Announcement

Collapse

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.

A quick note to new members: Your posts will not immediately show up when you make them. An administrator has to approve at least your first post before the forum software will later upgrade your account to the status of a fully-registered member. This usually happens within a couple of hours or so after your post(s) is/are approved, so you may need to be a little patient at first.

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.
See more
See less

A series of questions for fans of teams other than the Pacers

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • A series of questions for fans of teams other than the Pacers

    Ok guys in an effort to find out what the rest of the league thinks about some issues surrounding our team I want to throw this out to fans of other teams. Pacers fans please let them have their say.

    I know we have some Kings fans, Nuggets fan, Pistons fans, Spurs fan & a guy who claims to be a Knicks fan Am I missing any team here? If so please call out your favorite team when you post.

    This is in no way any attempt to disrespect any other team it's just a way to gather some opinions about our team & I will throw in some views on the N.B.A. as well.

    Let's begin. I'm gonna start off with topics that are Pacers specific but please be patient we will get to the rest of the N.B.A. in a min.

    1. Have you ever heard of Jon Bender, outside of here on the digest? If you have do you have an opinion on him one way or another?

    2. Have you ever heard of Jeff Foster, outside of here on the digest? If you have do you have an opinion on him one way or another?

    3. What is your overall opinion of Ron Artest?

    4. Are you somewhat suprised that the Pacers have been able to remain competative after the suspensions?

    5. What is your opinion on who is to blame for the overall incident in Detroit? (Pacers fans please allow them to express themselves without jumping down their throats, Yes even Detroit fans)

    Ok now were gonna jump more into league wide stuff here.

    6. What is your opinion of David Stern?

    7. Are you happy with the coverage of N.B.A. games on TNT?

    8. Are you happy with the coverage of N.B.A. games on ESPN?

    9. Are you happy with the coverage of N.B.A. games on ABC?

    10. Do you feel comfortable with the level of increased enforcement of the rules this season? ie. hand checks, palming, etc.?

    11. Who is the single best defender in the N.B.A. right now?

    12. Who is the single most unstoppable offensive player in the N.B.A. right now?

    13. Do you feel as though the European craze is dying down or do you feel that the Euro's are here to stay & will increase?

    14. Do you feel as though there will be an age limit included for players into the next collective barganing agreement?

    15. Do you feel as though there should be an age limit included for players into the next collective barganing agreement?

    16. Will there be a strike?

    17. Will there be a lockout?

    I'm gonna end with three Pacers related questions but trust me it will impact the future of the N.B.A.

    18. Was Ron Artest suspension justified?

    19. Was Jermaine O'Neals suspension justified?

    20. Was Stephen Jacksons suspension justified?


    Basketball isn't played with computers, spreadsheets, and simulations. ChicagoJ 4/21/13

  • #2
    Re: A series of questions for fans of teams other than the Pacers

    1. You'd have to be a pretty casual fan to not know who Jonathan Bender is. He's been in the NBA for what, 17 years now?

    I think Bender is a fantastic talent, but I also think he's just extremely fragile. We have the same problem on the Lions with Charles Rogers. For whatever reason, his body just doesn't hold up very well for a pro athlete. Its rotten luck. I also think Bender is too soft to play his natural position, which is PF.

    2. Jeff Foster is a nice hustle player solid on defense, an ideal 7th or 8th man on a championship team. However, he's a marginal offensive player at best, and while he's a fine offensive rebounder, he has weaknesses on the defensive glass that can be exposed.

    3. I think Ron is one of the top 5 players in the NBA. I also think Ron's a nice guy, i really do. However, ron has anger management issues, and they go deep. He probably needs to take meds, which he clearly doesn't want to do, and I don't think he will be a Pacer past this year. He's a hell of a talent, and a ncie guy, but he's completely unreliable.

    4. Yes and No. I thought Indy would be competitive, but some of their wins came from nowhere. I knew TInsley and Jones would thrive. What I didn't count on was Harrison, and most importantly James Jones. Jones will never be a stopper or a slashes, but as a shooter he's a hell of a player when he gets big minutes.

    5. The blame can go wherever you want. Its Ben was wrong for shoving Artest. Artest was stupid for mocking Ben on the scorer's table. The fan was wrong for tossing a cup of soda at him, and ron was wrong for going into the stands. It took a LOT of idiots to pull that disaster off, it wasn't just one man. And contrary to opinion, I do not believe another drink would have been thrown had artest not gone into the stands. I think each incident was dumber than the one that preceeded it, though.

    6. I think David Stern is the most successful commissioner, perhaps in the history of pro sports. He took a league that was near BANKRUPTCY, and turned it into a world-wide product. Thats really a remarkable turnaround. Yes, he had the help of Bird, Magic and Larry, but remember it was STERN'S idea to market those players to the world. He's had a hell of a run as commissioner.

    7. I'll always love NBA on TNT. Its replaced NBC as the premier NBA network.

    8. Other than Steven A Smith, who at least has a sense of humor, ESPN is filled with idiots and has-beens. Its hard to speak for 30 minutes and not really SAY anything, but they pull it off.

    9. Well, I wasn't happy with it last year, but hopefully they do a better job if it this year. No more football guys doing NBA games, please. What's next? John Madden?

    10. I don't feel comrotable with it, but I understand it. The NBA has to become more like the international game, which is more free-flowing. You should still be able to play defense without using your forearms.

    11. Thats a bad question. The best man-to-man defender is Ron Artest. The bets help-defender is Ben Wallace. But the best OVERALL defender? I'd say AK47 on Utah. He does BOTH things so well.

    12. Kobe Bryant, though LeBron James is all of half a step behind him.

    13. I don't feel the craze is dead, but I DO think that the theory that Euros are more ready to play in their teens is dead. Just because they are getting paid doesn't mean that the league they play in is any better than the Big 10 or the ACC. That said, I think the Euro kids will make natural progressions and become better players. They'll be aided by the new euro-friendly rules.

    14. No, because the union would never allow it, and the NBDL is too weak to support a direct farm system.

    15. Yes and no. Guys like LeBron James would not be in the NBA right now if we had a strict age limit, and the guy just might be the MVP. That sends a red flag right there.

    16. No. The players and owners have the best CBA in sports right now. There will be tweaking, but a strike would just be foolish. Everyone is winnign right now, they'll keep it that way.

    17. No, the owners have no reason to lock the players out. The salaries are DOWN from 5 years ago, for heaven's sake.

    18. Yes. Ron's a repeat offender, and he was the most serious pacer offender, because he started the charge into the stands. He needed to be sent a lesson, and now he has one. Clearly, the suspensions weren't getting to him. Maybe this will.

    19. No. Jermaine deserved a suspension, but not 20 games. I'd say around 10 would have been ok. He shouldn't have decked a defenseless fan, but that fan shouldn't have gone onto the court to begin with.

    20. Stephen Jackson should have gotten MORE. He was clearly trying to ESCELATE things, not make peace. Throwing tiger uppercuts like he was at his PS2 or something. It almost looked like he ENJOYED it. But, as a 1st-time offender, I think he was shown some leniency. 25 games is a freaking gift for what he did.

    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

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: A series of questions for fans of teams other than the Pacers

      1. Sure, I know Bender. A talented guy who can score in bunches with his great shooting and quickness. But he's also way overpaid and always injured.

      2. Foster's a decent roleplayer, but I don't think the Pacers will win a title with him at center. He couldn't cut it against Detroit in the ECF and got benched.

      3. Artest is one of the top five or ten players in the league. A great defender and a very good offensive player. But he's also crazy and cannot be counted on. If my team had championship aspirations, I would not want him on my team because he'd probably melt down at some point in the playoffs when the pressure is high.

      4. I'm very surprised by how well the Pacers have done. I always thought Tinsley was better than his numbers, and he's showing it. But I am surprised how well guys like Fred Jones, James Jones, and David Harrison have done. Their play (and the play of Primoz Brezec) shows that Donnie Walsh is a great evaluator of talent and built an incredibly deep team. All that said, I don't think the team can keep up this level of play.

      5. I think the blame for the brawl lies mainly with Artest, the refs, and the fan who threw the cup. The fan crossed the line by throwing something into the field of play, and Artest crossed the line by going into the stands. After that, a melee was bound to ensue. I don't really blame the other Pacers players or Pistons fans as much because I think that once the fight has started, you should try to protect your teammates/fellow fans. The refs were also at fault for not ejecting Wallace and Artest immediately and getting them off of the court. They let the players mill around for far too long without really diffusing the situation.

      6. I think David Stern is a great commissioner. The NBA is my favorite league, and I think he's done a lot to get it where it is today.

      7, 8, 9. I like the coverage on TNT best, but I also like the ESPN and ABC coverage.

      10. I liked the way the refs officiated last year better, but I'm willing to see whether this year's tighter calling can lead to more scoring. So far it has led to lots of fouls called, which I don't like, but once the players adjust we'll see what happens.

      11. Ben Wallace is the best defender. He single-handedly changes a team's whole gameplan. You can't drive into the lane when he's in the game. He affects everyone on the court. Artest is great, but some games he has no effect because he's matched up against a guy who's not a scoring threat (like Prince in the ECF last year). Kirilenko is also great, but I don't get to see him play as much since he's in the West.

      12. The most unstoppable offensive player is probably LeBron James. He can get to the basket whenever he wants.

      13. I think some teams are worried that Euros may not be able to contribute immediately, but I also think that the Euros in the league have outperformed their American counterparts in many ways and will continue to improve.

      14. I don't think there will be an age limit. Hopefully there will at least be a true minor league.

      15. From a fan standpoint, I would love an age limit. It would help both the pro game and the college game. But it would be unfair to guys who are ready to make the jump.

      16, 17. I hope there won't be a strike or lockout, but I don't know.

      18. Ron Artest's suspension was justified. He had to be made an example of.

      19. Jermaine O'Neal's suspension was less justified. The guy he hit was on the court. But it wasn't a case of self-defense or thinking that the guy was going to attack him. JO ran from across the court and clocked a defenseless guy trying to get up off the ground.

      20. Stephen Jackson's suspension was justified. I can understand him going into the stands to protect his teammate, but he was out of control and went over the line.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: A series of questions for fans of teams other than the Pacers

        Missed this yesterday - must've been the outage. Notr sure my opinions are that valid since I live here but here goes:

        Ok guys in an effort to find out what the rest of the league thinks about some issues surrounding our team I want to throw this out to fans of other teams. Pacers fans please let them have their say.

        I know we have some Kings fans, Nuggets fan, Pistons fans, Spurs fan & a guy who claims to be a Knicks fan Am I missing any team here? If so please call out your favorite team when you post.

        This is in no way any attempt to disrespect any other team it's just a way to gather some opinions about our team & I will throw in some views on the N.B.A. as well.

        Let's begin. I'm gonna start off with topics that are Pacers specific but please be patient we will get to the rest of the N.B.A. in a min.

        1. Have you ever heard of Jon Bender, outside of here on the digest? If you have do you have an opinion on him one way or another?

        Yes - and they've heard of him on the Knick forum. Anyone who's been around a while knows my opinion but the short version is he's an even bigger bust then I thought he'd be 3 years ago when I first called for him to be traded.

        2. Have you ever heard of Jeff Foster, outside of here on the digest? If you have do you have an opinion on him one way or another?

        Not much. Knicks fans seem to know he exists but they have no desire to get him. I think he's a very sound defender, particularly against athletic players. He's the kind of hustle player who just sort of screws up what the other team's trying to do - gets his hands in the way, just messes things up. He should be able to score in double figures but hasn't and a very solid rebounder.

        3. What is your overall opinion of Ron Artest?

        Yeesh. Great, great talent who loses control in competitive situations. Until 2 weeks ago I felt he'd overcome that. Now I don't. He needs to find another career.

        4. Are you somewhat suprised that the Pacers have been able to remain competative after the suspensions?

        Yes - I knew they'd compete but didn't know they'd be competitive. Being in the game until 3 minutes were left last night with that collection is amazing.

        5. What is your opinion on who is to blame for the overall incident in Detroit? (Pacers fans please allow them to express themselves without jumping down their throats, Yes even Detroit fans)

        Artest number one. Not going into the stands should be more than a line - it should be a wall to players. Ben Wallace number two for badly overreacting to what wasn't that hard of a foul. Lack of security at the Palace number 3.

        Ok now were gonna jump more into league wide stuff here.

        6. What is your opinion of David Stern?

        Successful marketer. Poor people skills.

        7. Are you happy with the coverage of N.B.A. games on TNT?

        N/A

        8. Are you happy with the coverage of N.B.A. games on ESPN?

        N/A

        9. Are you happy with the coverage of N.B.A. games on ABC?

        What coverage?

        10. Do you feel comfortable with the level of increased enforcement of the rules this season? ie. hand checks, palming, etc.?

        Haven't noticed much of a difference.

        11. Who is the single best defender in the N.B.A. right now?

        Kevin Garnett

        12. Who is the single most unstoppable offensive player in the N.B.A. right now?

        Shaq. Then a tie between Kobe and LeBron.

        13. Do you feel as though the European craze is dying down or do you feel that the Euro's are here to stay & will increase?

        They're here and will keep coming.

        14. Do you feel as though there will be an age limit included for players into the next collective barganing agreement?

        No

        15. Do you feel as though there should be an age limit included for players into the next collective barganing agreement?

        Yes

        16. Will there be a strike?

        No

        17. Will there be a lockout?

        No - the issues this time around aren't nearly as deep and divisive

        I'm gonna end with three Pacers related questions but trust me it will impact the future of the N.B.A.

        18. Was Ron Artest suspension justified?

        Yes

        19. Was Jermaine O'Neals suspension justified?

        No - 10 games

        20. Was Stephen Jacksons suspension justified?

        Yes - the guy went into the stands to fight, not to break things up.
        The poster formerly known as Rimfire

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: A series of questions for fans of teams other than the Pacers

          while I am a Pacers fan, I live in the Boston area and thus hear and read Boston sports opinons from radio, TV, newspaper, and many Celtic fans that are my co-workers.

          The following is the nearly unanimous opinion of Boston media/fans.


          1. They have barely heard of Jon Bender and have no opinion on him one way or another, other than the fact that he is on the bench and is one of the guys that makes the Pacers have the depth that the Celtics would like to have.

          A comment that sticks in my mind was from Red Aurbach (yes people still listen to him) after last years playoffs. He said that the Pacers bench was way way better than the Celtics bench and perhaps more talented than the Celtics starters.

          2. They have heard of Jeff Foster. Heinsohn always talks highly of him as the player that does the dirty work to make winning possible.

          3. They think that Ron Artest is everything that is wrong with sports and society, and that the suspension was NOT overly harsh and they appauld Stern for being quick, decisive, and firm.

          Ron is worse than...
          Pete Rose, the gambler,
          Jason Giambi, who played on steroids,
          Latrell Spreewell, who choked his coach,
          Daryl Strawberry, who was an addict and a punk,

          Barely a step above Jayson Williams who got away with murder.

          They also grudgingly admit that Artest is a GREAT defender who causes Paul Pierce more headaches than ANYONE in the league, and had heard Heinsohn call him "a throwback" type defender who, when on his game, plays defense exactly like it should be played.

          4. They are stunned that Pacers have been able to remain competative after the suspensions. They discussed the point spread for the Celtics-Pacers game in Indy and thought it crazy that the Celtics were only favored by a point or 2. They thought it silly that the Celtics were not 10 point favorites. They now even moreso than before rave about Rick Carlisle and Larry Bird (ex-Celtics, of course).

          5. They feel that Ron Artest and Steven Jackson are 90% to blame for the overall incident in Detroit. Unruly fans have always existed, and so have players who push each other, so Ben Wallace and the fans only spilt up the other 10% of the blame.

          6. What is your opinion of David Stern?
          decisive, firm, fair

          7. Are you happy with the coverage of N.B.A. games on TNT?

          They only care about the Celtics, not the NBA in general, and so Fox Sports New England is the beginning and end of NBA basketball.

          8. Are you happy with the coverage of N.B.A. games on ESPN?

          see 7

          9. Are you happy with the coverage of N.B.A. games on ABC?

          see 7

          10. Do you feel comfortable with the level of increased enforcement of the rules this season? ie. hand checks, palming, etc.?

          They want no palming, no nhand checking, less contact, more movement... old school stuff.

          11. Who is the single best defender in the N.B.A. right now?
          Artest

          12. Who is the single most unstoppable offensive player in the N.B.A. right now?
          Pierce (they only care about Celtics)

          13. Do you feel as though the European craze is dying down or do you feel that the Euro's are here to stay & will increase?

          here to stay & on the rise

          14. Do you feel as though there will be an age limit included for players into the next collective barganing agreement?

          yes

          15. Do you feel as though there should be an age limit included for players into the next collective barganing agreement?

          yes

          16. Will there be a strike?//17. Will there be a lockout?

          No. Basketball is not viewed as being in REALLY bad shape, like hockey, but fans DO care LESS than ever about the NBA and cite Ron Artest-type behavior as one of the main reasons.

          18. Was Ron Artest suspension justified?
          absolutely

          19. Was Jermaine O'Neals suspension justified?
          absolutely (I persoannly disagree)

          20. Was Stephen Jacksons suspension justified?
          absolutely
          The poster "pacertom" since this forum began (and before!). I changed my name here to "Slick Pinkham" in honor of the imaginary player That Bobby "Slick" Leonard picked late in the 1971 ABA draft (true story!).

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: A series of questions for fans of teams other than the Pacers

            1. Have you ever heard of Jon Bender, outside of here on the digest? If you have do you have an opinion on him one way or another?

            Some of the Laker fans I chat with have had interest in him, but I quickly squelch that notion. Chauncey no like Bender.

            2. Have you ever heard of Jeff Foster, outside of here on the digest? If you have do you have an opinion on him one way or another?

            Great guy to have off the bench. Pretty scary that he's a starter. I think you'll see him replaced by Harrison sooner rather than later as the teams permanent starting Center.


            3. What is your overall opinion of Ron Artest?

            I think he's a guy who wants to be the end result. He wants to bear the responsibility for his teams wins and losses. That doesn't work out so well at times, though is generally a good trait. Other than that, he has very little control of his emotions.

            4. Are you somewhat suprised that the Pacers have been able to remain competitive after the suspensions?

            Very.

            5. What is your opinion on who is to blame for the overall incident in Detroit? (Pacers fans please allow them to express themselves without jumping down their throats, Yes even Detroit fans)

            Artest. It wouldn't have become a riot if he did what other professional athletes have done in that situation...go into the locker room/dugout and let the refs/umps toss the offenders.

            Ok now were gonna jump more into league wide stuff here.

            6. What is your opinion of David Stern?

            Great visionary, great concept of how to grow the game and tremendous support from the owners. More concerned with the bottom line than the game itself at times and I think this manifests itself in the marketing techniques the league uses.

            7/8/9. Are you happy with the coverage of N.B.A. games on TNT/ESPN/ABC?

            Its ok..nothing special..even Barkley is becoming boring. Seen it all before.


            Walton remains about the only person who can entertain me during a basketball game. The washed-up jocks and never-have-beens tend to irritate me with their "expert" analysis.


            10. Do you feel comfortable with the level of increased enforcement of the rules this season? ie. hand checks, palming, etc.?

            Absolutely. This is how the game is supposed to be called and I'm begging that the refs don't back off as the season grows longer.

            11. Who is the single best defender in the N.B.A. right now?

            AK47

            12. Who is the single most unstoppable offensive player in the N.B.A. right now?

            Lebron James

            13. Do you feel as though the European craze is dying down or do you feel that the Euro's are here to stay & will increase?

            Tough one. Its getting to the point where its like talking about the HS players and whether or not that will die off...there will always be great examples of it working and great examples of it not working.

            14. Do you feel as though there will be an age limit included for players into the next collective barganing agreement?

            No.

            15. Do you feel as though there should be an age limit included for players into the next collective barganing agreement?

            Probably. I think you're setting up a lot of kids for failure by letting them take a road they're not ready for. I think that all parties involved would be in favor of a Draft committee that would review all under 21 entrants and give a thumbs up or thumbs down. The NBA provides draft services already to give prospects a good idea of where they stand. If they expanded this to be a yes/no program, I think it could work and I think it would be accepted by all involved.

            16. Will there be a strike?

            no

            17. Will there be a lockout?

            no

            I'm gonna end with three Pacers related questions but trust me it will impact the future of the N.B.A.

            18. Was Ron Artest suspension justified?

            Yes.

            19. Was Jermaine O'Neals suspension justified?

            I'm leaning towards no, even though that was as big of a sucker punch as you'll ever see.

            20. Was Stephen Jacksons suspension justified?

            Should have been worse.

            Comment

            Working...
            X