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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 ___________"

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"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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sheridanhoops.com Top 20 Free Agents

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  • sheridanhoops.com Top 20 Free Agents

    http://sheridanhoops.com/2011/10/06/nba-free-agents/

    Bernucca column: Top 20 free agents

    October 06, 2011 at 8:53 AM
    By Chris Bernucca

    We all remember last year’s free agency extravapalooza - LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh heating up South Beach, Amar’e Stoudemire making the Knicks relevant, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce making career commitments to their teams and Joe Johnson landing the biggest contract of them all.

    Next year could be a quality sequel, with a star-studded cast that includes Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Ray Allen, Jason Terry, possibly Jameer Nelson and Gerald Wallace, and oldies but goodies Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and Steve Nash.
    This year? Meh.

    There is not one unrestricted free agent whose exclamation point isn’t shadowed by a question mark.

    Tyson Chandler? Back trouble. David West? Coming off an ACL tear. Jamal Crawford? Might want the max. J.J. Barea? Productive as a starter. Even Nene is named after a goose if you speak Hawaiian rather than Portuguese.

    And don’t ever say NBA GMs aren’t smart. Most of them saw this coming and didn’t turn their payrolls inside out to be active this offseason, when a new collective bargaining agreement will install an entire new set of rules.

    The teams with low payrolls – not counting dreaded cap holds or potential amnesty releases - are Denver ($29 million), Sacramento ($30 million), Indiana ($37 million) New Jersey ($40 million), Washington ($41 million), New Orleans ($44 million) and the Los Angeles Clippers ($45 million). Not exactly dream destinations, although Phoenix would get in the picture at $47 million if it waives Vince Carter via amnesty.

    The landscape is more like a seascape right now because it is so fluid. No one knows what the salary cap will be – it was $58 million a year ago – and the longer there is no CBA in place, the more the number will be impacted. Given that, here’s our look at the top 20 free agents, with available cheaper models. (An ‘R’ denotes a restricted free agent).

    NENE: Spent the previous three seasons proving his injuries and ailments are behind him and was worth his last contract. With a premium on skilled big men, he should warrant a max deal. BEST FIT: Nuggets, who have enough room to re-sign Nene and add another big piece. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Chris Wilcox, Francisco Elson.

    DAVID WEST: Despite coming off the injury, he will draw plenty of attention and likely get a max deal, even though he is a notch below that level. The Hornets have to come at him hard if they want to keep Chris Paul. BEST FIT: The Pacers and Nuggets both have plenty of minutes and money. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Kurt Thomas.

    TYSON CHANDLER: Rebounds, blocks shots, fixes mistakes by teammates and doesn’t require loads of touches. In other words, an ideal center in a league driven by offensive-minded points and wings. Someone may max him out. BEST FIT: Mavericks, who aren’t going to give away one of their championship backbones. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Dan Gadzuric.

    MARC GASOL (R): The best available all-around big man on the market. When the Grizzlies re-signed Zach Randolph, they assured him Gasol would be retained. If another team offers Gasol the max, we’ll see. BEST FIT: Rockets, who could make it happen with some creative accounting. The Suns, Kings and Bobcats could make big plays as well. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Joel Przybilla.

    JEFF GREEN (R): You have to wonder why the Celtics traded Kendrick Perkins because he wanted starting center money, while Green would be paid as a sub behind Garnett and Paul Pierce. But if a team offers Green a starting spot and eight figures, Danny Ainge will be self-pressured to match. BEST FIT: Celtics, although a team like the Nets or Suns can offer him more. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Troy Murphy, Leon Powe.

    JASON RICHARDSON: Probably will never be the scorer he was in Golden State and Charlotte, but it shouldn’t be about that for him anymore now that he’s 30. BEST FIT: Orlando, because the Magic have to go through the motions of trying to keep Dwight Howard. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Shannon Brown.

    JAMAL CRAWFORD: Legitimate scorer who can play both backcourt positions in a pinch. It remains to be seen whether he is willing to continue coming off the bench. BEST FIT: The Hornets, Nets, Bobcats or Pacers, all of whom have cap room and a big hole at shooting guard. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Delonte West.

    NICK YOUNG (R): A top-30 scorer last season who is just 26. Could get a lot better if he develops smarts to match his skills. BEST FIT: Wizards, who need stability and continuity around John Wall and have the cap room to match any offer. One might come from the Hornets. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Anthony Parker.

    TAYSHAUN PRINCE: He has a lot of postseason mileage on him but has remained durable despite his frail frame. Probably needs a change of scenery to recharge his batteries. BEST FIT: Clippers, where his veteran presence would be welcome. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Rasual Butler.

    SHANE BATTIER: His defense and professionalism will always be welcome ahead of his offensive limitations. A future coach or executive. BEST FIT: Perhaps a homecoming to Detroit, where Lawrence Frank needs veteran leadership, not just veterans. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Grant Hill.

    CARON BUTLER: A big question mark coming off a ruptured patellar tendon at 31 years old. If healthy, he can score and rebound better than most at his position. Might have to sign an incentive-laden deal. BEST FIT: He could find worse places than a homecoming with the Bucks. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Al Thornton.

    KRIS HUMPHRIES: Only Kevin Love averaged more rebounds per minute than Humphries, who may get the most absurd contract once free agency begins – and still make less money than his wife. BEST FIT: The Suns need a ball-eater, but the Nets really can’t chance letting him walk unless they bag a bigger prize. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Chuck Hayes.

    J.J. BAREA: Has range, runs the pick-and-roll to perfection and doesn’t back down from anyone. But if you think he can be a starting point guard, I respectfully disagree. BEST FIT: Mavericks, where he can bridge the transition from Jason Kidd to Roddy Beaubois – and probably get the most money. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Earl Watson, Mike Bibby.

    AARON AFFLALO (R): Restricted free agent who plays both ends and has developed a knack for taking – and making – big shots. Could end up dramatically overpaid if a team with cap room offers him a big deal trying to scare off the Nuggets. BEST FIT: Denver, because half its team is playing in China. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: DeShawn Stevenson.

    DEANDRE JORDAN (R): His offensive repertoire is limited to dunking, and don’t ask about free throws. But he’s 23 years old, has a chance to be a game-changing defensive player and could come at a bargain as a former second-round pick. BEST FIT: The Clippers have to hope the Timberwolves or Rockets don’t make him a ridiculous offer they cannot justify matching. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Earl Barron.

    MARCUS THORNTON (R): Has averaged 13.6 points through two seasons despite being benched, beaten out for his starting job and traded, which is what happens when you’re not a first-round pick. Only 24 and could be a steal. BEST FIT: Kings, but they have to free up more minutes for him to reach his ceiling. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Willie Green.

    LUC RICHARD MBAH A MOUTE: Every team needs a defensive stopper. We all saw that last season with what Tony Allen brought to the Memphis Grizzlies, and he rebounds, too. BEST FIT: After last summer’s spending fiasco with Drew Gooden and Corey Maggette, the Bucks need to keep this consummate glue guy. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Shelden Williams.

    SAMUEL DALEMBERT: A defensive presence without much skill or smarts. Anyone who gives him eight figures is a moron. But someone will. BEST FIT: The Suns might like his paint presence and willingness to run. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Theo Ratliff.

    ANDREI KIRILENKO: Yes, he signed a three-year deal with CSKA Moscow. But it has more outs in it than the Red Sox in September, so you know where he really wants to play. BEST FIT: Nets, if they can find a scoring shooting guard. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Mike Dunleavy.

    YI JIANLIAN: OK, so he’s not the next Yao Ming, and Dan Fegan won’t be able to dupe anybody this time around. But he’s not the next Wang Zhizhi, either. He’s about to turn 24 and needs to ignore 1.3 billion people and just play. BEST FIT: Yi probably would feel most at home with the Warriors, but the Knicks and Clippers could both use a stretch-4. DOLLAR STORE ALTERNATIVE: Jared Jeffries

    FIVE MORE TO CONSIDER: Glen Davis, Carl Landry, Michael Redd, Aaron Brooks (R), Rodney Stuckey (R).
    "In 49 states it's just basketball ... but this is Indiana."

  • #2
    Re: sheridanhoops.com Top 20 Free Agents

    Seriously? Max deals for David West and Nene? Better off not signing either one of them if that is the case.

    PS: I am a fan of signing David West, but not for anything close to the max.
    "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

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    • #3
      Re: sheridanhoops.com Top 20 Free Agents

      Yeah, I'd forgotten how ****** this class was. Oh well, at least Larry has said he's not gonna blow his wad this year. Hope he means it.

      [edit] Btw, here's CBS's top-40:

      http://eye-on-basketball.blogs.cbssp...48484/30283991
      Come to the Dark Side -- There's cookies!

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: sheridanhoops.com Top 20 Free Agents

        If they get max deals then I'm gonna laugh. Cause it's not going to be with us.
        "Danny Granger is one of the top players in the league. To move Danny, you better get a lot back." - Larry Bird

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: sheridanhoops.com Top 20 Free Agents

          I like his "five more to consider" better than many of the main players he mentions. His "dollar store" players look more like 50 cents players to me.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: sheridanhoops.com Top 20 Free Agents

            I'm interested to see how Michael Redd is going to do.

            He used to be one of the best shooters/scorers in the league before his injuries.

            I'd sign him to a cheap 1 or 2 year deal.
            In 49 states it's just basketball, but this is Indiana!

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: sheridanhoops.com Top 20 Free Agents

              Originally posted by Scot Pollard View Post
              I'm interested to see how Michael Redd is going to do.

              He used to be one of the best shooters/scorers in the league before his injuries.

              I'd sign him to a cheap 1 or 2 year deal.
              if you were the Heat or Bulls GM he would probably sign with you no way he signs in Indy

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: sheridanhoops.com Top 20 Free Agents

                I'd take a Chuck Hayes and a Joel Przybilla. On the cheap and solid back ups. Spend the $ next year.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: sheridanhoops.com Top 20 Free Agents

                  any top 20 free agent list with Yi on it is either a joke or this is the worst free agent class in sometime.

                  Im not to big a Josh Fan but my god Yi above him? That is a joke.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: sheridanhoops.com Top 20 Free Agents

                    Originally posted by pacer4ever View Post
                    if you were the Heat or Bulls GM he would probably sign with you no way he signs in Indy
                    Before Dallas got Rudy Fernandez, I was thinking that would be a good team for him to sign with.

                    I wasn't thinking he'd sign with us anyway.
                    In 49 states it's just basketball, but this is Indiana!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: sheridanhoops.com Top 20 Free Agents

                      I only noticed how old this article was because they mentioned Kris Humphries' wife.
                      Peck is basically omniscient when it comes to understanding how the minds of Herb Simon and Kevin Pritchard work. I was a fool to ever question him and now feel deep shame for not understanding that this team believes in continuity above talent.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Barea would be a decent guy at a low-mid range contract if we let Rush go in a trade, but Barea won't sign for that little.


                        Sent from my iPhone 4 using Tapatalk
                        Senior at the University of Louisville.
                        Greenfield ---> The Ville

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