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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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Q.O.D. for 8/3/06

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  • #16
    Re: Q.O.D. for 8/3/06

    Originally posted by rexnom
    Again, I just want to see us starting the process. Frankly, if we win 20 games but have great chemistry, JT and JO play injury free years, and Danny and Marquis come along real nicely (as well as Hulk, Flight, and Shawne) then that would make me extremely happy.

    If all that happens then the Pacers will win at least 45 games

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Q.O.D. for 8/3/06

      I say 45 wins and a 2nd round depature. It is going to be a real
      possiblity that Jax and Tinsley will be shipped midseason and chemistry
      will still be among the many issues plagueing the team.

      With that said given the transition BIrd is making I can give be forgiving
      of a mediocre season in hopes of better things to come.

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: Q.O.D. for 8/3/06

        Originally posted by Unclebuck
        If all that happens then the Pacers will win at least 45 games
        Obviously, my point was that I think next season is about more things than win totals. For the first time in a few years we'll probably enter the season without a legit chance at the championship.

        And like you said, wins will probably come with the other good things we are looking for.

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Q.O.D. for 8/3/06

          Honestly without Baby Al, I think we are lotto bound. I can live with it as long as the young players at least make progress and we look as if we are on an upswing.


          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Q.O.D. for 8/3/06

            Originally posted by Unclebuck
            If all that happens then the Pacers will win at least 45 games
            Correction at least 50 games. Injury free years for JO AND TINS? Crazy, but it would be a nice change of pace. DG and Quis both improve? Again would be a nice change of pace. Hulk, Flight, and Shawne improve and show more potential? Icing on the cake. We will probably be lucky if one of these things happen tho my bets on the second one.


            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Q.O.D. for 8/3/06

              i can't believe this has been what Pacers fans have been reduced to. It wasn't that long ago when we were competing for an eastern conference championship. Have 2 injury plagued/ron artest years sucked the life out of all Pacers fans?

              Who the He** would've thought Miami could have won a championship with a bunch of washed up winers last year. TEAM CHEMISTRY did it. If this team develops that finally, we can make a run. A few key aquisitions and we are a Miami waiting to happen.

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Q.O.D. for 8/3/06

                Originally posted by Phildog

                Who the He** would've thought Miami could have won a championship with a bunch of washed up winers last year. TEAM CHEMISTRY did it. If this team develops that finally, we can make a run. A few key aquisitions and we are a Miami waiting to happen.
                The one problem with that is we don't have players as good as Wade or Shaq

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Q.O.D. for 8/3/06

                  With no Al and no other significant changes, we are a 40-win team AT BEST. I'd bet about 36-38 wins or so and the lottery.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Q.O.D. for 8/3/06

                    Originally posted by Shade
                    With no Al and no other significant changes, we are a 40-win team AT BEST. I'd bet about 36-38 wins or so and the lottery.
                    Gee Shade - isn't that what Kravitz said?
                    Heywoode says... work hard man.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Q.O.D. for 8/3/06

                      With no moves we are a 30 win team talent-wise. BUT, Carlisle is IMO the best regular season coach in the NBA, so we end up with about 44 wins and a first round exit (keeping us out of the lottery again).

                      Our best hope is if Jackson is either gone or doesn't start, and if with Daniels starting we can significantly improve our defense. I disagree with Peck in that I think that the defense will be much, much better than last year (although not nearly as good as a few years ago).

                      I don't expect Carlisle to do it, but I really want to see Daniels start, backed up by White. White needs to learn how to play in the NBA, and those two could make a huge difference in our perimeter defense.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Q.O.D. for 8/3/06

                        Originally posted by Doug in OH
                        Gee Shade - isn't that what Kravitz said?
                        Unlike , I expect changes to be made.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Q.O.D. for 8/3/06

                          Originally posted by Unclebuck
                          The one problem with that is we don't have players as good as Wade or Shaq
                          JO is better than Shaq, and no,we don't have a DWade, but only one team in this league does, and guys like that don't come along very often. Putting together a team that works together is the main goal. Having a dominant guard is not always a recipe to win.

                          We're close, if we can put it all together. How about Quis'? What's he really capable of? We don't know yet. Granger? What's he got? Al? We already know what he can do.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Q.O.D. for 8/3/06

                            Originally posted by Phildog
                            JO is better than Shaq,
                            Even though last season Shaq was probably 50% the player he was in 2000 and 2001 he was still better last season than JO. I'm not ripping JO, but that is how good Shaq was in 5 years ago.

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Q.O.D. for 8/3/06

                              As of now I feel we're lottery bound BUT Walsh will do everything in his power to not see that happen and so I could see a midseason trade (or coaching change) to attempt to invigorate the team for a playoff push.

                              I wouldn't have a problem with this team heading to the lottery to tell you the truth.

                              But now that we've seen some confirmation that our first round draft pick was included in the Al offer, then that changes the thinking on that somewhat (altho right now we still have it). ...Unless we really plan to shake things up if this team underperforms and try and trade our way back into the draft...

                              But with Carlisle coaching and JO expected to be the leader of the team under Carlisle- 36 wins. Carlisle eventually will go Carlisle and set JO up for failure unless JO finally has the 'lightbulb' game and takes his approach to another level.

                              It's a given that Tinsley will be hurting, sick, and pouting so I don't even consider the "IF Tinsley is healthy" angle.

                              Those things mean the chemistry experiment will fail and Sjax will again try and do too much due to the vacuum that will be created... and he's already lost the fans anyway so it'll be a nasty mood inside Conseco as the losses mount.

                              The new players won't make much difference unless Carlisle really can change his stripes and win back the team that he already lost. Carlisle is a great coach... except when he's not. And his clock has run out. He almost needs to be like a new coach and that's asking a lot on a lot of different levels. I don't think he can win back this team with the core remaining intact.

                              This is a transition year at best.
                              EDIT: And now that I think about it... next year will be as well. By not changing out the coach this off season we're going to be left with a question next summer of what the new coach could've done with these same players. Will management really 'clean house'? ...Or will they want to see how this 'core' reacts to a new coach? I suppose a midseason coaching change MIGHT answer some questions BUT it's not like the best prospects are out there at midseason so we're probably looking at an assisstant getting the temporary nod anyway (and nothing like a coaching change would happen unless the playoffs are slipping out of reach).

                              -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


                              • #30
                                Re: Q.O.D. for 8/3/06

                                Originally posted by Unclebuck
                                Even though last season Shaq was probably 50% the player he was in 2000 and 2001 he was still better last season than JO. I'm not ripping JO, but that is how good Shaq was in 5 years ago.
                                Shaquille O'Neal, #32-C


                                Shaquille O'Neal, #32-C

                                PPG
                                20
                                REB
                                9.2
                                ASST
                                1.9
                                FG%
                                60
                                MIN
                                30.6


                                Jermaine O'Neal, #7-FC
                                PPG
                                20.1
                                REB
                                9.3
                                ASST
                                2.6
                                FG%
                                47.2
                                MIN
                                35.3



                                Shaq can't hit a free throw if his life depended on it. Plus, he's got DWade taking pressure off of him in the post.

                                I've gotta say.....JO beats Shaq hands down at this point.

                                Comment

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