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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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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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readjusting lineups (should we bring back the goon squad?)

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  • readjusting lineups (should we bring back the goon squad?)

    It seems the problem we're having with the lineups is too many conflicting playing styles. PG and Hans don't work well in the starting lineup with DC, DG and Roy. All five players have a need/urge to be THE scorer, whereas there are other players in the roster (Josh, Rush, Dun) have somewhat of a passing instinct, which is absolutely necessary to the scorer-passer ratio.

    I can't believe I'm saying this, but if Dun and Josh were starting at the 2 and 4 spots, respectively, I think it would allow for a less selfish style of play. Putting PG and Hans back into the goon squad would let them utilize their own scoring against less intense defenders (or rather, non-starters). Also, they wouldn't have to compete against Foster/AJ (usually) as scoring options, and adding in Rush or Lance (not Posey) at the 2-guard brings another facet of scoring and mid-level passing ability and movement to capitalize on the other scorers.

    So I guess what I'm basically saying is, I think we should bring back the almost-original goon squad. Except we've got no room to make adjustments this late and close to the playoffs. Would we be better off anyway?
    witters: @imbtyler, @postgameonline

    Originally posted by Day-V
    In conclusion, Paul George is awesome.
    Originally posted by Slick Pinkham
    Our arena, their arena, Rucker park, it just doesn't matter. We're bigger, longer, younger, faster, and hungrier.



  • #2
    Re: readjusting lineups (should we bring back the goon squad?)

    This thought had crossed my mind. Someone can look up the numbers, but I thought someone had pointed out the Collison/Dun/Granger/Mcbob/Hibbert lineup had been our most successful this year.

    Mcroberts has great chemistry with both Dunleavy and Hibbert, so it makes some sense. I would still play Tyler big minutes and possibly finish games (depending on who has it going)
    "As a bearded man, i was very disappointed in Love. I am gathering other bearded men to discuss the status of Kevin Love's beard. I am motioning that it must be shaved."

    - ilive4sports

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    • #3
      Re: readjusting lineups (should we bring back the goon squad?)

      Originally posted by Infinite MAN_force View Post
      This thought had crossed my mind. Someone can look up the numbers, but I thought someone had pointed out the Collison/Dun/Granger/Mcbob/Hibbert lineup had been our most successful this year.
      Not just our best lineup. Our best lineup by a mile.

      It is the 6th most effective 5 man group in the league behind two groups of Lakers, a group of Rockets, a group of Celtics, and a group of Spurs.

      No other Pacers group is even close to the top 50.
      "I had to take her down like Chris Brown."

      -Lance Stephenson

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      • #4
        Re: readjusting lineups (should we bring back the goon squad?)

        I'm not against the change, even at this late date, since these line-ups being discussed are very familiar to our guys anyway.

        I would add Dahntay into the 2nd unit before Rush. Rush becomes 11th man.

        A link to the various units' minutes played and results:

        http://basketballvalue.com/teamunits...sortorder=DESC

        Basically, these have been our best three line-ups that have played significant minutes, and don't involve putting Danny or Roy in the 2nd unit:

        1. Collison, Darren - Dunleavy, Mike - Granger, Danny - McRoberts, Josh - Hibbert, Roy
        2. Collison, Darren - Dunleavy, Mike - Granger, Danny - Hansbrough, Tyler - Hibbert, Roy
        3. Price, A.J. - Jones, Dahntay - George, Paul - Hansbrough, Tyler - Foster, Jeff

        The combo of AJ, Brandon, Paul G, Foster, and Tyler has only played nine minutes, so it's basically untested, to an extent. Dahntay's a spark plug for the 2nd unit, anyway. So...Brandon to 11th man.

        Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw that unit 2 as the starters tomorrow...keeping Tyler in and adding Dunleavy. It'll be interesting to see if Frank stands pat or makes a change, and what kind of change if he makes one.
        Last edited by kester99; 04-05-2011, 03:00 PM.


        [~]) ... Cheers! Go Pacers!

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        • #5
          Re: readjusting lineups (should we bring back the goon squad?)

          I wouldn't suggest moving lineups around anymore.

          What I would suggest is two things..

          Vogel has an O'brien like quality, where he subs guys in based on a pattern, not necessarily based on need. (Most system based coaches do this)

          And this is fine. Because usually he adjusts to the end of the game. However, I think he needs to adjust sooner. If DC is struggling...bring AJ in at the five minute mark, instead of waiting until the two minute mark or start of the second quarter. (Or shorten AJ's time if he's struggling..) IF Hans isn't making any shots..bring in Josh earlier. And vice versa..make the adjustments needed quicker..not just at the end of the game. To me, that would stop the hole.

          And second..I think if we are in a hole, that Vogel should try the "goon squad" to see if they can get back into it. Put Aj, Dahntay, PG, Hans, and FOster in at the same time. They don't have to be our second unit in order to all play together. If we're in a hole, play them together and see if they can get something done.

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          • #6
            Re: readjusting lineups (should we bring back the goon squad?)

            Not only was that starting group incredibly effective, but the bench/"Goon Squad" was too.

            I think it's pretty obvious that Paul is not ready to be a consistent starter and Tyler just doesn't complement Roy like Josh does mainly on the offensive end.

            I feel like those lineups/rotations will give us the best chance to be competitive in the playoffs and win at least a game.

            Starting our best players isn't always going to get the job done because a lot of players depend too much on themselves to do more which can ruin the chemistry.

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            • #7
              Re: readjusting lineups (should we bring back the goon squad?)

              Originally posted by BRushWithDeath View Post
              Not just our best lineup. Our best lineup by a mile.

              It is the 6th most effective 5 man group in the league behind two groups of Lakers, a group of Rockets, a group of Celtics, and a group of Spurs.

              No other Pacers group is even close to the top 50.
              ****. Do it yesterday then. Or at least as soon as Dunleavy can handle the minutes.

              Hard to argue with that stat.
              "As a bearded man, i was very disappointed in Love. I am gathering other bearded men to discuss the status of Kevin Love's beard. I am motioning that it must be shaved."

              - ilive4sports

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              • #8
                Re: readjusting lineups (should we bring back the goon squad?)

                Originally posted by Sookie View Post
                I wouldn't suggest moving lineups around anymore.
                Why? Afraid to damage the non-existent chemistry in the starting lineup?

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                • #9
                  Re: readjusting lineups (should we bring back the goon squad?)

                  Originally posted by Mackey_Rose View Post
                  Why? Afraid to damage the non-existent chemistry in the starting lineup?
                  Because it's a young team and they need consistency.

                  This starting lineup has won quite a few important games. And as I said, if Vogel makes the simple adjustment of

                  1. Bringing guys in quicker if something isn't working (which, he has been reluctant to do, although has gotten better)

                  and

                  2. As I suggested..if we do get ourselves in a hole. Try using the Goon squad to dig us out of it.

                  You've said it yourself, that the problem isn't with the shooting guard and power forward position. And we aren't going to start Price over Collison, or Foster over Hibbert..or Rush/Dun/Dahntay over Granger. So there's no point in messing with the psyche of the team with the other guys. Particularly since now the second unit is starting to have some good chemistry, so at least we have one unit with good chemistry..no need to mess it up again.

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                  • #10
                    Re: readjusting lineups (should we bring back the goon squad?)

                    Absolutely bring back the good squad. We should have Dun and Josh starting.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: readjusting lineups (should we bring back the goon squad?)

                      Originally posted by Sookie View Post
                      You've said it yourself, that the problem isn't with the shooting guard and power forward position.
                      That is true. Those positions are not the problem, but with the current personnel manning those positions, they do contribute to the poor chemistry of the starting unit.

                      Coincidentally (or maybe not so much so) they also were driving forces behind the emergence of the unfortunately named "Good Squad."

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                      • #12
                        Re: readjusting lineups (should we bring back the goon squad?)

                        At this point in the game I would rather do what Sookie is suggesting.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: readjusting lineups (should we bring back the goon squad?)

                          Originally posted by Mackey_Rose View Post
                          That is true. Those positions are not the problem, but with the current personnel manning those positions, they do contribute to the poor chemistry of the starting unit.

                          Coincidentally (or maybe not so much so) they also were driving forces behind the emergence of the unfortunately named "Good Squad."
                          I don't know, I think Hans helps Roy in a way that Josh doesn't. Josh feeds him the ball in the right places and such. But with Hans on the floor, the other team has to pick who they defend. That helps Roy a lot.

                          And with PG, I'd rather we wait and bring back Dun slowly, and not mess with PG's head. (And PG hasn't been a problem in the starting lineup.)

                          And as I've said, we've won some really important games and games against some really good teams with this starting lineup.

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                          • #14
                            Re: readjusting lineups (should we bring back the goon squad?)

                            I don't really care, but we should start using the lineup now that we plan to use and are OK using against the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs.

                            Can Dunleavy guard the Bulls starting shooting guard? Who is their starting shooting guard? I guess it is Bogans. Mike can start against him, so I would move Mike into the starting lineup now assuming he is OK physically.

                            Is Josh or Tyler a better defender against Boozer - or really who can better defend Boozer in the pick and rolls because that is where Boozer gets the majority of his offense.
                            Last edited by Unclebuck; 04-05-2011, 04:33 PM.

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                            • #15
                              Re: readjusting lineups (should we bring back the goon squad?)

                              Should stay as is.

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