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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.

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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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Unrestricted PF/C Free Agents This Summer

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  • Unrestricted PF/C Free Agents This Summer

    With all the talk of the Pacers selecting a PF or needing to select a big guy in the upcoming draft, I thought I'd run down the list of unrestricted FA PFs that will be available after the season ends.

    Like Bird has said multiple times since the season ended, they need a PF that can score in the post and defend the paint but they can probably fill that need through free agency. Here are the options:



    Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz (unrestricted if he excercises his player option) - Coming off of a rough season filled with injuries, his production was down but he's still a very good post scorer and a decent rebounder. He excels in the pick and roll. Defense is a little suspect.


    Brandon Bass, Dallas Mavericks - An unheralded second round player, he's carved out a reputation as being a tough defender and rebounder despite his short stature for a PF. Freakish long arms and athleticism gives him a the ability to finish and defend well in the paint.


    Anderson Verajao, Cleveland Cavaliers (unrestricted if he excercises his player option) - Like Boozer Andy said he would explore his options after the season was over and opt out of his contract. He'd be stupid to do that after his showing against the Magic and in this economy but he may do so if he decides that he wants out of Cleveland.


    Shawn Marion, Toronto Raptors - Solid defender, good rebounder, great athelete and finisher at the rim, would be perfect in an uptempo offense... hint, hint.


    Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers - Good all around utility player. He can do it all but sometimes lacks the desire to do it. He loves it in LA and will probably re-sign with the Lakers.


    Chris "Birdman" Andersen - I think he proved that he can play in this league and bang with the big boys. He'll probably command more money than he's actually worth after his good showing in the playoffs this year. Will probably re-sign with the Nuggets because they gave him a 2nd chance at his career.


    Drew Gooden, San Antonio Spurs - I don't understand why Drew keeps getting bounced around the league so much. He's been a pretty consistent player who will rebound and has a good knack for scoring in the lane. If he was a better defender he'd be a good Horace Grant/AC Green type player on a contender.


    Rasheed Wallace, Detroit Pistons - He said he probably will retire unless he's offered a salary starting with at least $8 million dollars. I could see a team like Dallas or Cleveland being interested in him if they can work out a sign and trade.


    Josh Powell, Los Angeles Lakers - He has a good face up jumper, good size, and athleticism. Defensively he just average but it would be interesting to see how well he'd play if given more minutes.


    Chris Wilcox, New York Knicks - To me he's been a bust since he was drafted out of Maryland. He has a lot of athleticism but very little basketball skill. However, he could be a decent role player signed from anywhere between the veteran's minimum and $3 million.


    Joe Smith, Cleveland Cavaliers - Joe proved he could still come in and do all the dirty work when called upon. In hindsight, he probably should've played more against the Magic considering that he was more effective than big Z and Ben Wallace against Howard. He'll probably want to resign with the Cavs or another contender and if I'm the GM of a contending team, I'd definitely want him on my squad.


    Marcin Gortat, Orlando Magic - He has good hands and is a good finisher in the lane. Good shot blocker, not just from the weakside but when guarding his own man also. He's the ideal back up PF/C.


    Pops Mensah-Bensu, Toronto Raptors - A D-Leaguer who is a good offensive rebounder and finisher in the lane. Good agressive defender as well.


    Mikki Moore, Boston Celtics - It's very unlikely that he'll be re-signed by Boston after his poor performances during the playoffs. He's played progressively worse each season since he signed that big contract raise after playing well for one season with the Nets 3 years ago.


    Josh McRoberts, Indiana Pacers - We know what he can do and he's still a young player with upside and won't command big bucks. Most likely, he'll re-sign with the Pacers.


    Sheldon Williams, Sacramento Kings - Big body and can score and rebound a little. His poor conditioning is a concern but he has the tools to be a serviceable player.



    There are of course some other possibilities out that are restricted FAs but it's very rare for a restricted FA to change teams so I'm really leaving them off the list. One realistic possibility could be Leon Powe, Boston Celtics, because the "C's" have another RFA in Glen "Big Baby" Davis they hope to re-sign. They might not even make him the tendered offer to keep him a RFA. If they don't, he'll become an UFA.


    Then again, Big Baby may seize the opportunity to pick up more playing time elsewhere instead of re-signing and playing in KG's shadows. The difference is that I think the Celtics will match any offer around or below the mid-level exception.

    Any other's I'm overlooking?

  • #2
    Re: Unrestricted PF/C Free Agents This Summer

    Aaron Gray (Bulls)
    I think he should get some minutes. Has shown in flashes he can score the ball. 7 Footer will add depth and not cost an arm and a leg.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Unrestricted PF/C Free Agents This Summer

      Originally posted by naptownmenace View Post
      There are of course some other possibilities out that are restricted FAs but it's very rare for a restricted FA to change teams so I'm really leaving them off the list. One realistic possibility could be Leon Powe, Boston Celtics, because the "C's" have another RFA in Glen "Big Baby" Davis they hope to re-sign. They might not even make him the tendered offer to keep him a RFA. If they don't, he'll become an UFA.
      I was all about Powe until his most recent ACL injury that took him out for the season. From my understanding, it's the 3rd time in his NBA career where he sustained the same injury. I'd be concerned about signing him to a long-term contract ( unless he came cheap ), especially if he's coming off of season-ending surgery.
      Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Unrestricted PF/C Free Agents This Summer

        Drew Gooden seems a bit to me to be the second coming of Juwan Howard. I'd really like to sign him, but he'll probably be looking for a team closer to the promised land.

        As for Shawn Marion, my biggest thing with him is I just can't figure out what it would take to make this guy happy. He just seems so high maintenance, which I would rather take a pass on.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Unrestricted PF/C Free Agents This Summer

          I would sign Brandon Bass over any other free agent this year. That includes Jack. I love Jack and think we should use our Bird Rights to sign him. I would give Brandon Bass our full MLE. Unfortunately that puts us over the LT, unless we make a trade that relieves some salary.
          "Your course, your path, is not going to be like mine," West says. "Everybody is not called to be a multimillionaire. Everybody's not called to be the president. Whatever your best work is, you do it. Do it well. … You cease your own greatness when you aspire to be someone else."

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Unrestricted PF/C Free Agents This Summer

            Originally posted by pacergod2 View Post
            I would sign Brandon Bass over any other free agent this year. That includes Jack. I love Jack and think we should use our Bird Rights to sign him. I would give Brandon Bass our full MLE. Unfortunately that puts us over the LT, unless we make a trade that relieves some salary.
            Bass would fill an important need on this team. Although his defense may be a little overrated on this thread, he's not bad. On this team, average post defense will look pretty good. Most of all though, he is an effective and efficient scorer in the post.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Unrestricted PF/C Free Agents This Summer

              Raps already signed Pops
              "So, which one of you guys is going to come in second?" - Larry Bird before the 3 point contest. He won.


              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Unrestricted PF/C Free Agents This Summer

                I would like to see what Bass could do in our system. I like his athleticism and average defensive skills.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Unrestricted PF/C Free Agents This Summer

                  Plus, JOB (not that his future with the team beyond this year is certain), loves players that can shoot. Bass can hit the 15-18 foot jumper pretty consistently. I think he would fit this team perfectly and he would be getting consistent, starter-type minutes on this team. Something that he hasn't gotten up to this point in his career. I think his ability to defend, which I think there is obviously some room for improvement, has great potential. He just needs to keep learning and getting better defensively. I think he has shown flashes of being able to become a very well rounded PF.

                  He is a big body that suits everything this team lacks. Strength and toughness in the front court. Tough rebounder. Great work ethic. Ability to shoot inside and out. Durability and youth. Blocks shots. Good free throw shooter.

                  From articles I have read, he doesn't eat beef or pork. He is mature for his age. He is from Louisiana just like DG. I have a feeling he would be a great fit for our team and a relative bargain compared to what some players will get paid. I would like to see him, Roy Hibbert, and Josh McRoberts grow together in our front court. It just makes a ton of sense to me. I might be alone on this one, but I think he is a diamond in the rough.
                  "Your course, your path, is not going to be like mine," West says. "Everybody is not called to be a multimillionaire. Everybody's not called to be the president. Whatever your best work is, you do it. Do it well. … You cease your own greatness when you aspire to be someone else."

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Unrestricted PF/C Free Agents This Summer

                    Originally posted by pacergod2 View Post
                    I might be alone on this one, but I think he is a diamond in the rough.
                    1. You're not alone.
                    2. I think Mark Cuban agrees with you, which means Bass will be a Maverick next season.
                    "A man with no belly has no appetite for life."

                    - Salman Rushdie

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Unrestricted PF/C Free Agents This Summer

                      Originally posted by MillerTime View Post
                      Raps already signed Pops
                      No, he's a free agent. In fact, this was mentioned in an article after the Kapono/Evans trade:

                      http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/Tim_Chisholm/?id=281456

                      he first impact is that it probably spells the end of Pops Mensah-Bonsu's career in Toronto. While he was an immediate fan favorite with his hustle and energy, Evans simply does the same things a lot better and with a lot more consistency. The fact that he can guard both post positions just puts him over the top.

                      If the Raptors were to retain Pops this summer, where/when would they play him? This team finally looks like they are getting out from under the player duplication habit they've had the last couple of years, so why jump back into it when so many other areas need an off-season focus? He was a fun player for a team that had zero energy players off of the bench, but Evans simply takes that role a step further and makes a player like Pops redundant.
                      A lot of that is speculation, but it's clear he's a free agent. Plus, his contract did expire, and with no Team Option, Toronto could not legally sign him until after July 1.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Unrestricted PF/C Free Agents This Summer

                        I'd take Gortat, but as has been well speculated here, he'll probably command more than his actual worth. I just don't know any of the guys here are overly attainable given our financial position. Perhaps Williams could be obtained at an economical price tag. I'd roll the dice on him for the right price.
                        I'd rather die standing up than live on my knees.

                        -Emiliano Zapata

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Unrestricted PF/C Free Agents This Summer

                          Originally posted by D-BONE View Post
                          I'd take Gortat, but as has been well speculated here, he'll probably command more than his actual worth. I just don't know any of the guys here are overly attainable given our financial position. Perhaps Williams could be obtained at an economical price tag. I'd roll the dice on him for the right price.
                          His disappearing act in the finals should help bring a little rationality to the market.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Unrestricted PF/C Free Agents This Summer

                            Originally posted by QuickRelease View Post
                            Drew Gooden seems a bit to me to be the second coming of Juwan Howard. I'd really like to sign him, but he'll probably be looking for a team closer to the promised land.

                            As for Shawn Marion, my biggest thing with him is I just can't figure out what it would take to make this guy happy. He just seems so high maintenance, which I would rather take a pass on.
                            I'm not a big Gooden guy and I can't put my finger on why since he has obviously cool facial hair. But really he got traded from Cleveland who basically needed what he's supposed to bring to the table, then he got traded from Chicago, who again needed exactly what is supposed to be his skill set. Something isn't right there.

                            Shawn Marion is the kinda pretty girl who thinks she's the prettiest girl in the world. I agree, too high maintenance. I'd hate to be his coach because I bet you have to babysit him emotionally and ask him if he's okay every game. No thanks.

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