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Rule #1

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

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

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

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Rule #10

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For the doubters.....

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  • For the doubters.....

    Ok the general mood & demenor of Pacers fans is down. Hey who can blame us we went from winning all of the time to now praying we can win the next three vs. sub par teams.

    What makes us feel better than anything when we are down? Well, winning of course. But short of that we love to talk about how to make us better as a team.

    This thread is for us.

    Now, for me, I am in a wierd spot. Normally I love to talk trades or who can do what for us or where a weakness is.

    But in this case I'm one of those few believers who actually thinks that Jax coming back & everybody playing together more than a few games will make us a contender again.

    Many of you think the same way, but in talking with our new resident doubting thomas Uncle Buck (obviously he needs further ghost visitations) it became clear that he firmly beleives that even with Jax we are no match for the big bad Pistons.

    I put it to him & now I put it before everybody.

    How do we correct that? Getting to the E.C. finals is not the goal. We want a title.

    What would you like to see the Pacers do to get there.

    A couple of things.

    1. Don't say bring back Ron Artest. As of now that is not a hope, maybe someday but I doubt it. So for the time being you must make your plans without Ron in mind.

    2. There has to be something. Please don't give up totall hope. Ron is a great player but just because he is gone we still can do this.

    Do you want a better Center? P.G.? S.F.? P.F.? S.G? Is coaching a problem? Do you want a deeper bench? Do you want to trade some depth for a better single player?

    Spell it out, go wild, just don't use Artest.

    Have fun.


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

  • #2
    Re: For the doubters.....

    Why not use Artest? He is one of the most important parts of our team and there is still a possibility he can return come playoff time. You never know.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: For the doubters.....

      I wanted to trade some depth before the arbitrary ruling. I, and I am sure a lot of you with me, hoped Artests suspension would have been lowered to between 45-60 games, so he could return before the play-offs started.

      Now? I simply don't really know what I want. I think acquiring Walker or another 1st class SF is nice for this season, but that also pretty much effectively means writing off Artest and I am not willing to do that ... just yet. What we will get back for Artest is going to be peanuts. Also acquiring a good to great SF means most likely the departure of Bender and that is another issue I am not yet certain about. I would be for taking some risks, but as of now I would probably just await the return of J.O. and SJax on a permanent basis to analyze what we need most and what to think of what to do with both Bender IF he plays for some considerable time and what to do with Artest.

      I am not opposed to getting Walker, but it might be too soon to make a move now.

      Regards,

      Mourning
      2012 PD ABA Fantasy Keeper League Champion, sports.ws

      2011 PD ABA Fantasy Keeper League Champion, sports.ws

      2006 PD ABA Fantasy League runner up, sports.ws

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: For the doubters.....

        Originally posted by Mourning
        I wanted to trade some depth before the arbitrary ruling. I, and I am sure a lot of you with me, hoped Artests suspension would have been lowered to between 45-60 games, so he could return before the play-offs started.

        Now? I simply don't really know what I want. I think acquiring Walker or another 1st class SF is nice for this season, but that also pretty much effectively means writing off Artest and I am not willing to do that ... just yet. What we will get back for Artest is going to be peanuts. Also acquiring a good to great SF means most likely the departure of Bender and that is another issue I am not yet certain about. I would be for taking some risks, but as of now I would probably just await the return of J.O. and SJax on a permanent basis to analyze what we need most and what to think of what to do with both Bender IF he plays for some considerable time and what to do with Artest.

        I am not opposed to getting Walker, but it might be too soon to make a move now.

        Regards,

        Mourning
        I'm not trying to be difficult here, but I have to ask.

        Are you writing off the season? If you think Ron is still the answer & as of now he has 0% chance of returning this season then are you just saying ride out the season & come back strong next year?


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

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: For the doubters.....

          Originally posted by NickGreen
          Why not use Artest? He is one of the most important parts of our team and there is still a possibility he can return come playoff time. You never know.
          BTW, welcome aboard.

          By using Ron are you saying using him in a trade? Or are you talking about his return to the floor this season?

          If it's the latter are you basing this on the generous nature of David Stern? He has ruled that he is gone for the season. The arbitor has agreed with this. The only other appeal will be if the Simons go to the Board of Governors, which even if they did they have virtually no chance of the decision being reversed & IMO they would never do that anyway.

          The dirty seceret is that the management is paying lip service to Ron Artest & in reality are glad to be rid of the headace. Or at least that's my opionion of it.

          But if your talking trade, I don't even know if that can happen with suspended players.

          But if it could who would you want in return.


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

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: For the doubters.....

            My understanding is that suspended players can be traded.


            I think the Pacers should not make any trades right now. You never want to trade out of weakness. hope everyone gets healthy and let's see what we have.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: For the doubters.....

              Well I do not post often, but do read the board religously and this seems like a good one to reply to.

              I think the Pacers have not or will not change the #1 goal of the year and that is to win a championship. However I don't think that we can do that without an improved #3. I do not think Jackson will be enough to do that.

              I think the Pacers will exaust all efforts to try to get Artest's suspension reduced but
              will fail. At this point I think they will pursue someone to fill the void of Ron. Walker seems to be the best fit to me. He gives us someone who can play the 3/4, score 15+ and give us a very good rebounder. It will require giving up Fred/Bender + filler. Jackson goes back to the backup 2/3, with Austin backing up the 4 and Harrison the 5.
              The only other concern in this lineup would be Johnson as the backup 1. Hopefully he improves over the course of the season, but right now he just plain stinks.

              After the season the Pacers would have to make a decison on whether to try to resign Walker and Trade Ron or to keep Ron let Walker go and free up some Cap space.

              I will say this...I think that if the Pacers do not make a trade, they will not win a championship this year and that Ron will return next year. If the Pacers decide to keep Ron, we may look back in a couple of years and say that his suspension was the greatest thing to happen, because I really believe that Ron after seeing how close he was/is to not ever being allowed to play again, may finally get it. If he does ever finally get it.....Well that would be every other GM's greatest nightmare.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: For the doubters.....

                Welcome aboard Stranny. Post more often.

                I know there has been some talk of bringing in Walker, personally I don't see it. He's expensive & I am just not a huge fan of his game. Plus we would have to give up a lot to get him.

                However you did get me thinking about the Hawks. Would anybody be willing to do this trade, because it works.

                Atlanta trades: SF Al Harrington (17.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.5 apg in 39.4 minutes)
                Atlanta receives: SF Jonathan Bender (8.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.5 apg in 13.5 minutes)
                Change in team outlook: -9.0 ppg, -3.4 rpg, and -3.0 apg.

                Indiana trades: SF Jonathan Bender (8.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.5 apg in 13.5 minutes)
                Indiana receives: SF Al Harrington (17.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.5 apg in 39.4 minutes)
                Change in team outlook: +9.0 ppg, +3.4 rpg, and +3.0 apg.

                TRADE ACCEPTED


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

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: For the doubters.....

                  Originally posted by Peck
                  Welcome aboard Stranny. Post more often.

                  I know there has been some talk of bringing in Walker, personally I don't see it. He's expensive & I am just not a huge fan of his game. Plus we would have to give up a lot to get him.

                  However you did get me thinking about the Hawks. Would anybody be willing to do this trade, because it works.

                  Atlanta trades: SF Al Harrington (17.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.5 apg in 39.4 minutes)
                  Atlanta receives: SF Jonathan Bender (8.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.5 apg in 13.5 minutes)
                  Change in team outlook: -9.0 ppg, -3.4 rpg, and -3.0 apg.

                  Indiana trades: SF Jonathan Bender (8.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.5 apg in 13.5 minutes)
                  Indiana receives: SF Al Harrington (17.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.5 apg in 39.4 minutes)
                  Change in team outlook: +9.0 ppg, +3.4 rpg, and +3.0 apg.

                  TRADE ACCEPTED
                  What is missing here is your explanation why Billy Knight would trade a proven Al Harrington for the injury prone prospect, Jon Bender. Ain't happening.

                  Knight might do it if Jon Bender plays consistently for half a season, or so, but then we have no problem anyway, do we?

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: For the doubters.....

                    Originally posted by sixthman
                    What is missing here is your explanation why Billy Knight would trade a proven Al Harrington for the injury prone prospect, Jon Bender. Ain't happening.

                    Knight might do it if Jon Bender plays consistently for half a season, or so, but then we have no problem anyway, do we?
                    why potential of course.


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

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: For the doubters.....

                      IMO, the Pacers moves should be (in order of importance)

                      1) Wait until SJax gets back
                      2) Wait for about 10 games after that to see what kind of team this makes you
                      3) Take the next 10-12 days until the trade deadline to look at making moves

                      In the meantime I would:

                      a) Give Gill a shot at backup PG. AJ didn't impress me at all on Christmas - looked very familiar to last year where as soon as he came in the team lost ground. From what others have said, that's a recent trend. He's too passive - doesn't make anything happen.

                      b) Make sure David Harrison keeps getting 10-15 mpg. He's gonna make mistakes but if you keep him in the flow he could really help you in the playoffs (this is so obvious I'm almost embarrassed to type it)

                      c) Get AC healthy, then give him PT. You need his outside shooting. Unfortunately, once SJax comes back I think he'll be back to collecting splinters again.

                      I don't see a huge blockbuster move out there that helps you. Right now small forward's a weakness but Jackson will be back. He's also a solid defender, though not in Ron's class. Curry will help on defense.

                      I'd like to see a lot more motion on offense and players who understand team defense better - they didn't do either very well on Saturday, but keep in mind I haven't seen a lot of them recently. Plus both of those are tough when your lineup's in such a state of flux.

                      There are trades out there that, IMO, would help you in the future, but not this year. Frex, I could see Denver going for a SJax for Nene and Rodney White deal. Nene would probably be your starting C by the end of the year but it still leaves you weak at SF.

                      I don't see the "magic move" out there right now - but I also think your team is solid enough to challenge once all the pieces are back.
                      The poster formerly known as Rimfire

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: For the doubters.....

                        I think we can beat Detroit once Jack gets back. Remember he was the starting guard on a team, and he hit some very big shots for them in the playoffs.

                        Jermaine was out of whack the first half and we still got close. Tinsley was huffing cold medicine when he was on the bench.

                        The Pistons played the best ball they have played all season against us. This was as good as they have or will have all year. I cant believe we cant beat that with Jack back and Jermaine playing the way he usually does.

                        If we can keep our guys from getting too frustrated from the losing and the ****ty calls we seem to be getting lately I think we will be fine come playoff time.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: For the doubters.....

                          Originally posted by Peck
                          why potential of course.
                          Idiot!

                          No, bettter yet, Peck. I know Billy Knight. And Billy is not an idiot.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: For the doubters.....

                            Originally posted by sixthman
                            Idiot!

                            No, bettter yet, Peck. I know Billy Knight. And Billy is not an idiot.
                            Hey, I love Billy Knight & contrary to popular belief Billy is my all-time favorite Pacer & not Dale.

                            But it was Billy who did scout & stick us with Bender. I think he was getting even for being traded to Buffalo back in the day.


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

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: For the doubters.....

                              I, obviously, am in the minority but I believe with Jax back we are a contender for the championship. The playoffs are a crap shoot anyway. You have to be good AND lucky to put together a streak at that time and I still think we are deep enough to do that.
                              The best exercise of the human heart is reaching down and picking someone else up.

                              Comment

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