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Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"

"People with intelligence will agree with me when I say that __________"

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

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"Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good? "

In general, if a comment goes from purely on topic to something 'ad hominem' (personal jabs, personal shots, attacks, flames, however you want to call it, towards a person, or a group of people, or a given city/state/country of people), those are most likely going to be found intolerable.

We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.

Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.

A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.

There's always a small minority that like to push people's buttons and/or test their own boundaries with regards to the administrators, and in the case of someone acting like that, please be aware that this is not a court of law, but a private website run by people who are simply trying to do the right thing as they see it. If we feel that you are a special case that needs to be dealt with in an exceptional way because your behavior isn't explicitly mirroring one of our above examples of what we generally discourage, we can and we will take atypical action to prevent this from continuing if you are not cooperative with us.

Also please be aware that you will not be given a pass simply by claiming that you were 'only joking,' because quite honestly, when someone really is just joking, for one thing most people tend to pick up on the joke, including the person or group that is the target of the joke, and for another thing, in the event where an honest joke gets taken seriously and it upsets or angers someone, the person who is truly 'only joking' will quite commonly go out of his / her way to apologize and will try to mend fences. People who are dishonest about their statements being 'jokes' do not do so, and in turn that becomes a clear sign of what is really going on. It's nothing new.

In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.

Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.

If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!

All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.

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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.

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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

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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:

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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

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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.

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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.

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Rule #10

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Rasho - is a lot better than I thought - pacers.com article

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  • #1

    Rasho - is a lot better than I thought - pacers.com article

    I always liked Rasho - thought he was a smart player- but he is a lot better than I thought.

    Here is an excellent article from Conrad.

    http://my.nba.com/thread.jspa?threadID=5700026793


    Rasho's best attribute? Nothing. And everything.


    Mike Wells and I were working into the embers of Tuesday night, tying up loose ends after the Pacers' 113-96 victory over Atlanta, when The Indianapolis Star's stellar beat writer interrupted his typing, looked over and asked a question that has been rattling around in my head ever since:

    "What would you say is Rasho Nesterovic's best attribute as a player?"

    I started to answer but realized nothing came to mind. Or better put, everything came to mind. Rasho's greatest strength is that he doesn't have a greatest strength. He does everything pretty well. He's one of the most fundamentally sound big men I've ever seen. On nights like Tuesday, when he racked up 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocked shots, it's plain to anyone who watched.

    But nights like these are exceptions. Normally, Rasho's a 10-and-5 guy with a few assists and a blocked shot or two mixed in, not the kind of numbers that get your attention -- unless you happen to really like watching good professional basketball players at work.

    Or, if you're someone who understands and appreciates the game at a level most of us can never begin to approach. Someone like, for example, Jim O'Brien.

    He didn't hesitate at all when I repeated Wells' question to him.

    "I would say his basketball IQ," said the coach. "I think he understands the game of basketball. He understands in particular what we're trying to accomplish offensively. He understands the strengths of his teammates. He understands the weaknesses of his teammates. He's a very, very good communicator.

    "Physically, I'd say his best attribute is probably passing the basketball."

    Which partially explains one other group that truly appreciates Rasho's game: his teammates.

    "He's what you call a good pro," said T.J. Ford, who spent two years with Rasho in Toronto. "He carries himself the way a professional should. He doesn't have a big name. He never has. But if you ask around the NBA, they know he's a solid player."

    There is someone you simply shouldn't ask, though, when the time comes to heap praise upon the 7-foot veteran from Slovenia. That would be the 7-foot veteran from Slovenia.

    So, Rasho, what's your best attribute?

    "I don't think about that," he said. "During the game, you just try to make every pass good, every shot good, every defense good. You are just in the flow of the game."

    How did you feel about your big statistical night?

    "I don't know the box score," he said. "I mean, this is just stats. It means nothing."

    Many have said that. Few mean it. I'll never forget the one player (now retired) who shall remain nameless who looked a TV reporter squarely in the eye, said he never even looked at the box score because stats were for losers. As soon as the reporter turned off his camera and turned to walk away, the player reached under his chair, grabbed the box score and began complaining to the guy in the next locker about how the stat crew missed a couple of his assists.

    Rasho's a guy who means it. It's a big reason he has never been on a team that failed to make the playoffs. You can look it up: five seasons in Minnesota, three (including a title) in San Antonio, two in Toronto, none fell short of the playoffs.

    "Don't think I don't know that," O'Brien said.

    Which brings us to the one statistic that may best explain his game: my beloved plus-minus. In the four games since Rasho has returned from the sprained ankle, the Pacers have outscored their opponents by 54 points when he's been on the floor. When he's been on the bench, the Pacers have been outscored by 41.

    "Lawrence Frank from the Nets told me when we got him that he felt Rasho was one of the most underrated centers in the league," O'Brien said. "He just knows how to play basketball."

    When you get right down to it, that's the most important attribute a player can hope to have.


    Nov 19, 2008 3:41 PM EST
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Rasho - is a lot better than I thought - pacers.com article

    Nice article. I hope the Pacers don't break his record of never being on a team that didn't make the playoffs!

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Rasho - is a lot better than I thought - pacers.com article

      Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
      "I don't know the box score," he said. "I mean, this is just stats. It means nothing."

      Many have said that. Few mean it. I'll never forget the one player (now retired) who shall remain nameless who looked a TV reporter squarely in the eye, said he never even looked at the box score because stats were for losers. As soon as the reporter turned off his camera and turned to walk away, the player reached under his chair, grabbed the box score and began complaining to the guy in the next locker about how the stat crew missed a couple of his assists.


      Nov 19, 2008 3:41 PM EST

      Who is this guy?

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Rasho - is a lot better than I thought - pacers.com article

        Originally posted by 31andonly View Post
        Who is this guy?
        I would absolutely love to know who that guy is ... really ....

        -- Steve --

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Rasho - is a lot better than I thought - pacers.com article

          Originally posted by 31andonly View Post
          Who is this guy?
          I've heard Bruno tell the story before - and I don't know if he ever has told us who it was. But I think it was from the early to mid 90's right before Larry Brown got there. If someone stuck a gun to my head and told me to make a wild guess, I would say Pooh Richardson - that is a total guess on my part - but I figure it is a point guard and the story came out during that time.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Rasho - is a lot better than I thought - pacers.com article

            I feel better about the Pacers' win against Atlanta after seeing them beat Washington last night. Marvin Williams is quite the shooter, but Washington really doesn't have a front court to take advantage of Atlanta, but then you'd expect Atlanta not to have as many problems when Washington has to start Dee Brown at PG.

            Rasho not missing the playoffs and his impact on the +/- is quite impressive. The espn video highlights of the Pacers/Hawks game featured a couple of his passes out of the high post for easy baskets. Having a post player that impacts both ends of the court and makes his teammates better is quite nice. The fact his contract is expiring is going to put Bird in a tough spot.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Rasho - is a lot better than I thought - pacers.com article

              It's wonderful happenstance that our major center prospect has similarities to Rasho: great passer, high BBall IQ, good communicator, good all around but not great in terms of atheticism or one particular quality.

              Rasho could end up being the perfect mentor for Roy.
              "Look, it's up to me to put a team around ... Lance right now." —Kevin Pritchard press conference

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Rasho - is a lot better than I thought - pacers.com article

                In the four games since Rasho has returned from the sprained ankle, the Pacers have outscored their opponents by 54 points when he's been on the floor. When he's been on the bench, the Pacers have been outscored by 41.
                How can that NOT be significant?
                And I won't be here to see the day
                It all dries up and blows away
                I'd hang around just to see
                But they never had much use for me
                In Levelland. (James McMurtry)

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Rasho - is a lot better than I thought - pacers.com article

                  Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
                  I've heard Bruno tell the story before - and I don't know if he ever has told us who it was. But I think it was from the early to mid 90's right before Larry Brown got there. If someone stuck a gun to my head and told me to make a wild guess, I would say Pooh Richardson - that is a total guess on my part - but I figure it is a point guard and the story came out during that time.
                  I've heard this story before too, but I don't think it was ever revealed who, but I swear it's from that era, too. First guy I thought of was Jalen, though.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Rasho - is a lot better than I thought - pacers.com article

                    The way Rasho plays is what many of us in Indiana recognize as basketball.

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Rasho - is a lot better than I thought - pacers.com article

                      Originally posted by Speed View Post
                      The way Rasho plays is what many of us in Indiana recognize as basketball.



                      So far Rasho is simply playing his size, playing within his abilities, and he's making the players around him better for it. He's not looking to stuff stats, he's looking to win games and it shows.

                      -Bball
                      Nuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.

                      ------

                      "A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork."

                      -John Wooden

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Rasho - is a lot better than I thought - pacers.com article

                        Originally posted by Bball View Post


                        So far Rasho is simply playing his size, playing within his abilities, and he's making the players around him better for it. He's not looking to stuff stats, he's looking to win games and it shows.

                        -Bball
                        Right, basketball.

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: Rasho - is a lot better than I thought - pacers.com article

                          I used to think that Rasho was an automatic goner next season.....but with the way that he appears to be fitting into JO'Bs offense/defense ( yes, I know...it's just 10 games ), unless there is some FA out there that we can afford that meets all of our needs that TPTB really covet, despite the lack of athleticsm....I can totally see resigning Rasho as an altervative.
                          Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: Rasho - is a lot better than I thought - pacers.com article

                            Is Rasho restricted or unrestricted?

                            Or, to ask another way, is it realistic for us to resign him at significantly lower than his current salary?
                            "Look, it's up to me to put a team around ... Lance right now." —Kevin Pritchard press conference

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: Rasho - is a lot better than I thought - pacers.com article

                              I was like most others on the forum when this trade was made.

                              "What the heck, we just traded JO for a PG and an expiring contract?" Then thought, well that's okay, we need a decent PG and Ford is one of the quickest. The deal will give us the PG we need and future flexibility against the luxury tax and in acquiring additional players.

                              Jeez, I was about as "wrong as wrong can get".

                              I'm enjoying Rasho, his game and his professionalism just as much as I've always enjoyed Foster's.

                              I admire his attitude... he is entirely about winning.

                              Many figured that he was a one-year stopgap to get Hibbert prepared for starting. Let him go after this season or sign-and-trade him to get the PF that we need.

                              At this point, considering most of the PFs that we might be able to get, I'd say that we would take a step backwards if we used Rasho for that purpose.

                              Many of us liked Brad Miller; he was a center that could give us points and rebounds and size-wise could challenge opposing centers.

                              Considering his all-around game, I would have to say that I would take Rasho over Miller.

                              I'm glad he's here and I hope like hell we can get him to stay. We'll just have to come up with another way to get us a PF, or we can acquire and develop one through the draft.

                              Comment

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