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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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2011-12 NBA Random Thoughts Thread VIII: Random Thoughts the 8th I am!

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  • Re: 2011-12 NBA Random Thoughts Thread VIII: Random Thoughts the 8th I am!

    Mac
    If you were starting a team from scratch, which frontcourt would you choose: Roy Hibbert / David West, Tyson Chandler / Amare Stoudemire, or Kendrick Perkins / Serge Ibaka.
    Anthony Macri
    Rough question. Each has their limitations and their advantages. Probably Chandler and Stoudemire because I think both are really effective in ball screen situations, and I like running the floor more in general, which I think both do well
    @WhatTheFFacts: Studies show that sarcasm enhances the ability of the human mind to solve complex problems!

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    • Re: 2011-12 NBA Random Thoughts Thread VIII: Random Thoughts the 8th I am!

      Originally posted by vnzla81 View Post
      Mac
      If you were starting a team from scratch, which frontcourt would you choose: Roy Hibbert / David West, Tyson Chandler / Amare Stoudemire, or Kendrick Perkins / Serge Ibaka.
      Anthony Macri
      Rough question. Each has their limitations and their advantages. Probably Chandler and Stoudemire because I think both are really effective in ball screen situations, and I like running the floor more in general, which I think both do well
      Despite the Knicks struggles, Chandler and Amare is a no brainer choice.
      "I had to take her down like Chris Brown."

      -Lance Stephenson

      Comment


      • Re: 2011-12 NBA Random Thoughts Thread VIII: Random Thoughts the 8th I am!

        Eric (New York, NY)


        Thorpezilla!! The Pacers this year look like the Sixers did last year; well-balanced with younger players developing and a couple of solid vets. How far can either team go as constructed, and would they be better off trading pieces for a superstar?

        Eric (New York, NY)


        Thorpedo, Denver and Utah both look pretty solid after giving up superstars, while the Knicks and the Nets, not so much. Should Orlando feel better about its future if it trades Dwight?

        David Thorpe (12:09 PM)


        These questions go great together, as does the one about Philly. A star alone is not the answer. I like to say now that "basketball is rocket science", despite what many experts say. It's very very hard to create the right formula with all the right ingredients. There's no one way to do this either. The best plan is to develop your players to their highest potential, have a great coach and staff, and then see how good you are. From there, with assets, options are available.
        @WhatTheFFacts: Studies show that sarcasm enhances the ability of the human mind to solve complex problems!

        Comment


        • Re: 2011-12 NBA Random Thoughts Thread VIII: Random Thoughts the 8th I am!

          There will be no Granger for Gordon deal. Why on earth would NO take on Granger's salary when they won't even commit to Gordon?

          The only way that trade ever happens is if 1) we take back Okafor and give up one of our young guys, or 2) they get sold immediately, fail to sign Gordon to an extension and fear that he'll request a trade/become a distraction before the trade deadline.

          It's very unlikely to happen.

          Comment


          • Re: 2011-12 NBA Random Thoughts Thread VIII: Random Thoughts the 8th I am!

            Deng is out "for a while" with a torn wrist ligament. I realize their schedule has been light lately, but only 3 losses is a little surprising with all their injuries.

            http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/story...ligament-wrist

            Comment


            • Re: 2011-12 NBA Random Thoughts Thread VIII: Random Thoughts the 8th I am!

              Originally posted by Stuckey7370 View Post
              Deng is out "for a while" with a torn wrist ligament. I realize their schedule has been light lately, but only 3 losses is a little surprising with all their injuries.

              http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/story...ligament-wrist
              The Bulls have great depth. If you think that their worst players are Jimmy Butler (who is just a rookie that needs time to develop his game at the NBA level) and Mike James (who is a 36 year vet who can certainly ball) then you can easily get the picture why they only have 3 losses

              PS: Mirotic, whose rights are owned by the Bulls, is an amazing prospect as well. He is averaging 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.8 steals per game at 24 MPG in the Euroleage at the age of 20.
              Originally posted by IrishPacer
              Empty vessels make the most noise.

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              • Re: 2011-12 NBA Random Thoughts Thread VIII: Random Thoughts the 8th I am!

                Originally posted by Nuntius View Post
                The Bulls have great depth. If you think that their worst players are Jimmy Butler (who is just a rookie that needs time to develop his game at the NBA level) and Mike James (who is a 36 year vet who can certainly ball) then you can easily get the picture why they only have 3 losses

                PS: Mirotic, whose rights are owned by the Bulls, is an amazing prospect as well. He is averaging 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.8 steals per game at 24 MPG in the Euroleage at the age of 20.
                dont get me started on Mirotic I wanted the Pacers to draft him so bad kid is so skilled. Once he adds LBs he is gonna be a good NBA player should come over in 2 years he is worth the wait though. Good thing about him is he relys on skill not athleticism kind of like a Paul Milsap or David West but Mir can play some SF

                or a Tim Duncan (obviously Mirotic isnt that skilled though )

                He is a basketball player not an athlete and I like guys who are good basketball guys(It is nice if they are athletic aslo but I will take a basketball player over just an athlete any day).
                Last edited by pacer4ever; 01-24-2012, 05:05 PM.

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                • Re: 2011-12 NBA Random Thoughts Thread VIII: Random Thoughts the 8th I am!

                  Originally posted by pacer4ever View Post
                  dont get me started on Mirotic I wanted the Pacers to draft him so bad kid is so skilled. Once he adds LBs he is gonna be a good NBA player should come over in 2 years he is worth the wait though. Good thing about him is he relys on skill not athleticism kind of like a Paul Milsap or David West but Mir can play some SF

                  or a Tim Duncan (obviously Mirotic isnt that skilled though )

                  He is a basketball player not an athlete and I like guys who are good basketball guys(It is nice if they are athletic aslo but I will take a basketball player over just an athlete any day).
                  I agree completely. Athleticism is nice and all but knowing how to play ball should matter the most. Because at the end the more reliable way to win is to shoot the ball and find nothing but net not to jump over 5 guys.

                  About Mirotic now. His contract ends in 2015. I'm not sure when he comes to the NBA but he'll come sooner or later cause he can play (and even make a big career) in the NBA.

                  Nikola is a great player. He has saved me a lot of times at the Euroleague Fantasy Challenge with some incredible performances

                  By the way, he hit a buzzer-beater last week to lead Real Madrid past Unicaja Malaga.

                  Here's the vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWDbNAzFGCk

                  PS: How can I embed videos correctly? Or is it against the rules and we're just allowed to post urls?
                  Originally posted by IrishPacer
                  Empty vessels make the most noise.

                  Comment


                  • Re: 2011-12 NBA Random Thoughts Thread VIII: Random Thoughts the 8th I am!

                    Originally posted by BRushWithDeath View Post
                    5 of those 7 were against teams with a snowball's chance in hell of making the playoffs.

                    And one of those other two was Chicago without Derrick Rose. The other? The reeling Knicks.

                    If they win more than 3 of their next 10 before we play them, I'd be surprised.

                    The Pacers have won 11 games, and 6 of those games were over teams that are top 10 lottery teams. 2 more of those 11 wins are against Boston who doesn't have a winning record. Then 2 of the Pacers 4 loses were against Detroit and Sacramento who are lottery teams. The Pacers also have a tough upcoming schedule. So if Memphis wins aren't much it doesn't say much for the Pacers either. I feel both teams are making strides, and no reason to down play or belittle either team's accomplishments. JMOAA

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                    • Re: 2011-12 NBA Random Thoughts Thread VIII: Random Thoughts the 8th I am!

                      Houston's hot right now. McHale has that it factor.

                      Comment


                      • Re: 2011-12 NBA Random Thoughts Thread VIII: Random Thoughts the 8th I am!

                        Is that what they're calling Kyle Lowry these days?

                        It wasn't about being the team everyone loved, it was about beating the teams everyone else loved.

                        Division Champions 1955, 1956, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
                        Conference Champions 1955, 1956, 1988, 2005
                        NBA Champions 1989, 1990, 2004

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                        • Re: 2011-12 NBA Random Thoughts Thread VIII: Random Thoughts the 8th I am!

                          Originally posted by Nuntius View Post
                          PS: How can I embed videos correctly? Or is it against the rules and we're just allowed to post urls?
                          Right click on the youtube video, select "Copy embed html", paste here.

                          Comment


                          • Re: 2011-12 NBA Random Thoughts Thread VIII: Random Thoughts the 8th I am!

                            Originally posted by Nuntius View Post
                            I agree completely. Athleticism is nice and all but knowing how to play ball should matter the most. Because at the end the more reliable way to win is to shoot the ball and find nothing but net not to jump over 5 guys.

                            About Mirotic now. His contract ends in 2015. I'm not sure when he comes to the NBA but he'll come sooner or later cause he can play (and even make a big career) in the NBA.

                            Nikola is a great player. He has saved me a lot of times at the Euroleague Fantasy Challenge with some incredible performances

                            By the way, he hit a buzzer-beater last week to lead Real Madrid past Unicaja Malaga.

                            Here's the vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWDbNAzFGCk

                            PS: How can I embed videos correctly? Or is it against the rules and we're just allowed to post urls?
                            I think he may come over after 3 years because after 3 years the rookie scale doesn't apply so the Bulls can give him more money and pay for his buyout. I would probably just wait until Boozer's contract is up either way Nikola is gonna get more than the rookie pay scale. If Pekovic can get near MMLE money Nikola should get at least that if not more.

                            Comment


                            • Re: 2011-12 NBA Random Thoughts Thread VIII: Random Thoughts the 8th I am!

                              Originally posted by wintermute View Post
                              Right click on the youtube video, select "Copy embed html", paste here.
                              Thanks

                              Originally posted by pacer4ever View Post
                              I think he may come over after 3 years because after 3 years the rookie scale doesn't apply so the Bulls can give him more money and pay for his buyout. I would probably just wait until Boozer's contract is up either way Nikola is gonna get more than the rookie pay scale. If Pekovic can get near MMLE money Nikola should get at least that if not more.
                              Pekovic made quite an impact in the EL before he went to the NBA for the first time, though. Mirotic can make the same impact as well, though.
                              Last edited by Nuntius; 01-24-2012, 05:54 PM.
                              Originally posted by IrishPacer
                              Empty vessels make the most noise.

                              Comment


                              • Re: 2011-12 NBA Random Thoughts Thread VIII: Random Thoughts the 8th I am!

                                Saw a guy in a Lakers shirt today. He looked at my shirt, then looked down at the ground and walked away.
                                "Danny Granger is one of the top players in the league. To move Danny, you better get a lot back." - Larry Bird

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