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Rule #1

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

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

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

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

"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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Orlando's Warming Up, Has Sunny Forecast

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  • Orlando's Warming Up, Has Sunny Forecast

    http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/orlan...sunny-forecast

    You saw this coming, right? The second-round draft pick who had missed all four of his three-point shots in the pre-season and hit just two of his first 10 in the regular season between excursions to Fort Wayne to play Development League … you knew he was going to be doing this, right?

    Just like you knew those meteors were going to strike Russia last week.

    Orlando Johnson has hit 16 of his previous 23 three-point shots for the Pacers, which rounds up to 70 percent and qualifies as a meteoric rise if ever there was one. He hit all three in Friday's 114-82 demolition of Detroit at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, and hit both of his two-points shots as well to finish with a career-high 14 points. He also finished with three rebounds, three assists and no turnovers in the sort of complete performance that lately has covered some blemishes on the bench – but also raises a potential dilemma for coach Frank Vogel.

    Game Rewind: Pacers 114, Pistons 82 »

    “He's blowing us all away,” Vogel said. “We're going to start sending all our guys to the D League to start the season.”

    Johnson probably will finish the season as the Fort Wayne Mad Ants' leading scorer, technically, at 23.5 points per game. Even there, however, he didn't show hints of the marksmanship that was to come. He hit 30 percent of his three-pointers, and 43 percent of his field goals in his four games. Given his recent play, he surely can declare himself retired from his D League career.

    And he can begin thinking of a lasting NBA career. Not that he's going to continue shooting at this pace, but his season percentage (.545) would lead the league if he had enough attempts. Atlanta's Kyle Korver leads at .466.

    If Johnson remains a viable outside threat, the puzzling struggles of Gerald Green, who's hit 28 percent of his three-point shots, is hardly noticeable, not to mention all the talk about acquiring a shooter such as Orlando's J.J. Redick. The Pacers had meaningful talks with the Magic about acquiring Redick – who is shooting 39 percent, 35th in the NBA – before Thursday's trade deadline, but weren't willing to give up a first-round draft pick. Redick, who wound up in Milwaukee, would only have been a rental for the Pacers, because they won't have the financial resources to re-sign him this summer, when keeping David West will be the priority.

    Besides, who needs Redick's 39 percent when you already have Johnson's 55 percent? Particularly when Johnson has earned so much admiration within the locker room.

    “I'm surprised that it's happened this early,” Vogel said of Johnson's three-point shooting. “I'm always surprised when rookies come in and adjust to the three-point line. It usually takes time. I felt like he'd become a good three-point shooter … I didn't see it coming this fast.”

    By all accounts, Johnson made himself a shooter with hard work. He arrives early for practice and stays late. He comes in on his own, or with teammates, at off hours. He had adjusted his mechanics slightly to enable him to get his shot up over taller NBA players, and ingrained them. He was a 40 percent three-point shooter over his final three seasons in college, but rarely does a player's percentage improve as an NBA rookie – especially after starting 2-of-10.

    “He's solid, man,” David West said. “He's a four-year college guy (actually five years, including the season he sat out after transferring from Loyola Marymount to Cal-Santa Barbara), so he's prepared to play right away. He's humble, no ego and he works hard every day. He comes to practice and takes his lumps, but he's improving.”

    Johnson admits there were times early in the season when he wondered if he could make it in the NBA. Former Pacers president Larry Bird awarded him the ultimate show of faith with a two-year guaranteed contract, rare for a second-round draft pick, but that didn't assure him of a place on the roster. His slow start made it obvious he needed time in the D League, and he took advantage. It was better than sitting and watching the Pacers, which he's done in 35 of their 55 games, sometimes in street clothes.

    “You're not playing, you're the last man on the bench, you're not dressing out some games, and it hurts, because you feel you've worked so hard to get to this level and you still can't prove to them that you're ready,” Johnson said. “I think my work ethic and being in the gym with the coaches, watching film … that's a credit to them because they've put time in to me and I want to make sure I give myself a chance.”

    So, what happens to his chance when Danny Granger returns, which Vogel said could happen Saturday in Detroit? Does that bump Johnson out of the playing rotation and back to spectator status? Granger won't absorb a heavy load of minutes when he does return, but eventually figures to become a starter. That will demote Lance Stephenson to the bench, which theoretically demotes Johnson further down the row to the remote position of Non. 3 shooting guard.

    “If (Granger) wants to take a little more time off, I'm not mad at him,” Johnson joked after Friday's game.

    More seriously, he's prepared for whatever. He began the season not expecting to play at all in the significant moments of games, and assumed his rookie trip through the NBA would be more like an internship that allowed him to observe how the pros do it – at least when he wasn't busy playing for the Mad Ants. Now he's looking like a legit NBA player, ready and more than able when called upon. Regardless of how often he's called upon, it's all a bonus for him.

    “We're trying to win a championship this year,” he said. “It's not about me playing or not. I want to play, I think I can and should play, but if (Vogel) feels like Danny's the best option, that's what we're going to roll with. If we can win a championship, then I have no complaints at all.”

    Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Indiana Pacers. All opinions expressed by Mark Montieth are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Indiana Pacers, their partners, or sponsors.

    Have a question for Mark about Pacers past, present, or future? Email him at askmontieth@gmail.com for a chance to be featured in a mailbag article.
    Peck is basically omniscient when it comes to understanding how the minds of Herb Simon and Kevin Pritchard work. I was a fool to ever question him and now feel deep shame for not understanding that this team believes in continuity above talent.

  • #2
    Re: Orlando's Warming Up, Has Sunny Forecast

    I'm actually on record from all the way back at the start of the season as saying OJ should be getting rotation minutes. I've been on of his most vocal supporters (though mostly on twitter because I was away from PD for a long time). Feels good to be right about the kid.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Orlando's Warming Up, Has Sunny Forecast

      OJ will be a great rotational player for us for many years. Hopefully the 2nd unit consists on Lance running the point, OJ at sg and George or Danny at SF.... but I doubt Vogel benches DJ and puts Lance at PG

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Orlando's Warming Up, Has Sunny Forecast

        "(Johnson's) not coming out of the rotation any time soon," Vogel said.
        That was in last night's game recap.
        "George's athleticism is bananas!" - Marc J. Spears

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        • #5
          Re: Orlando's Warming Up, Has Sunny Forecast

          Originally posted by PacerPenguins View Post
          OJ will be a great rotational player for us for many years. Hopefully the 2nd unit consists on Lance running the point, OJ at sg and George or Danny at SF.... but I doubt Vogel benches DJ and puts Lance at PG
          You really think Vogel won't bench DJ? Lance and OJ both have to play, period. They are too good of players to be riding the bench. DJ I really can't say the same about. We all know Lance can bring the ball up the court and has more natural passing ability than anyone else on our roster. Defensively the second unit would be so solid with Lance, OJ, Young, Tyler, Mahinmi. If you insert DJ, then your defensive capabilities are drastically reduced. I gotta hope Vogel makes the obvious move and sits DJ.

          Although if Vogel goes with DJ long term, I'm sure he has a good reason. I am so excited about the potential of a Lance/OJ tandem coming off the bench. Energy, defense, scoring ability...this team could be really scary.
          *removed* Just keep politics and religion completely out of it, please.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Orlando's Warming Up, Has Sunny Forecast

            I would experiment with Lance and OJ together on the wings and see how it goes. Lance is so big/strong/long that even at 6'5" he's not terribly undersized for a SF.

            Otherwise, they still might try Lance at point.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Orlando's Warming Up, Has Sunny Forecast

              I am hoping DJ goes to the bench when Danny is fully integrated into the rotation. I think Lance can run the second unit, really I think he's the best point guard on the team.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Orlando's Warming Up, Has Sunny Forecast

                Yea i was excited when we drafted OJ. I would always hype him saying hes going to be good. During the preseason my buddies would mock me because he wasnt doing too good but i told them to watch during the season. I got so hyped when OJ was killing the Pistons last night.
                Why you Grimpin?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Orlando's Warming Up, Has Sunny Forecast

                  Originally posted by bshall View Post
                  I am hoping DJ goes to the bench when Danny is fully integrated into the rotation. I think Lance can run the second unit, really I think he's the best point guard on the team.
                  He's the best passer on the team. Best passer and best point guard are very different things. I would rather see Lance at the 3 and playing a mini-LeBron type of role than manning the point.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Orlando's Warming Up, Has Sunny Forecast

                    Originally posted by cdash View Post
                    He's the best passer on the team. Best passer and best point guard are very different things. I would rather see Lance at the 3 and playing a mini-LeBron type of role than manning the point.
                    While I agree, I can't really see any reason to have PG and Danny on the bench at the same time. IMO, one of them should be at the 3 for 48 minutes a game.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Orlando's Warming Up, Has Sunny Forecast

                      Originally posted by CooperManning View Post
                      While I agree, I can't really see any reason to have PG and Danny on the bench at the same time. IMO, one of them should be at the 3 for 48 minutes a game.
                      I wasn't really advocating that Lance actually take minutes at the 3, just making the point I don't really want him manning the point.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Orlando's Warming Up, Has Sunny Forecast

                        Originally posted by CooperManning View Post
                        While I agree, I can't really see any reason to have PG and Danny on the bench at the same time. IMO, one of them should be at the 3 for 48 minutes a game.
                        JMO, but that seems a pretty safe way to bet.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Orlando's Warming Up, Has Sunny Forecast

                          Originally posted by cdash View Post
                          He's the best passer on the team. Best passer and best point guard are very different things. I would rather see Lance at the 3 and playing a mini-LeBron type of role than manning the point.
                          I agree that he's not necessarily a point guard but I want to find a way to get the best players on the floor for the most amount of time possible. I think Lance manning the point on the second unit is the best way to do that.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Orlando's Warming Up, Has Sunny Forecast

                            I still like Augustn as our backup PG.

                            I think there will be enough minutes for both Stephenson and Johnson off the bench on the wings. It's Sam Young/Gerald Green who will likely be keeping the warm-ups on permanently.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Orlando's Warming Up, Has Sunny Forecast

                              OJ has a 6'11" wingspan! http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/...-Johnson-6338/

                              Comment

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