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The Rules of Pacers Digest

Hello everyone,

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

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.
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Celtics sign Darius Miles

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  • #16
    Re: Celtics sign Darius Miles

    I highly doubt screwing over Portland really factored in Danny Ainge's decision making. Portland may have the start of a dynasty in about 3 seasons, but the Celts are in a separate conference and only have about a three season window at best with their current core. He's probably just looking for another guy to try to come in and replace some of Posey's production.

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Celtics sign Darius Miles

      Originally posted by rexnom View Post
      So in a way, I guess we're rooting for Darius Miles?
      Absolutely. If his salary goes back on Portland's cap, then they can't sign Danny away from us.
      This space for rent.

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      • #18
        Re: Celtics sign Darius Miles

        Originally posted by Anthem View Post
        Absolutely. If his salary goes back on Portland's cap, then they can't sign Danny away from us.
        they still can, but they'll have to make tough choices.

        so yeah, danny ainge is doing us a favor

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Celtics sign Darius Miles

          Originally posted by wintermute View Post
          they still can, but they'll have to make tough choices.
          Like not re-signing core guys like Aldridge?

          I can't imagine them making a move on the FA market now. They'll keep their group together.
          This space for rent.

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Celtics sign Darius Miles

            Originally posted by rexnom View Post
            So in a way, I guess we're rooting for Darius Miles?
            Only because our management is exhibiting signs of stupidity, yes. Good signing by Boston. He might not pan out then again he has a chance to be a 10 and 5 type of energy guy to come off the bench.

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Celtics sign Darius Miles

              Originally posted by ChicagoJ View Post
              I can't imagine Miles making the final roster, let alone appearing in ten games.

              Paul Allen is probably not worried.
              If he doesn't, WE should sign him & play him for a 10 day contract!!!
              "Larry Bird: You are Officially On the Clock! (3/24/08)"
              (Watching You Like A Hawk!)

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Celtics sign Darius Miles

                I like this signing. Between him and Jesus Shuttlesworth, they're stockpiling all the NBA players with acting experience. Now all they need is to trade for Shaq, get Rick Fox to come out of retirement, and hire Reggie Theus as an assistant coach when he inevitably gets fired and they'll be able to make Blue Chips 2: Chasing a Ring.

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Celtics sign Darius Miles

                  Anyone recall a few years ago when Miles wanted to come to Indiana? This was when Isiah was coach and we had te JO, Artest, Harrington core and Miles went on record (while playing with Cleveland) as wanting to play for the Pacers.

                  I liked Miles a lot when he was out in LA with Odom, Brand, Maggette, Kandi man, Quentin Richardson and others. I thought that team had a chance to be a strong competitor in the West for years to come before they broke up.

                  As far as the deal with Portland, wouldn't the insurance policy take care of the rest of his deal if he were permanently injured and it were a career threatening injury? Otherwise, I believe that Portland and Paul Allen would be on the hook for the rest of his contract -- both cap wise and from Paul Allen writing a check.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Celtics sign Darius Miles

                    Originally posted by Smoothdave1 View Post
                    As far as the deal with Portland, wouldn't the insurance policy take care of the rest of his deal if he were permanently injured and it were a career threatening injury? Otherwise, I believe that Portland and Paul Allen would be on the hook for the rest of his contract -- both cap wise and from Paul Allen writing a check.
                    The insurance covers the top 3 salaries on the team, so chances are that it's covered finances-wise. But that's not the issue, the issue is the salary cap space. That $9 million per year for this year and next goes back onto their books if he appears in 10 games this year; otherwise, their cap space is free and clear from the obligation of it due to the medical exception granted for him.

                    It's a similar situation with Toronto and Garbajosa: even though they settled up with the insurance company and Spanish national federation for his balance, the amount of his buyout still sits on their cap until the end of the year. Yes, Toronto got paid for his remaining year, but his salary still counts against their salary cap.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Celtics sign Darius Miles

                      Originally posted by Anthem View Post
                      Absolutely. If his salary goes back on Portland's cap, then they can't sign Danny away from us.
                      So if he gets cuts by Boston the Pacers should sign him and gimp him out there fore 10 games just as Danny insurance? Cripes, couldn't they just throw a 10 game contract at him at some point if he doesn't catch on somewhere. You know at least one Pacer will miss some time so a 10 game deal wouldn't be out of the blue. Get him 5 minutes a game during that period.

                      ie, what PacersGuy said

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                      • #26
                        Re: Celtics sign Darius Miles

                        Originally posted by Naptown_Seth View Post
                        So if he gets cuts by Boston the Pacers should sign him and gimp him out there fore 10 games just as Danny insurance? Cripes, couldn't they just throw a 10 game contract at him at some point if he doesn't catch on somewhere. You know at least one Pacer will miss some time so a 10 game deal wouldn't be out of the blue. Get him 5 minutes a game during that period.

                        ie, what PacersGuy said
                        That's what I'm thinking.......get the roster down to 14 somehow....then sign him to a guaranteed vet contract.
                        Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Celtics sign Darius Miles

                          I wondered why this could get this much response, but...

                          Why don't we just go ahead and get Danny signed to an extension? Then we could go back to not giving a **** about Darius Miles.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Celtics sign Darius Miles

                            Originally posted by count55 View Post
                            Why don't we just go ahead and get Danny signed to an extension? Then we could go back to not giving a **** about Darius Miles.
                            Yeah, that would be the best thing. Also, do Morway and Bird somehow think that Danny will be cheaper next summer? The reason why these extensions are so great is that you get these guys before they explode into all-stars.

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Celtics sign Darius Miles

                              Originally posted by rexnom View Post
                              Yeah, that would be the best thing. Also, do Morway and Bird somehow think that Danny will be cheaper next summer? The reason why these extensions are so great is that you get these guys before they explode into all-stars.
                              That was the reasoning with Tinsley, as I recall.
                              This space for rent.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Celtics sign Darius Miles

                                Originally posted by Anthem View Post
                                That was the reasoning with Tinsley, as I recall.
                                And Bender, Artest, Harrington, and Foster...I actually think the reasoning was to keep a core together and sign players before they could get on the open market where other teams would make really stupid offers to them.

                                I think Tinsley and Bender were bad mistakes, but Artest, Foster, and Harrington were all reasonable decisions. (Though, I admit, I questioned the Foster signing at the time, but not Jonathan, under the "burgeoning potential" theory that I've since thrown in the trash.)

                                This seems to be a reasonable approach that's seen two recent players that they let go to free agency (Brad Miller, Peja) get offered contracts that were 20-30% above reasonable expectations.

                                There will be risks with Danny's contract, signed this year or next. However, I believe that (a) we will be able to sign him for less this summer, and (b) it will help us stabilize our basketball and financial framework so we can move on to the next step in the rebuild.

                                I would also be in favor of extending a guy like Jarrett Jack, if you could get him for something like 4-years, $16mm. A guy like Jack, I'd be willing to set a relatively (but not insultingly) low price and see if he bites. If not, let him play and test the market.

                                I know you believe that guys who sign long term contracts (generally) stop improving. I would tend to agree, but I don't think that's what you're worried about. Some guys who get their first long-term contract for big bucks promptly get complacent and backslide. I don't believe this will be the case with Danny. There seems to be plenty of evidence that he has his head on straight, and , even if he doesn't "improve", I think I could live with paying $60mm over five years for 20ish & 7ish production with solid defense and a pretty good on- and off-court demeanor. (Yes, it's more than I would've said previously, but I think this summer has given us a pretty good idea of what the market pays for a guy of Danny's calibre.)

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