that we're not going to let you push us around. We're going to dive after balls, we're going to pick up full court, we're going to try to change the tempo (Hibbert: Goons), bring that energy. (Hibbert: Goonies!)"

    After a tough loss last night, the Goon Squad will need to bring it again tonight in Detroit to make sure the Pacers head into the all-star break on a winning note.

  • #2
    Re: The Goon Squad

    That's absolutely hillarious..


    I thought about naming my rap group that... 6+ YEARS ago... But nothing ever became of it... ended up doing a different project lol..



    I hope this name catches on for them around the NBA in establishing their identity..

    .
    Freakin awesome...

    great article..
    "Political Correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: The Goon Squad

      I love it. Hibbert is funny!

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: The Goon Squad

        Maybe Dunleavy should stay in the starting lineup so he doesn't mess the Goon Squad up

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: The Goon Squad

          Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
          Maybe Dunleavy should stay in the starting lineup so he doesn't mess the Goon Squad up
          I'll take door number three.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: The Goon Squad

            Sounds like a 4th line in hockey to me! I love it, bring energy off the bench, challenge and encourage the starters to pick up their game, and make a statement to the opponents.

            I like the way coach Vogel handles his substitutions, playing the bench-players together for extended minutes without messing up the chemistry by tweaking the lineup every timeout and try to adjust to the opponent.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: The Goon Squad

              Originally posted by Kemo View Post
              I thought about naming my rap group that... 6+ YEARS ago... But nothing ever became of it... ended up doing a different project lol..
              Probably a good decision.
              "I had to take her down like Chris Brown."

              -Lance Stephenson

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: The Goon Squad

                Hansbrough works hard in second NBA season

                Monday, February 21, 2011
                By Toby Carrig ~ Southeast Missourian
                http://www.semissourian.com/story/1704862.html


                The former Poplar Bluff star tested his progress last week against the Heat

                INDIANAPOLIS -- With Psycho T and the goon squad, the Indiana Pacers sound more appropriate for the NHL than the NBA.

                Tyler Hansbrough, who earned the nickname Psycho T during his college days at the University of North Carolina, headlines the Indiana Pacers' second unit along with 2010 first-round draft choice Paul George.

                "We call ourselves the goon squad because we're not the prettiest basketball players, not the smoothest basketball players," Hansbrough said last week, "but we try to get the dirty work done."

                Hansbrough and his goon squad provided a spark Tuesday night in the Pacers' marquee game with the NBA Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat.

                With the Big 3 of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh in town in front of a sellout crowd of 18,165, the Pacers lost 110-103.

                They trailed at one point 41-19 before making a charge in the second quarter and eventually taking the lead in the second half.

                Hansbrough, a Poplar Bluff, Mo., native who was drafted 13th overall in 2009, finished with 16 points, doubling his season average. He also had five rebounds. George, taken 10th overall last spring, had 14 points and five rebounds. He was 3 of 4 on 3-pointers. The Pacers' bench scored 53 points, but the Heat's Big 3 had 90, led by Wade's 41.

                "It was like a playoff experience," George said. "And myself being a rookie who has never been through the playoffs, it felt nice to be in a surrounding like this.

                "By far, this was one of the most energized crowds that we've had and atmosphere that we had. It was nice to see that a lot more Pacers fans showed up this time. Usually when we've got big names coming in, the opposing team is packing our house. So it was nice that our fans were packing our house this time."

                Said Hansbrough: "When you play a team like that, everybody's going to come out of the woodwork and come out to the game. It's an exciting place to be, and unfortunately we didn't get the win."

                Under a new coach

                The Pacers had been winning since Jan. 30, when Jim O'Brien was relieved of his coaching duties and replaced by interim coach Frank Vogel.

                The Pacers won seven of their first eight under Vogel, losing only at Miami, before a two-game losing streak to go into the All-Star break. They followed the loss to Miami at home with a loss to Detroit.

                "Frank has come in here and given us a lot of confidence," Hansbrough said. "He's really helped everyone out. He's a much better communicator than previous years.

                "Everyone likes Frank, and we want to play hard for him, and we don't want to disappoint him."

                While Hansbrough is a second-year pro, this essentially is his rookie year due to inner ear problems that limited him to 29 games last year.

                "I'm glad it's all behind me, and I'm just trying to learn as much as possible," Hansbrough said.

                He is forming a bond with the rookie George.

                "I'm looking for Tyler constantly," George said. "I know what he can do in the post with that sweet jump shot turnaround. I tell him all the time, 'If I can find you, I'll get you the ball.' I like to see him go to work."

                Hansbrough likes to be back at work, showing the kind of work ethic that made him 2008 national player of the year and led the Tar Heels to the 2009 NCAA championship.

                "I've improved my game a lot, definitely my outside jumper," Hansbrough said. "That's something I've had to develop because guys in the league are much bigger, and I can't just get to the basket and shoot over them all the time like I did in college. So it's a learning process, and I'm learning to grow as a player.





                You have to love these guys. Paul's a great player in the making who's looking to pass. These guys love being the second team coming in and have an identity which I think really has a lot to do with Vogel. Hansbrough's comments about JOB and Vogel leave nothing to really be guessed at....communication was bad with JOB and they didn't like JOB and thus didn't try as hard as they do for Vogel. I really feel the guys want Vogel back next year because they know he will be much better to them than most of the alternatives (esp. personality wise) and know the best way to do it is for them to win.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: The Goon Squad

                  I have to admit, I doubted the talent of a lot of the guys on this team. In a Hollinger chat thread earlier this season I said we didn't have the players to compete in the playoffs this year. I'm glad I was completely wrong.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: The Goon Squad

                    Originally posted by Speed View Post
                    A.J. Price has run the show for this group off the bench and has lived up to his nickname, Juice in the past few games by energizing the Pacers off the bench.

                    "That's my role, that's my unit's role, the second unit we have to come in and bring energy," Price explained.

                    "We have an advantage by sitting there and being able to watch the game first. Especially from a point guard perspective, I get to see what needs to change, and I thought our tempo was too slow to start the game so I came in to tried to pick it up."
                    I liked this part. I like that A.J. is not just sitting on the bench casually watching the game, he is trying to figure out how he is going to change it when he gets in.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: The Goon Squad

                      Originally posted by CooperManning View Post
                      I'll take door number three.

                      I bet Kobe drained that shot. He might even have got an "And-1" as well.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: The Goon Squad

                        I think it would be awesome to get a Goon Squad shirt made with all our players on it..

                        Use The Goonies font on the letters and background style of shirt..

                        "Political Correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: The Goon Squad

                          Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
                          Maybe Dunleavy should stay in the starting lineup so he doesn't mess the Goon Squad up
                          I'm fine with Dunleavy being in either the 1st or 2nd unit...just as long as it's on another team.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: The Goon Squad

                            Just saw on Twitter, Channel 13 will be doing a piece on the Goon Squad at 5:50.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: The Goon Squad

                              Ooohh.. I got chills watching them on the floor for all of those loose balls on channel 13.

                              Comment

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