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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? "

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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Prediction: March 16th return date for Ron

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  • Prediction: March 16th return date for Ron

    I believe David Stern has positioned himself to allow for a late season return for Ron Artest, and here's why:

    Reggie Miller - Now that Reggie has decided to retire after this season, we have a compelling story. An NBA Championship has eluded Reggie for all of his 18 seasons, and to see him go out with a Ring would be good television. Regardless of all the conspiracy theories out there that claim Stern and the NBA would never let the Pacers win a championship, I believe rewarding a guy like Reggie with a championship on his way out would be something Stern could get behind. Reggie is one of the last, if not THE last holdover from the "olden days" of the NBA, from the days of Bird and Magic and Jordan. I think Stern would welcome the inevitable flash backs to the 80's and 90's that would be a part of a Pacer run for the title.

    Ratings Part I - This ties in with Reggie's retirement plans and here's why: The only way it's going to be even remotely possible for Reggie and the Pacers to compete for a championship this year is if Ron Artest is allowed to return to the team. And not just for the playoffs, but for a few weeks before the playoffs so they have time to work him back into the game plan and allow the team to get on a roll to end the season. Reggie's storybook ending will never happen unless Ron is on the team.

    Ratings Part II - Starting with the March 20th game vs the Nets, the Pacers are scheduled to appear on 3 of the last five Sundays on ABC, including the last two Sundays of the year vs the Knicks and the Heat. They also play the following games on national television to end the season:

    Mar. 18th vs Lakers ESPN2
    Mar. 31st vs Miami TNT
    Apr. 5th vs Cavs ESPN
    Apr. 13th vs Nets ESPN

    With the flurry of nationally televised games to end the season, I can see Stern doing all he can to assure the best possible ratings for those games, especially the ABC games. Is anyone really going to care to see the Pacers play the Heat April 17th if the Pacers are out of the playoffs? Who would care? But, with Artest back in the mix and a resurgent Pacer team looking to prove itself against the best in the East in a possible preview of the ECF series, people will care.

    Ratings Part III - The East is looking to be pretty boring come playoff time. Right now it's a two team race between Miami and Detroit. Washington and Cleveland are close, but I doubt they'll really be able to challenge this year. It's not going to be much fun watching Detroit and Miami waltz through the EC playoffs on the way to their inevitable ECF matchup. The NBA needs more intrigue than that. Throw the rejuvenated Pacers back into the mix and we have a better story to market.

    AND, it's Reggie's last year. AND, people will watch to see if Artest is going to go wild again.

    Time Served - By March 16th, Artest will have sat out 52 games. That's quite a punishment. Not only to Artest, but to the Pacer organization and its fans. Ron seems to have been doing all the right things during his suspension, which helps. The truth is, he could have gone off the deep end, gotten arrested, hit his girlfriend, got caught with drugs, etc. and nailed his coffin shut. He hasn't done that. The Pacer organization has done all the right things, too, their latest press conference regarding their charity donations the most evident among them. Ron has done his time with grace and dignity and that has to count for something.

    Stern's refusal to shut the door - Last, but not least, all this speculation is fueled by Stern leaving the door open to Ron's return. He very easily could have answered recent questions about Ron's possible return by saying, without a doubt, that Ron is suspended for the year and will not be back. He did not do that. And I think he didn't do that for all the reasons I've outlined above. We know that things like ratings and money motivate Stern. That's a given. Because of that, I believe he's going to do what's best for the ratings and let Artest return sometime in mid-March.

  • #2
    Re: Prediction: March 16th return date for Ron

    A solid argument and I really hope you are right.
    If it happens it will be one hell of a rollercoaster ride.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Prediction: March 16th return date for Ron

      If Stern lets Ron back, the greatest reason will be because the five million lost salary for Artest was excessive.

      Like almost everyone else, I'd imagine Stern likes Ron Artest, personally, but the situation in Detroit required decisive spin to lessen a public relations disaster that was spiraling out of control.

      The potential in the spike in ratings also doesn't hurt.

      Props for your post. You make your case extremely well.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Prediction: March 16th return date for Ron

        Great post, but however I don't think it will happen.

        If he does come back, I think it would at least be after the last Detroit game.
        You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Prediction: March 16th return date for Ron

          Good post, A-Train. One small thing I'll add is this:

          What the Pacers have said - Until recently, Carlisle or anyone else asked, said they had no hope of him coming back, assuming he's not, etc. But the day of that press conference, Montieth mentioned this in his latest Q&A:

          Nobody from the Pacers is going to criticize the commissioner, though, because there seems to be hope that Artest will be allowed to come back this season.
          Now the Pacers are hopeful. This reminded me of what Carlisle said the day before the arbitrator initially ruled JO's suspension needed to be reduced:

          "I believe we're going to hear something soon but I don't know when," said Coach Rick Carlisle. "I'm hopeful that it'll be something that's positive for us."
          Could be nothing, but I noticed it right away when MM said it, because the Pacers hadn't shown any signs of "hope" or of being "hopeful" about Ron until now.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Prediction: March 16th return date for Ron

            dream world

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Prediction: March 16th return date for Ron

              Originally posted by _PD_
              dream world

              My world, my dream !!

              I would rather be the hammer than the nail

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Prediction: March 16th return date for Ron

                I think another reason that was left out would have to deal with the CBA signing in the summer.

                But I still don't think Artest will be back...

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Prediction: March 16th return date for Ron

                  I also forgot this one:

                  Politics - Take it away, Angry Rodent of Justice!

                  I hear that the owners are upset with him because he showed he's willing to decimate a franchise with suspensions. He might want to appease them. He also might want to appease the players association a bit heading into negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Prediction: March 16th return date for Ron

                    I think we'd alll love to see Artest come back early and finish out Reggie's last season with the team, but I just don't see it happening. If Stern lets Artest back into the league this season, he sets a dangerous precedent for himself, i.e. if you do something bad and are punished for it, you might not have to serve all of your time. This takes power out of Stern's hands, and allows other players to think that even if they do something wrong and are punished, there's a chance they can get off. I think Artest's suspension was too long, but for Stern to overturn this would really hurt his (Stern's) standing going into this offseason's collective bargaining agreement talks

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Prediction: March 16th return date for Ron

                      It isn't going to happen.
                      Don't ask Marvin Harrison what he did during the bye week. "Batman never told where the Bat Cave is," he explained.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Prediction: March 16th return date for Ron

                        I still think there is a small chance Ron will be back. I hope so, I really do, for Reggie's sake.
                        Super Bowl XLI Champions
                        2000 Eastern Conference Champions




                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Prediction: March 16th return date for Ron

                          Originally posted by A-Train
                          AND, people will watch to see if Artest is going to go wild again.
                          I think this is the winner right here. Same reason people watch the Indy 500.



                          Seriously, great post, A-Train. You know what we should do? Send it out as a "Why Stern Should" type post. Send it to a bunch of different beat writers/columnists in different cities, and say in the email that you don't mind if they print it as their own. There's always writers that need material, and when you're against a deadline you use what you've got.

                          I think this is also a factor:

                          The Knee-Jerk Factor: When Stern announced the suspensions, public opinion (outside Indiana) was reasonably positive. As time has passed, though, people have been reassessing the degree to which the punishment fit the crime. Detroit's own prosecutor said the brawl was instigated by the fan, not by Artest. National observers have begun to say how nice it would be for Ron to come back.

                          In order that the Pacers organization and the Indiana fans not be punished for one man's mistake, what about a compromise? While Ron will be allowed to play, and thus he will recieve his salary, Ron will be fined 100% of his salary for the remainder of the season. That way Stern can show he's not "letting Ron off easy," yet he also gets to show that he cares about the little guy. Best of all, from his perspective, he also gets to screw the Pacers, because he can take the remainder of Ron's salary for the NBA, while currently the Pacers are pocketing it. What's not to like?
                          This space for rent.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Prediction: March 16th return date for Ron

                            Very good arguement and I guess we shall see.
                            Broadcasting Classic Rock Hits 24/7 SauceMaster Radio!!!!

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                            • #15
                              Re: Prediction: March 16th return date for Ron

                              Here's something I already sent

                              How would you feel if your team was competing for a title and had all their hopes dashed because of a commissioner who handed out suspensions like it was a fast food joint. His decisions were obviously without much review because he actually missed another player fighting, and tryed to make it look he'd seen it all along. His decisions were based on pure emotions. Otherwise, how can you explain Ron Artest getting a longer suspension then Latrell for trying to choke his coach, or for all the guys that have been caught with drugs. Or what about Vernon Maxwell? The guy got 10 games for doing the exact thing that Ronnie did. I'll admit that Ronnie has a past, and the fight did escalate....but does that really warrant 63 more games then a guy who did the exact same thing and where a precedent was set? I think not.

                              Plus, what exactly has happened to all those fans soaking the players with drinks and throwing trash at them? Nothing I've heard about. What about the Palace not having enough security? Nothing I've heard about. Does Stern really think putting all the blame on the players and non on the fans or the Palace will make it go away that much faster? Does Stern really not care for the players that much, only caring about his precious money from the fans.

                              Most all Pacers fans thought all the players should get punished for their actions. Maybe even for 30 games and 40 at the most, but by suspending Ron for the season, Stern has cut his bridge to all Pacers fans around the globe. And believe me, Pacers fans for generations onward will never forgive what he did to this francise. Does he not understand that Indiana is the mecca of everything basketball related? This state revolves around basketball. By taking away the Pacer's hope for a title, he has made many fans in Indiana very very upset.

                              I just hope for his sake that he doesn't hope on coming to Conseco fieldhouse anytime soon, because he will NOT be greeted warmly. If the Pacers go on to win the title anytime soon, does he really want the whole world to see hom being booed by the whole arena before he gives them the trophy? I think not. All this does not have to happen though. Most all Pacers fans are willing to forgive him if he lets Artest back soon after the Allstar break. Tell him, it won't work if he only brings him back a few games before the playoffs or just when the playoffs start because Pacers fans are smart enough to realize something worthless when they see it. Sorry I rambled on, but I really just needed the feelings of all Pacers fans to be heard. And if you can, can you please send this to Stern and help him truly realize the effect of the suspensions on Pacers fans.

                              I know it's not the best post post in the world, but while I was writing it I came up with some other reasons Stern might want to get Ron back if he heard of reasons that might specifially hurt Stern himself.

                              Comment

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