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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 ___________"

"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.

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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

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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.

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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SEE LAST POST Insider request. Eastern Conference pecking order.

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  • SEE LAST POST Insider request. Eastern Conference pecking order.

    Espn has a couple of insider articles that sound like they might be worth reading. One is the Easter conference pecking order and it looks like another article on ranking the East by roster construction. If anyone with insider could paste these it might make for some discussion. I'm interested to see their take on our roster changes.

    http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/inside...tle-contenders
    Why do teams tank? Ask a Spurs fan.

  • #2
    Re: Insider request. Eastern Conference pecking order.

    http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/inside...tle-contenders

    With the calendar turning to August and the NBA's offseason hitting its quiet period, let's take a first look at how the league will shake out after a busy summer. Starting Thursday with the Eastern Conference and wrapping up Friday with the West, I'll take a look at the tiers in each respective conference based on where teams stand entering the 2015-16 season.

    Tier 1: Championship contenders

    Cleveland Cavaliers


    With J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson as yet unsigned, there's still work for the Cavaliers to do. Even without those players, Cleveland would still be the heavy favorite to win the Eastern Conference. With them, the Cavaliers would have a chance to be more competitive if they return to the NBA Finals. Given the quality of the Western Conference's top teams, Cleveland's position as championship favorites by Las Vegas linesmakers is perhaps a bit of a stretch, but certainly the Cavaliers have the best odds of reaching the Finals by a wide margin.


    Tier 2: Championship hopefuls

    None.

    The defining feature of this season's Eastern Conference is the large gap between Cleveland and the rest of the conference. While some other challenger will inevitably rise from the pack, there's no other team that appears certain to win 50-plus games.

    Tier 3: Likely playoff teams

    Atlanta Hawks


    While the Hawks won 60 games a season ago, several factors are working against a repeat. Atlanta's point differential (plus-5.4 ppg) was more typical of a 55-win team, and teams like the Hawks, who have improved their record by at least 20 games from one season to the next, have regressed two wins the following season. Add in the loss of starting forward DeMarre Carroll, and Atlanta is likely to return to the 45-50 win range the team has occupied much of the past decade.


    AP Photo/Steven Senne
    Boston Celtics


    Consider the Celtics a sleeper to claim home-court advantage and/or win a playoff series. Boston had the East's second-best record (20-11, .645) and fourth-best point differential (plus-2.9 PPG) after acquiring Isaiah Thomas at the trade deadline. While the Celtics didn't land a star this summer, the addition of veteran Amir Johnson strengthens their biggest weakness, interior defense.

    Chicago Bulls


    Because of their track record and because they battled a weakened Cleveland team evenly through the first four games of their playoff series, the Bulls' 2014-15 season seemed better than it was. Chicago won 50 games with a slightly weaker point differential (plus-3.0) than that would generally imply. If Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah are healthier, the Bulls could bounce back, but otherwise they are counting on the arrival of Fred Hoiberg to lift them back into serious contention after bringing back a largely similar cast.

    Miami Heat


    No team in the NBA has a wider range of realistic outcomes in 2015-16 than the Heat. With a stacked starting lineup featuring Goran Dragic, Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside -- all but Whiteside having either been an All-Star or All-NBA player in the past three seasons -- Miami could emerge as the biggest threat to the Cavaliers. But if Wade is plagued by injuries and Whiteside is unable to produce consistently, it's not inconceivable that Miami could end up in the lottery again.

    Toronto Raptors


    After a fast start to 2014-15 ended in a disappointing first-round sweep, the Raptors remade their roster in a more defensive mold over the summer. Replacing Greivis Vasquez and Lou Williams with DeMarre Carroll and Cory Joseph should get the Raptors closer to how they played in 2013-14, when the team ranked ninth on a per-possession basis at both ends of the floor before slipping to 23rd in defensive rating last season.

    Washington Wizards


    The loss of Paul Pierce will make it difficult for the Wizards to build on a playoff run that depended heavily on Pierce's big shots and ability to wreak havoc as a small-ball power forward. Getting Jared Dudley for a heavily-protected second-round pick was a decent save for Washington, but Dudley is coming off back surgery. And despite the presence of young stars John Wall and Bradley Beal, the Wizards have one of the league's oldest rosters. So expect another season in the middle of the East pack.

    Tier 4: Playoff hopefuls

    Charlotte Hornets


    There's a realistic chance this is the best Charlotte team since the NBA returned to the Queen City via expansion in 2004-05. Improved shooting with the arrival of Nicolas Batum, Spencer Hawes and Frank Kaminsky should help the Hornets to respectability on offense. Given Charlotte has had a top-10 defense both seasons under Steve Clifford, that should be enough to get the Hornets back to the playoffs -- and maybe even win a game this time.

    Detroit Pistons


    After their disastrous 5-23 start, the Pistons went 27-27 the rest of the season. And they could have been better. Having added Reggie Jackson at the trade deadline, Detroit went 11-17 in the second half despite a dead-even point differential. With the addition of Ersan Ilyasova, the Pistons seem better constructed around their core of Jackson and center Andre Drummond.

    Indiana Pacers


    It's tough to envision a Pacers team playing small ball without Roy Hibbert in the middle, the experiment Indiana has undertaken with its offseason moves. With better spacing around improved shot creation from the likes of Monta Ellis and Rodney Stuckey, this could be the best Pacers offense in years. But it's unclear whether Indiana can hold up defensively with severely compromised rim protection.

    Milwaukee Bucks


    While the Bucks are building an intriguing young core, there are reasons to believe they might take a slight step backward in 2015-16 despite the addition of Greg Monroe. After all, Milwaukee made an even bigger leap than Atlanta, winning 26 more games than 2013-14. And of the four full-season Bucks with the best net ratings on the court last season per NBA.com/stats, only Khris Middleton returns. (Dudley, Ilyasova and Zaza Pachulia were the others.)

    Tier 5: Playoff long shots


    Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images
    New York Knicks


    The Knicks should be improved from last season solely by virtue of having NBA-caliber players throughout their rotation, led by a healthy Carmelo Anthony. Still, New York hasn't done nearly enough to close the gap on the playoff contenders. Derrick Williams isn't a credible starting power forward, and Arron Afflalo's reputation dramatically outstripped his performance last season. Only at center have the Knicks found an average starter in free agency with Robin Lopez.

    Orlando Magic


    Orlando is probably still a season away from making real noise in the Eastern Conference. New head coach Scott Skiles' experience in his previous stop with Milwaukee might offer a guide. The Bucks improved by eight wins in Skiles' first season at the helm, almost entirely at the defensive end, but it wasn't until the second season that Skiles put together a top-five defense and got Milwaukee in the playoffs.

    Tier 6: Likely lottery teams

    Brooklyn Nets


    The Nets' second-half surge was something of a mirage. While Brooklyn went 17-13 after adding Thaddeus Young, the team was outscored by 0.9 points per game. And that was with Deron Williams at point guard. The Nets outscored opponents by 1.6 points per 100 possessions with Williams on the court during the second half, per NBA.com/stats. Brooklyn was minus-6.0 points per 100 possessions after the break with replacement Jarrett Jack on the court. Gulp.

    Philadelphia 76ers


    Philadelphia probably belongs in a tier of its own. The Sixers don't look much closer to competing with Joel Embiid likely out for the season and no veteran additions in free agency. Philadelphia should have better shooting with the arrival of Nik Stauskas and a full season of Isaiah Canaan, and Jahlil Okafor gives them an offensive anchor. But the Sixers' move up the standings is probably a season away.
    Nothing earth shattering in there.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Insider request. Eastern Conference pecking order.

      to the guys putting me on blast in the "we have a young roster thread"...

      check out what an unbiased opinion of the Celtics looks like.

      go ahead.. I'll wait

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Insider request. Eastern Conference pecking order.

        Thanks for posting cdash. Is the roster construction article the same article?
        Why do teams tank? Ask a Spurs fan.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Insider request. Eastern Conference pecking order.

          Question how did we do last year with Roy in the games and out of the games, with respect to defense?
          Why so SERIOUS

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Insider request. Eastern Conference pecking order.

            Originally posted by Really? View Post
            Question how did we do last year with Roy in the games and out of the games, with respect to defense?
            Last year really doesn't matter to me since PG and the rest if the core weren't healthy. I know that Roy and that core were the best defensive team in the NBA. I believe that Roy and Paul have a synergy on defense that was special. We will take a huge step back on defense this year as compared to what we would have had with Roy and Paul.
            Why do teams tank? Ask a Spurs fan.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Insider request. Eastern Conference pecking order.

              Originally posted by Really? View Post
              Question how did we do last year with Roy in the games and out of the games, with respect to defense?
              That would be a more relevant question if the Pacers were using the exact same defensive scheme and the exact same roster minus roy. Neither applies here.

              It wasn't about being the team everyone loved, it was about beating the teams everyone else loved.

              Division Champions 1955, 1956, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
              Conference Champions 1955, 1956, 1988, 2005
              NBA Champions 1989, 1990, 2004

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Insider request. Eastern Conference pecking order.

                The only thing that stuck out for me was the thought of Miwaukee somehow regressing. I don't see that happening.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Insider request. Eastern Conference pecking order.

                  Originally posted by Ryan View Post
                  to the guys putting me on blast in the "we have a young roster thread"...

                  check out what an unbiased opinion of the Celtics looks like.

                  go ahead.. I'll wait
                  while you wait enjoy this thread.

                  http://www.pacersdigest.com/showthre...ge7&highlight=


                  i hyped the celtics, they got a deep and very young roster with a brilliant young coach. sorta in the same position as us, one Franchise player away from contender status.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Insider request. Eastern Conference pecking order.

                    Originally posted by Ryan View Post
                    to the guys putting me on blast in the "we have a young roster thread"...

                    check out what an unbiased opinion of the Celtics looks like.

                    go ahead.. I'll wait
                    Ok.... So pre-season predictions make you right? Nice job.

                    I think a lot of national analysts underrate us because they didn't see us play last year so they don't know how poor David and Roy were at times so they overrate how much we lost.
                    Last edited by BlueCollarColts; 08-06-2015, 06:06 PM.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Insider request. Eastern Conference pecking order.

                      Once again, another instance in which Paul ****ing George is ignored.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Insider request. Eastern Conference pecking order.

                        Originally posted by BlueCollarColts View Post
                        Ok.... So pre-season predictions make you right? Nice job.

                        I think a lot of national analysts underrate us because they didn't see us play last year so they don't know how poor David and Roy were at times so they overrate how much we lost.
                        because the celtics were national darlings

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Insider request. Eastern Conference pecking order.

                          Or maybe they rate us correctly, but for the wrong reasons. I agree though, West and Roy weren't the West and Roy of 3 seasons ago in the ECF's. And West wasn't even the West of the previous ECF. And Roy's principal of verticality, rim protection monster legend has been more myth than reality for a while.

                          So changes were needed and maybe the fruit from those changes won't be seen immediately, but I think some ratings are based on past history and myths more than any reality of where the Pacers would've actually been with West and Roy at this point in time and moving forward. And like you said, the national media weren't exactly paying close attention to the Pacers last season.
                          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


                          • #14
                            Re: Insider request. Eastern Conference pecking order.

                            Pacers will be back. Fuxk Cleveland

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Insider request. Eastern Conference pecking order.

                              Originally posted by Ryan View Post
                              because the celtics were national darlings
                              Different situation man, who did the Celtics lose? No one. We are being docked wins because of a couple guys we lost who honestly weren't that good.

                              Comment

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