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The Rules of Pacers Digest

Hello everyone,

Whether your are a long standing forum member or whether you have just registered today, it's a good idea to read and review the rules below so that you have a very good idea of what to expect when you come to Pacers Digest.

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Why do we do this? So that it's more difficult for spammers (be they human or robot) to post, and so users who are banned cannot immediately re-register and start dousing people with verbal flames.

Below are the rules of Pacers Digest. After you have read them, you will have a very good sense of where we are coming from, what we expect, what we don't want to see, and how we react to things.

Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"

"People with intelligence will agree with me when I say that __________"

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

"I can't wait to hear something from PosterX when he/she sees that **insert a given incident or current event that will have probably upset or disappointed PosterX here**"

"He/she is just delusional"

"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

"I'm going to take a moment to point and / laugh at PosterX / GroupOfPeopleY who thought / believed *insert though/belief here*"

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

In general, if a comment goes from purely on topic to something 'ad hominem' (personal jabs, personal shots, attacks, flames, however you want to call it, towards a person, or a group of people, or a given city/state/country of people), those are most likely going to be found intolerable.

We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.

Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.

A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.

There's always a small minority that like to push people's buttons and/or test their own boundaries with regards to the administrators, and in the case of someone acting like that, please be aware that this is not a court of law, but a private website run by people who are simply trying to do the right thing as they see it. If we feel that you are a special case that needs to be dealt with in an exceptional way because your behavior isn't explicitly mirroring one of our above examples of what we generally discourage, we can and we will take atypical action to prevent this from continuing if you are not cooperative with us.

Also please be aware that you will not be given a pass simply by claiming that you were 'only joking,' because quite honestly, when someone really is just joking, for one thing most people tend to pick up on the joke, including the person or group that is the target of the joke, and for another thing, in the event where an honest joke gets taken seriously and it upsets or angers someone, the person who is truly 'only joking' will quite commonly go out of his / her way to apologize and will try to mend fences. People who are dishonest about their statements being 'jokes' do not do so, and in turn that becomes a clear sign of what is really going on. It's nothing new.

In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.

Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.

If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!

All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.

Rule #2

If the actions of an administrator inspire you to make a comment, criticism, or express a concern about it, there is a wrong place and a couple of right places to do so.

The wrong place is to do so in the original thread in which the administrator took action. For example, if a post gets an infraction, or a post gets deleted, or a comment within a larger post gets clipped out, in a thread discussing Paul George, the wrong thing to do is to distract from the discussion of Paul George by adding your off topic thoughts on what the administrator did.

The right places to do so are:

A) Start a thread about the specific incident you want to talk about on the Feedback board. This way you are able to express yourself in an area that doesn't throw another thread off topic, and this way others can add their two cents as well if they wish, and additionally if there's something that needs to be said by the administrators, that is where they will respond to it.

B) Send a private message to the administrators, and they can respond to you that way.

If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.

Rule #3

If a poster is bothering you, and an administrator has not or will not deal with that poster to the extent that you would prefer, you have a powerful tool at your disposal, one that has recently been upgraded and is now better than ever: The ability to ignore a user.

When you ignore a user, you will unfortunately still see some hints of their existence (nothing we can do about that), however, it does the following key things:

A) Any post they make will be completely invisible as you scroll through a thread.

B) The new addition to this feature: If someone QUOTES a user you are ignoring, you do not have to read who it was, or what that poster said, unless you go out of your way to click on a link to find out who it is and what they said.

To utilize this feature, from any page on Pacers Digest, scroll to the top of the page, look to the top right where it says 'Settings' and click that. From the settings page, look to the left side of the page where it says 'My Settings', and look down from there until you see 'Edit Ignore List' and click that. From here, it will say 'Add a Member to Your List...' Beneath that, click in the text box to the right of 'User Name', type in or copy & paste the username of the poster you are ignoring, and once their name is in the box, look over to the far right and click the 'Okay' button. All done!

Rule #4

Regarding infractions, currently they carry a value of one point each, and that point will expire in 31 days. If at any point a poster is carrying three points at the same time, that poster will be suspended until the oldest of the three points expires.

Rule #5

When you share or paste content or articles from another website, you must include the URL/link back to where you found it, who wrote it, and what website it's from. Said content will be removed if this doesn't happen.

An example:

If I copy and paste an article from the Indianapolis Star website, I would post something like this:

http://www.linktothearticlegoeshere.com/article
Title of the Article
Author's Name
Indianapolis Star

Rule #6

We cannot tolerate illegal videos on Pacers Digest. This means do not share any links to them, do not mention any websites that host them or link to them, do not describe how to find them in any way, and do not ask about them. Posts doing anything of the sort will be removed, the offenders will be contacted privately, and if the problem becomes habitual, you will be suspended, and if it still persists, you will probably be banned.

The legal means of watching or listening to NBA games are NBA League Pass Broadband (for US, or for International; both cost money) and NBA Audio League Pass (which is free). Look for them on NBA.com.

Rule #7

Provocative statements in a signature, or as an avatar, or as the 'tagline' beneath a poster's username (where it says 'Member' or 'Administrator' by default, if it is not altered) are an unwanted distraction that will more than likely be removed on sight. There can be shades of gray to this, but in general this could be something political or religious that is likely going to provoke or upset people, or otherwise something that is mean-spirited at the expense of a poster, a group of people, or a population.

It may or may not go without saying, but this goes for threads and posts as well, particularly when it's not made on the off-topic board (Market Square).

We do make exceptions if we feel the content is both innocuous and unlikely to cause social problems on the forum (such as wishing someone a Merry Christmas or a Happy Easter), and we also also make exceptions if such topics come up with regards to a sports figure (such as the Lance Stephenson situation bringing up discussions of domestic abuse and the law, or when Jason Collins came out as gay and how that lead to some discussion about gay rights).

However, once the discussion seems to be more/mostly about the political issues instead of the sports figure or his specific situation, the thread is usually closed.

Rule #8

We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.

Rule #9

Generally speaking, we try to be a "PG-13" rated board, and we don't want to see sexual content or similarly suggestive content. Vulgarity is a more muddled issue, though again we prefer things to lean more towards "PG-13" than "R". If we feel things have gone too far, we will step in.

Rule #10

We like small signatures, not big signatures. The bigger the signature, the more likely it is an annoying or distracting signature.

Rule #11

Do not advertise anything without talking about it with the administrators first. This includes advertising with your signature, with your avatar, through private messaging, and/or by making a thread or post.
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Off season Rumors and Speculation

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  • Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

    Originally posted by BRushWithDeath View Post
    Attempting an NBA schedule by bus is simply not possible. Forgetting the fact that he'll miss nearly all in season practice time, which is few and far between to begin with, he will miss games. Regularly.

    Let's just look at the first month of their schedule.

    They end the preseason in Orlando on 10/26. He'll then miss practice and spend all of 10/27, 16 hours straight through, to get back to Houston presumably for practice on 10/28. He'll then have to miss practice on 10/29 & 10/30 to begin the 23 hour drive from Houston to Detroit for opening night.

    He's missed three practices before one game is played.

    He'll leave the night of the Detroit game and drive through to Atlanta arriving at approximately 1:00 on 11/1. I assume he'll miss that morning's practice but he'll be there for the game on 11/2. They have a back to back so if he leaves directly after the game he'll miss the following day's workout but could conceivably be back in Houston in the late afternoon for that night's game against Portland. They then have a few days off before another home game on 11/7 after which he will head to Memphis for their game on 11/9. If they move practice to late afternoon on 11/8 he should be okay for this stretch. However, that is another back to back so he'll have the same issue with the last one as far as the trip home is concerned but at least they have 3 straight home games. He should be able to get through the first 9 games without missing one but he'll basically miss 3 practices for every one he can go to.

    Now it gets tricky. After an 11/14 home game against N.O., they play 11/16 in Portland. It's basically a day and a half drive, at minimum, from Houston to Portland. It is conceivable he could make it there just before tip off but I doubt it. They then play in LA on 11/18 & Utah on 11/19. It's 16 hours from Portland to LA and 11 hours from LA to SLC. My guess is he doesn't go on this whole trip.

    The month ends with three homes games from 11/21-11/27 and ends with the second night of a back to back in Oklahoma City. He should be fine for these but he'll miss another practice.

    In the first month of the season, he'll miss three games and about 10 practice/walkthroughs. And this doesn't include any Eastern trip.

    The bottom line is, you can't be an NBA player if you won't get on airplane. He may have all the talent in the world and I really do feel for him that this issue is so bad but thank god my team didn't pick him.
    their idea is that he still uses the plane for most trips, but the number of those trips will be reduced as much as reasonably possible. Thus reducing the chances for his anxiety to flare up.

    He travels by bus to San Antonio and such, when it's not a back to back. And then some trips will be half by plane and half by bus. e.g., (not a real example, just how i understand it) Houston-Indianapolis by plane, they play a game, then his teammates fly to Chicago to play the Bulls and then Milwaukee, while he takes the bus in Indianapolis and makes those trips by bus. Then they all fly home.

    He supposedly won't miss practice time or shootarounds. What he'll miss, however, is bonding time with teammates and potentially any film/planning sessions on the plane, which some teams like to do.
    There's also the chance of a flat tire, engine issue, traffic jam...

    It's not perfect, but then again, that's why he dropped in the draft --- although he probably would've dropped much further if he didn't say flying is not a huge issue, prior to the draft.

    My bigger problem with this is the timing. He basically took that team hostage by doing it during the training camp and also making it so public. Imagine Plumlee not coming to the training camp and making public demands via any media outlet who would listen. Mental illness or not, that's not very cool.
    Also, add his non-illness issues. His reported bad shape / work ethic problems at times during his career, other off the court issues. It's pretty hard to separate what's mental illness and what's laziness and bad attitude. Will he start using his mental illness as an excuse for other things, at some point? Will he keep solving his issues so publicly? I wish him well with his health, but the way he handled the situation would leave a pretty bad taste in my mouth if I were the Rockets.

    Comment


    • Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

      Shouldn't we start a new thread? It's not the off season anymore.

      Comment


      • Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

        Kstat wanted to start a season thread after the preseason.

        i think a preseason thread for October would make sense, though. things are heating up, and it's not really rumors or speculation or offseason, so this thread is misleading.

        Comment


        • Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

          This get to games by bus idea is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. I get the guy has an anxiety issues and I sympathize with that, but maybe he should find a profession that better suits his travel needs.


          Comment


          • Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

            well, he's not the first to do this, just (afaik) the first in the NBA. but there have been examples in other sports.
            it COULD work but he's starting off his career on a wrong foot.

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            • Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

              If his anxiety is that bad, why can he fly on some flights but not on others?


              Comment


              • Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

                apparently he can fly on all of them, a severe anxiety crisis isn't certain but there's a risk every time, so he wants to limit those chances.

                Comment


                • Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

                  Originally posted by hackashaq View Post
                  well, he's not the first to do this, just (afaik) the first in the NBA. but there have been examples in other sports.
                  it COULD work but he's starting off his career on a wrong foot.
                  Who?

                  The only semi-example I could think of was John Madden. And he flew his entire coaching career. The bus only started after he retired and moved to the broadcasting booth.

                  I suppose a baseball starting pitcher could do it but I really can't think of any other way it could be feasible.
                  Last edited by BRushWithDeath; 10-05-2012, 02:50 PM.
                  "I had to take her down like Chris Brown."

                  -Lance Stephenson

                  Comment


                  • Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

                    Originally posted by BRushWithDeath View Post
                    Who?

                    The only semi-example I could think of was John Madden. And he flew his entire coaching career. The bus only started after he retired and moved to the broadcasting booth.

                    I suppose a baseball starting pitcher could do it but I really can't think of any other way it could be feasible.
                    I was thinking of Dennis Bergkamp and Alex Mogilnyj. Bergkamp never overcame it, he never flew in his prime afaik. He even missed many important matches. Alex Mogilnyj (hockey) had it at the start of his NHL career and asked to travel by bus but he eased into it by year 2. i'm sure i don't know many cases, but there have been a lot of athletes with the problem, i just don't know if and how they dealt with it without putting in a lot of research.

                    Comment


                    • Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

                      Originally posted by Trader Joe View Post
                      If his anxiety is that bad, why can he fly on some flights but not on others?
                      I'm assuming he is able to fly from time to time, with great distress and possibly by taking prescription drugs, but the repeated stress of it doing it nearly every day would be too much.

                      Comment


                      • Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

                        Originally posted by King Tuts Tomb View Post
                        I'm assuming he is able to fly from time to time, with great distress and possibly by taking prescription drugs, but the repeated stress of it doing it nearly every day would be too much.
                        I agree.

                        And the stress probably doesn't just kick in when he gets on the plane. As the season approached and he looked at all the travel upcoming he probably became stressed. He may have been losing sleep, losing his appetite, etc. And if he's having those problems now, he knows he's likely to suffer like that throughout the season as road trips approach so that he's affected even when he's playing at home.

                        Knowing that the bus option will be available when possible is probably helping to ease his stress now and allow him to cope with the coming season. And as someone said, if he flies Houston to Indy, has the bus meet him in Indy and then buses to Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, and Philly, then flies home, then he's cut out 5 of 7 flights during that road trip. That's a load off his mind now, in the days leading up to the road trip and during the road trip.

                        Comment


                        • Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

                          Originally posted by Strummer View Post
                          I agree.

                          And the stress probably doesn't just kick in when he gets on the plane. As the season approached and he looked at all the travel upcoming he probably became stressed. He may have been losing sleep, losing his appetite, etc. And if he's having those problems now, he knows he's likely to suffer like that throughout the season as road trips approach so that he's affected even when he's playing at home.

                          Knowing that the bus option will be available when possible is probably helping to ease his stress now and allow him to cope with the coming season. And as someone said, if he flies Houston to Indy, has the bus meet him in Indy and then buses to Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, and Philly, then flies home, then he's cut out 5 of 7 flights during that road trip. That's a load off his mind now, in the days leading up to the road trip and during the road trip.
                          Yeah, I'm guessing that that's what his people are busy figuring out right now.

                          Comment


                          • Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

                            1. Knock him out.
                            2. Place him on the plane.
                            3. Wake him once it lands.
                            4. Profit.

                            Comment


                            • Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

                              Originally posted by GrangeRusHibbert View Post
                              1. Knock him out.
                              2. Place him on the plane.
                              3. Wake him once it lands.
                              4. Profit.
                              Ahh, yes, the Charlie Kelly treatment.

                              Comment


                              • Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

                                Originally posted by cdash View Post
                                Ahh, yes, the Charlie Kelly treatment.
                                I was thinking more like BA Baracus myself.
                                "Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel

                                "And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "

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