Announcement

Collapse

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.
See more
See less

RC signs contract extension

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #46
    Re: RC signs contract extension

    Originally posted by Frank Slade View Post
    Did anyone catch the 10' oclock news. (UPN) Wish TV
    Mentioning that Carlisle asked the players if they wanted him back as coach, apparently.

    O'Neal commented on how good Rick did in the offseason in reaching out to the players. Carlisle indicated that he wanted to be perfectly clear that this is a partnership, and goes beyond a player coach relationship
    To me that is very much in keeping with how Rick presents himself.

    He is far more protective of players in post-games than most coaches. He's ripped guys from time to time, but he's also very quick to come back with praise when its earned.

    He was very calm after the brawl, moreso than anyone else that I recall. He gave huge public support to Ron during his DPOY season. It's not that I think he is a players-coach in the "no discipline" sense, but I think he is old school in the "keep it in the lockerroom" sense. He is respectful about how he deals with players, at least externally.


    Also on that story, I guess Jack came into Rick's presser and hung out a little bit, showing his support for the coach. Of course it would be far bigger news if it had been Tinsley, but still it is something.

    Comment


    • #47
      Re: RC signs contract extension

      THINKING about starting a player like Curry over Jack is crazy enough for me.
      You mean like starting Foster "over" Harrington but then letting Al get 30 minutes to Jeff's 15?

      And the way I heard it was HE WAS FORCED to start Tayshaun over Curry in the playoffs.
      Like I said, Tay was the starter in THREE of the FOUR ECF losses in year 2 for Rick, so even if he was forced to do it, what's that say about the choice? It wasn't the solution. And the proof was in the results the next year until they got Sheed added on for free. Prior to that the Pistons were on their way to being beaten out by the Pacers, and as it was dumping Rick cost them home court in the ECF (rival Pacers jumped 13 wins with Rick).

      How did that Pistons team do in round 2 with Curry starting but Tay getting more minutes down the stretch? They sure as F didn't get swept out like they did in the next round with Tay moved into the starters role.

      I don't even blame Tay or say it was a bad move, just that as a damning sign of RC's refusal to play young players it's pretty weak.

      The reality is that winning teams with established vets rarely play mid to late round rookies. It's not the norm where RC refuses to conform. Fred got 3 times the minutes under RC in year 2 than he got under "player friendly" Isiah in his rookie year. That was the 61 win team, not one dealing with injuries or lacking in talent.

      RC ran a deeper bench both years in Detroit and in Indy in 03-04 than Brown did in either year in Detroit (more minutes past the starting 5 or even the top 6). And in Tay's rookie season RC played his 23 year old rookie 19 mpg in 72 games....OKUR. Whoops, I thought RC refused to play young guys/rookies.

      I know, it was the lack of bigs like Robinson, Big Ben and Corliss...err...oh, and Rebraca. Speaking of Rebraca, he was older (29) but his rookie year was RC's first season - 16 mpg and 72 games for him that year. That's more minutes than he's seen in any season since.

      Comment


      • #48
        Re: RC signs contract extension

        Naptown, I'm fine with your overall statement but I've just got to comment on a couple of things since you've ventured over into Pistons-land in this last post.

        Originally posted by Naptown_Seth View Post
        Like I said, Tay was the starter in THREE of the FOUR ECF losses in year 2 for Rick, so even if he was forced to do it, what's that say about the choice? It wasn't the solution. And the proof was in the results the next year until they got Sheed added on for free. Prior to that the Pistons were on their way to being beaten out by the Pacers, and as it was dumping Rick cost them home court in the ECF (rival Pacers jumped 13 wins with Rick).
        It doesn't seem funny to you to try saying something like "dumping Rick cost them home court in the ECF (rival Pacers jumped 13 wins with Rick)" when the Pistons beat that juggernaught of a Rick Carlisle team on the way to their championship? I know, it was all Rasheed and Rick would have gotten them the same title and maybe 2 or 3 more had they kept him.

        The whole "it wasn't the solution" comment will be addressed after the next quote.

        Originally posted by Naptown_Seth View Post
        How did that Pistons team do in round 2 with Curry starting but Tay getting more minutes down the stretch? They sure as F didn't get swept out like they did in the next round with Tay moved into the starters role.
        You are comparing round 2 with round 3 as though they are the same situations and implying that Curry starting was the main factor (or even the only factor) of why the Pistons did better in round 2 then they did in round 3?

        Curry never had more than 4 points in ANY of those round 2 games and his biggest statistical contribution outside of points would be the 2 defensive rebounds he wasn't able to dive out of the way from, in one of the games that round. Curry starting is not what got them past the Sixer. This is what got them past the Sixers.

        That, coupled with Curry's typical high-caliber ability to always avoid the ball is what got Curry 2 DNPs against the Nets the next round (even with Tayshaun getting owned by Richard Jefferson, a trend that would continue beyond that playoff round). No, Tayshaun wasn't the answer to a how the Pistons would get to the Finals (the kid was a rookie), but he was the answer to "Are the Pistons really going to get ran out of the playoffs in the first round by a one man, eight seed, Magic team?" and the question of "Where is the swing man that can take advantage of slow footed Keith Van Horn and too-small-to-guard-a-forward Aaron McKie in the Sixers series?"


        Originally posted by Naptown_Seth View Post
        I don't even blame Tay or say it was a bad move, just that as a damning sign of RC's refusal to play young players it's pretty weak.
        He was "forced" to play Prince and it's not "pretty weak". Its maybe the main reason RC lost his job even though he won a ton of regular season games. Regardless of how Carlisle coaches now, THEN he was an unadapting, single-minded, control freak, who had to be taken to the very edge of elimination before he'd try anything he didn't already have complete comfort with.

        Originally posted by Naptown_Seth View Post
        The reality is that winning teams with established vets rarely play mid to late round rookies. It's not the norm where RC refuses to conform. Fred got 3 times the minutes under RC in year 2 than he got under "player friendly" Isiah in his rookie year. That was the 61 win team, not one dealing with injuries or lacking in talent.

        RC ran a deeper bench both years in Detroit and in Indy in 03-04 than Brown did in either year in Detroit (more minutes past the starting 5 or even the top 6). And in Tay's rookie season RC played his 23 year old rookie 19 mpg in 72 games....OKUR. Whoops, I thought RC refused to play young guys/rookies.

        I know, it was the lack of bigs like Robinson, Big Ben and Corliss...err...oh, and Rebraca. Speaking of Rebraca, he was older (29) but his rookie year was RC's first season - 16 mpg and 72 games for him that year. That's more minutes than he's seen in any season since.
        The rest I have little to no problem with (aside from the fact that you throw out Detroit's big man rotation that year as though it were Wallace/Wallace/McDyess when in fact it was Ben, a guy hanging on to the last years of his declining abilities, and an undersized-PF/slow-footed SF who was an able scorer but easily exploited defensively, so playing the rookies was pretty much a necessity rather than the luxury you make it out to be).

        Like I said at the start, I've no problem with the overall point of "RC does play rookies" (he played Granger, didn't he?) but no one should ever try to defend Rick's affinity for Michael Curry nor his tight-fisted refusal to try Tayshaun until he was utterly devoid of other options, let alone attempt both things at once.

        Comment


        • #49
          Re: RC signs contract extension

          Hi

          Question: If Donnie Walsh retires and Larry Bird assume his role What is David Morway role?

          Pacers should not let go David Morway. I think he is the one responsible of the New Orleans trade that got us the excemption......(I know the Simons is also responsible because of the Friendship with George Shinn.

          Comment


          • #50
            Re: RC signs contract extension

            Excellent point. If I had to pick Donnie's successor from people currently employed by the organization, I'd rank them as:

            1) Morway
            2) Chuck Person
            3) Carlisle
            4) Krista, my account rep
            5) Larry Bird
            Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
            Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
            Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
            Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
            And life itself, rushing over me
            Life itself, the wind in black elms,
            Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

            Comment


            • #51
              Re: RC signs contract extension

              Originally posted by Jay@Section19 View Post
              Excellent point. If I had to pick Donnie's successor from people currently employed by the organization, I'd rank them as:

              1) Morway
              2) Chuck Person
              3) Carlisle
              4) Krista, my account rep
              5) Larry Bird
              How did Krista get in over me?

              Comment


              • #52
                Re: RC signs contract extension

                I didn't know you were working for the Pacers...

                I'm not sure you'd get above Krista on the list. She seemed eager for SJax to be traded so she'd have a better chance of selling ticket renewals.

                But you'd certainly make my top-five.
                Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
                Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
                Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
                Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
                And life itself, rushing over me
                Life itself, the wind in black elms,
                Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

                Comment


                • #53
                  Re: RC signs contract extension

                  Originally posted by Jay@Section19 View Post
                  I didn't know you were working for the Pacers...

                  I'm not sure you'd get above Krista on the list. She seemed eager for SJax to be traded so she'd have a better chance of selling ticket renewals.

                  But you'd certainly make my top-five.
                  I dont, at least not yet.

                  I appreciate making the top 5, though. That's higher then my girlfriend (well ex) would put me

                  Comment


                  • #54
                    Re: RC signs contract extension

                    Originally posted by imawhat View Post
                    I like the angle that RC's new title adds to his authority.
                    Yep. This is flexibility and authority wrapped into one.
                    Flexible in that whenever TPTB get tired of Rick as a coach he can fill Donnie's shoes and DW can take that exact moment to retire. We can hire a new coach and not end of paying for two at the same time. TPTB obviously see something important enough there that they want to keep RC around, but can opt him out of his coaching duties at any time, i.e. if the Pacer Contract with America goes south.

                    I've always assumed that a coach could get rid of a player at any time, but that isn't necessarily so. The new title gives the players a warning that RC has more authority than ever on whether they play or get traded. Just more support for the coach and a stick to enforce the new "togetherness".

                    Comment


                    • #55
                      Re: RC signs contract extension

                      Originally posted by vapacersfan View Post
                      I dont, at least not yet.

                      I appreciate making the top 5, though. That's higher then my girlfriend (well ex) would put me
                      I hope she at least ranks you higher than Larry Bird, though. Obviously, I do.
                      Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
                      Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
                      Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
                      Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
                      And life itself, rushing over me
                      Life itself, the wind in black elms,
                      Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

                      Comment


                      • #56
                        Re: RC signs contract extension

                        Originally posted by Jay@Section19 View Post
                        I hope she at least ranks you higher than Larry Bird, though. Obviously, I do.
                        I doubt it.

                        She said OJ was a better man then I.

                        Granted I did not make it better by asking if she meant "is" better then me?

                        Back on topic, when does Donnies contract run out? I thought I heard last year that his contract ran out last season?

                        Comment


                        • #57
                          Re: RC signs contract extension

                          Originally posted by Frank Slade View Post
                          FYI..
                          I had emailed him for more info, and it appears this report was erroneous per Bruno.
                          Thanks for clearing this up. I was wondering why there wasn't a link to RC's alleged extension on the Pacers.com. You'd think that if this were an official report, the press release would certainly be there.

                          Looks like they're still hammering out the details.

                          Comment


                          • #58
                            Re: RC signs contract extension

                            Now, it's official! Congratulations, RC!!

                            Link here.

                            Comment


                            • #59
                              Re: RC signs contract extension

                              Originally posted by NuffSaid View Post
                              Now, it's official! Congratulations, RC!!

                              Link here.
                              Carlisle Gets New Title With Extension

                              By Conrad Brunner | Oct.5, 2006


                              In signing what was termed a "multi-year" contract extension in the team's official announcement today, Coach Rick Carlisle didn't just stabilize his footing for the present. He may have laid the groundwork for his professional future.


                              As part of the agreement, Carlisle was given the title Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations.

                              "That's something they certainly didn't have to do but part of the agreement is to, at some point, join the front office if I want to do that," Carlisle said. "That's a very unusual gesture to make and me and my family are very appreciative of it."

                              Carlisle joined the Pacers in 1997 as an assistant to then-Coach Larry Bird, spending three seasons on the bench. After two seasons as head coach in Detroit he rejoined President of Basketball Operations Bird in 2003 and has compiled a 146-100 record.

                              Overall, Carlisle has a 246-164 record in five seasons as a head coach with five playoff berths, three Central Division titles, two trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and one NBA Coach of the Year award.

                              Carlisle is the only coach in NBA history to finish in the top five in Coach of the Year balloting in each of his first four seasons, and he and Pat Riley are the only coaches to win at least 50 games and division titles in their first three seasons on the bench.


                              "I was confident we'd come to some kind of an agreement and things worked out well," Carlisle said. "This is an unusual relationship.

                              This will be the 10th year I've had a very close relationship with Larry and Donnie going back to my years as an assistant and it just shows we've got a common vision for the team not only this year but for the future of the franchise and that's really important."

                              Carlisle was entering the final season of his original contract with the Pacers, but Jermaine O'Neal said that had little effect on the team's mindset or preparation for the season.

                              "Rick has not brought it up one time since we showed up on Monday for our meetings, but we're all happy for him," O'Neal said. "He's doing a hell of a job so far in training camp and his message is getting across to everybody."

                              Carlisle's first season with the Pacers was nearly idyllic, with an NBA-high 61 victories and a trip to the conference finals. His second was nightmarish, plagued by suspensions and injuries that stripped the roster of its prime talent, but he nevertheless cobbled together a 44-38 season and a first-round playoff victory. Last year was the most frustrating as injuries and team discord led to a 41-41 mark and first-round elimination.

                              This, his fourth season, brings along with 11 new players and the renewal of faith in the head coach an opportunity for a fresh start for all involved.

                              "I'm glad we got it done," said Bird. " … I think he deserves a fair chance and hopefully we'll stay away from injuries and see what we can do."


                              DIAPER DANDIES AND BEAUTY QUEENS

                              O'Neal and Jeff Foster spent a lot of offseason time in the hospital, which unfortunately hasn't been that unusual in recent years.
                              This year, however, it wasn't for surgery or therapy or rehabilitation of a nagging injury. The players were there instead for their wives, both of whom gave birth in June in the same hospital. Foster's wife Jamie delivered twins (a boy and a girl) while O'Neal's wife Mesha delivered a son.

                              "J.O.'s son and our twins were born one day apart," said Foster. "It was quite the experience for the people at the hospital to see both of wandering around the hallways for a week or so."

                              It was a big summer for family matters and the Pacers. Sarunas Jasikevicius was married to Israeli model and former Miss World Linor Abargil in a ceremony near Barcelona, Spain, in July.


                              A VERY HAIRY TRAINING CAMP

                              New hairstyles have generated something of a buzz at camp. Al Harrington has eschewed the clean look for a Mohawk; Jermaine O'Neal has ditched his braids for a more traditional look dubbed a "low Caesar;" and Stephen Jackson has gone to a different style with longer braids.

                              The newcomers are chipping in nicely, too, with Marquis Daniels sporting dreadlocks and Josh Powell long braids. "Marquis has the dreds, I rock the braids, Al rocks the Mohawk," said Jackson, "and Jermaine's got the rock-star, all-the-ladies-love-me look with the low Caesar."

                              O'Neal described his look as "the new sexy."


                              MACKEY FEATURED IN SCOUTING SERIES

                              Veteran coach and current Pacers scout Kevin Mackey is the subject of an interesting feature series on ProBasketballNews.com written by veteran basketball scribe David Friedman. The series, entitled "A Scout's-Eye View of the Game," offer a fascinating look at how Mackey and other scouts go about their jobs.

                              There's not only detail about what a scout looks for in a player both in terms of talent and basketball savvy, but a wealth of the enteraining anecdotes. Mackey says of one player, "He has hands like feet.

                              You can find guys like that under a bridge. I bring guys like that (to training camp), I won't have a job." In the second part of a series, Mackey gives readers a look at how scouts break down game film

                              Why Not Us ?

                              Comment


                              • #60
                                Re: RC signs contract extension

                                I think it's a fantastic move. I'm a Rick Carlisle fan so...yeah. I think he'll have a Gregg Poppovich-esque role here. That's fine with me. Brilliant basketball minds aren't exactly a dime a dozen.

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X