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The Rules of Pacers Digest

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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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Is standing pat such a bad idea?

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  • Is standing pat such a bad idea?

    I keep seeing all these trade rumors and suggestions and I can't help but ask myself why? I haven't seen one that is going to take us to the promise land like some people act like it would. Why are we so eager to trade Grange, Hibbert or someone else when this team is finally showing a positive direction?

    Yes we had 37 wins. And yes we got in the playoffs because of a terrible Eastern conference after the top teams. But the win total isn't the point here. Its the way this team played. Its the competitiveness this team showed in the series against the #1 seeded Chicago Bulls. Its having a coach who plays to the strength of the players and not his system.

    With Coach Vogel at the helm for a full year last season, this team would have won 42-43 games. Thats a 10 win improvement. Thats pretty damn good in the NBA.

    I'm getting sick of people acting like last season was the peak of this roster's potential. Thats just bull ****. I think taking games off LA, Boston, Dallas, Miami and our series with Chicago shows that this team has more potential than some people like to give them credit for. And there is this idea we don't have any young talent. Collison, Hibbert, George, Hansbrough, and Stephenson are all talented young players. We don't know yet if they are the long term answer, but can we give them a chance? Collison, a second year player, just gets demolished on here. Let the guy have a coach for a full off season and regular season. He has played so many different roles in his two seasons that any judgement isn't fair. Hibbert has rough patches but the guy is still figuring out how to get his body right. He went through a huge transformation before last season and it was rough adjusting to it. He's working to fix this now. George, well the kid is just a stud. Hansbrough will always have a place on any team. And Lance, we know the potential is there, he just needs to keep himself focused on basketball.

    Yes, this team has holes. Some may be answered by the guys above, some may not. We don't know. This roster has been going through so many changes in the past three years. We haven't been able to get an accurate read on anyone really. I want to see what this team can do, under a good coach, for more than half a season.

    Is Granger on the LeBron, Dirk, Wade, Kobe level? No. But that doesn't mean we trade him for a draft pick that we hope turns out to be on that level because that guy isn't in this draft. And I don't want to take a step or two backwards to hope to get there somewhere in the future. We are already building towards the future. Plus, Paul George could very well turn out to be that guy we are looking for. I see it in his game. And I don't think I'm the only one.

    This team, as it is, will be better next year just from our young guys improving and having a better coach. Will we compete with Miami and Chicago for the ECF next year? No. I don't see any likely trade happening that would allow us to do such a thing.

    Obviously we will have to fill out our roster and the idea of this is more about core moves and standing pat with our core DC/George/Granger/Hibbert and to a lesser extent Lance and Hans. I think the PF position is the spot we need most help in. It would help everyone on the court, especially Roy. And we need another scorer as I don't think George is ready for the second option just yet (and I hope I'm wrong about that). I've said I like Nene and Jamaal Crawford (off the bench) for awhile now. And we can get those guys without giving up someone from out core.

    Obviously there are exceptions to this idea of standing pat. If someone like Chris Paul or Dwight Howard becomes available, you throw the kitchen sink at them to try and get the deal done. Everyone on here says how we need this franchise player and then wants to do these deals that don't give us one. What's the point of trading Danny for a player on the level of Danny? To make you feel warm and fuzzy inside that a trade was made?

    For the most part, I don't want to see a major change in the roster, because it won't be getting us this franchise player that is so highly sought after. A lot of these trades just seem like lateral moves or moves that would set us back a season or so. This team finally got back into the playoffs. It finally showed us a positive sign. I don't want to go backwards. This team can't afford to go backwards.

    So I say keep this core together, add to it. Let them develop. Let them become a team.


  • #2
    Re: Is standing pat such a bad idea?

    I am with you. Unless there is an obvious upgrade, I would prefer to keep our core and make minor additions, say OJ Mayo for example.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Is standing pat such a bad idea?

      Standing completely pat? No. Minor deals that will help round out the roster? Yes.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Is standing pat such a bad idea?

        Things might be different if we could hear what Larry hears. But as far as I'm concerned you don't make a trade to go into win now mode if it's not perfect. These guys are young and growing and coming together. And more talent is on the way.

        I'm pretty sure the front office is thinking the same things. They're not moving any pieces unless they win the deal. Since that isn't the fairest of things, I'm not expecting much of a shakeup. No reason to get impatient now.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Is standing pat such a bad idea?

          That's what's great about where the team is at right now. I feel like they are a solid team already, so you just make imrovements as they become available. DC, George, Granger, Tyler and Roy is a good starting 5. So you can wait and be patient until that opportunity comes to create a GREAT starting 5 or add depth to your bench! I love that Larry wants to build the strongest bench in the league! That's the way you win championships!!!!!
          Turn out the lights, this party's over!

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Is standing pat such a bad idea?

            Standing pat would be what, exactly? Our roster consists of Roy, Tyler, Granger, George, Inferno, Collison, Posey, AJ, Brandon, and Lance. We lost Foster, McBob, Dun, Solo, TJ.

            If we re-sign Vogel and add Shaw, re-sign McBob and Foster, pick the #15, bring over The Stank, trade Brandon and Posey for a solid vet that fits, and pick up some help in the FA market, is that "standing pat?"
            This space for rent.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Is standing pat such a bad idea?

              Originally posted by Anthem View Post
              Standing pat would be what, exactly? Our roster consists of Roy, Tyler, Granger, George, Inferno, Collison, Posey, AJ, Brandon, and Lance. We lost Foster, McBob, Dun, Solo, TJ.

              If we re-sign Vogel and add Shaw, re-sign McBob and Foster, pick the #15, bring over The Stank, trade Brandon and Posey for a solid vet that fits, and pick up some help in the FA market, is that "standing pat?"
              See this paragraph:

              Obviously we will have to fill out our roster and the idea of this is more about core moves and standing pat with our core DC/George/Granger/Hibbert and to a lesser extent Lance and Hans. I think the PF position is the spot we need most help in. It would help everyone on the court, especially Roy. And we need another scorer as I don't think George is ready for the second option just yet (and I hope I'm wrong about that). I've said I like Nene and Jamaal Crawford (off the bench) for awhile now. And we can get those guys without giving up someone from out core.
              The standing pat has to do with the core group we have here.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Is standing pat such a bad idea?

                I'm not sure "standing pat" is even an option. Are we not losing several players due to expiring contracts?

                Anyway, there is a lot of room between "standing pat" and "blowing it up". If making a few trades at the end of the bench qualifies as "standing pat"...I suppose that might happen. I do expect something more than that to happen but I doubt we see any of the core players to be traded. Anything of course is possible.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Is standing pat such a bad idea?

                  Originally posted by ilive4sports View Post
                  See this paragraph:

                  The standing pat has to do with the core group we have here.
                  I get it, I just don't buy it.

                  There's a lot of room between "breaking up the core" and "standing pat."
                  This space for rent.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Is standing pat such a bad idea?

                    Originally posted by BlueNGold View Post
                    I'm not sure "standing pat" is even an option. Are we not losing several players due to expiring contracts?

                    Anyway, there is a lot of room between "standing pat" and "blowing it up".
                    Holy cow great minds really do think alike.

                    And ours too.
                    This space for rent.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Is standing pat such a bad idea?

                      "standing pat" would bring another sucky season to Indiana, if we "stand pat" we are going to be competing for the 8th seat again.
                      @WhatTheFFacts: Studies show that sarcasm enhances the ability of the human mind to solve complex problems!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Is standing pat such a bad idea?

                        Originally posted by vnzla81 View Post
                        "standing pat" would bring another sucky season to Indiana, if we "stand pat" we are going to be competing for the 8th seat again.
                        And what trade has been brought up that will bring us past 45 wins next season?

                        Standing saying is probably the wrong term for what I'm saying. Anthem and blue n gold, I agree with both of you as we need to fill out the roster, but I want this core to stay together.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Is standing pat such a bad idea?

                          Originally posted by vnzla81 View Post
                          "standing pat" would bring another sucky season to Indiana, if we "stand pat" we are going to be competing for the 8th seat again.
                          Yeah that's very possible. But what can you do if the right trade isn't there? Like ilive mentioned, the proposed trades we have seen will not equate to becoming an Eastern final contender. Trading Granger or Hibbert will likely result in too lateral a move. If we're not getting a bonafide star its much more optimal to keep the core, improve the pieces around it with small moves, and use cash to either facilitate a worthy trade or give it to Eric Gordon next offseason.

                          Tasting the playoffs have set expectations higher and quicker than this team is ready for.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Is standing pat such a bad idea?

                            Yea but what makes u think Granger is going to get us there? Trade him while his value is high.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Is standing pat such a bad idea?

                              Granger is still young. His value will not plummet anytime soon. You only move him for a perfect fit, a star. Which is what Larry is doing and why he hasn't been traded.

                              No one is untouchable, George is the closest. Bird knows this team needs an influx of talent but being impatient is never the right idea. The best way to improve this team is to let the core grow, possibly adding a piece through this draft, and bring in a FA next year. They have to bring in talent without losing talent, they will never touch the Heat without that happening.

                              Comment

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