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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:

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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.

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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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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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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.

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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.

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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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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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Kravitz: What's the point? Go ahead and TANK it

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  • #1

    Kravitz: What's the point? Go ahead and TANK it

    http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl...35/1004/SPORTS

    March 29, 2007


    Bob Kravitz
    What's the point? Go ahead and tank it

    Tank it.

    That's the thought that kept running through my head Tuesday night, sitting and watching the Pacers lose their 15th out of 17 games, watching the Cleveland Cavaliers toy with the home team, watching the Pacers' doomed season circle the drain one more time.

    Seriously.

    Tank it.

    Like, how about telling Jermaine O'Neal, "Look, that knee isn't getting any better, and we think it's time to shut you down?"

    What about giving Jamaal Tinsley the rest of the season off, just to save the Pacer Nation the horror of watching him play perimeter defense?

    How about Jeff Foster, who left Tuesday's game with the Cavaliers because of back spasms? Those things need time, you know.

    The point is, with the Pacers' season right now, there is no point. You say there's a breakneck playoff race for the final spot in the Eastern Conference? Sure. And you could feel the energy Tuesday, when a whisper more than 14,000 showed up, mostly to watch LeBron James. The truth is, this franchise is as irrelevant as it has ever been, and that won't change with a five-game-long playoff series against Detroit or whomever.

    Tanking it -- sorry, let's call it "coming down with a case of convenient ineptitude" -- serves two purposes.

    First and foremost, it gets the Pacers in a better position to win one of the top 10 lottery spots. The Pacers, of course, dealt their first-round pick to Atlanta in the Al Harrington trade. (Maybe you remember the "Baby Al Is Back!" era. It lasted about 10 minutes.) The good news is, if the Pacers' draft pick is in the top 10, they keep it. But if they draft beyond the 10th spot -- which is where they are this minute -- Atlanta gets the pick.

    I figure, if you're going to have a horrible season, there might as well be some kind of payoff, right?

    With all due respect to the bottom line of owners Mel and Herb Simon, the worst thing the Pacers can do right now is fight and scratch their way into the playoffs. Or be just good enough to finish outside of the top 10, which would be a double-whammy. Miss the playoffs and lose their only draft pick.

    By my way of thinking, tanking it serves another purpose.

    It gives us a chance to see what the young players can do.
    Let's see what Shawne Williams can do with more than four minutes of playing time. The Pacers didn't see fit to send him to the developmental league, so give him some meaningful court time now.

    Let's see what Ike Diogu can do. He was the wild card in the big deal with Golden State, and it's still hard to figure if he's going to be a player. The early returns have not been good -- the next time he passes out of the post will be the first -- but there is no way of truly knowing unless he gets time.

    Let's see what David Harrison looks like in a uniform. This has been a lost season for Harrison, who has shown glimpses when he isn't committing four fouls in three minutes of play. Give him a map to the floor and see if he's got a future.

    How about Orien Greene? Or Keith McLeod? Are either of these guys keepers?

    Every time Maceo Baston plays, he gives them some production -- or at least good effort -- but he's buried at the end of the bench. Bringing a guy in from Israel, that's a long way to go for him to be a "DNP-Coach's Decision" almost every night.

    Look, the Pacers know what they have with their other players.

    And the answer is, not much.

    Think O'Neal isn't painfully aware this team isn't going anywhere, this year or for the foreseeable future? He's going to want out -- I couldn't blame him -- and the Pacers would be smart to cut the cord. O'Neal and Danny Granger are the only tradable commodities, and you've got to figure O'Neal would be the centerpiece of a deal that gets the rebuilding job under way.

    The midseason trade, the one that led to the Pacers falling off a cliff, has been, to be kind, a disaster.

    To paraphrase former Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green, when it comes to Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy, they are who we thought they were. They're complimentary players on a good team, but nothing more. And they own long-term deals that will shackle the Pacers for some time to come.

    Here's where it gets dicey, though. Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh seem singularly unwilling to pooch-punt this season and acknowledge the house has to be razed before it's rebuilt. And if Rick Carlisle's job is on the line, there's no way he's going to agree to take more lumps on his way out the door. He's here to win, not set the table for the next coach.

    The best thing that can happen is, all of this takes care of itself and the Pacers continue to lose even when they're not actively trying to tank the season.

    Based on their play the past month or so, I think they're up to the challenge.






    The poster "pacertom" since this forum began (and before!). I changed my name here to "Slick Pinkham" in honor of the imaginary player That Bobby "Slick" Leonard picked late in the 1971 ABA draft (true story!).
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Kravitz: What's the point? Go ahead and TANK it

    Kravitz channels his inner Bball. If he starts talking about gigs and the price of quality A/V cables I'm going to be officially scared......
    PSN: MRat731 XBL: MRat0731

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    • #3
      Re: Kravitz: What's the point? Go ahead and TANK it

      The man once again proves he's a wizz in cut&paste

      IMO he should stop reading PD, it doesn't improve his "vision".

      So Long And Thanks For All The Fish.

      If you've done 6 impossible things today?
      Then why not have Breakfast at Milliways!

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      • #4
        Re: Kravitz: What's the point? Go ahead and TANK it

        It is scary how much that article looks like it was lifted straight off of Pacers Digest. I'm seriously suspicious.
        The Miller Time Podcast on 8 Points, 9 Seconds:
        http://www.eightpointsnineseconds.com/tag/miller-time-podcast/
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        • #5
          Re: Kravitz: What's the point? Go ahead and TANK it

          Originally posted by able View Post
          The man once again proves he's a wizz in cut&paste

          IMO he should stop reading PD, it doesn't improve his "vision".

          Give the man credit, wouldn't he be foolish to go somewhere else for his information?
          You know how hippos are made out to be sweet and silly, like big cows, but are actually extremely dangerous and can kill you with stunning brutality? The Pacers are the NBA's hippos....Matt Moore CBS Sports....

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          • #6
            Re: Kravitz: What's the point? Go ahead and TANK it

            Maybe if we all start channeling some absurd line of thought we can know for sure.

            Quick, everyone start saying "Librarians are hiding something, and it's Donnie Walsh's fault!"

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            • #7
              Re: Kravitz: What's the point? Go ahead and TANK it

              It's not like it's some irrelevant topic. It's probably the biggest issue in Pacer-land right now, so what else is he suppose to talk about?

              And I agree with him for the most part. If we could jump into the bottom-6 (currently 3 games back, but playing far worse than any of the teams between us and #6) then we'd have a legit shot at jumping into the top-3. Or at the very least, a top-6 pick in talent-filled draft. Hell, we could trade #6 down to #10-14 and still probably pick up Conley or Law and an extra 1st to boot.

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              • #8
                Re: Kravitz: What's the point? Go ahead and TANK it

                The Pacers are really screwing up the Pistons' draft position.

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                • #9
                  Re: Kravitz: What's the point? Go ahead and TANK it

                  What I love about Kravitz is he tells the Pacers they should have traded Artest sooner, should have traded Jackson sooner and he's been telling all the world that they should have traded Tinsley long ago. How many one-liners have we read from him about trading Artest for a bag of chips, about trading Jackson for a second round draft pick in the year 2025 and about trading Tinsley for any point guard that can walk.

                  But then when the Pacers trade these guys, Bob is the first one to rip the trade. And suggest that the "trade hasn't worked out" Bob we got more than you wanted us to get

                  How many times has he said they need to blow the team up and start over and yet when they make a major trade to "start over" he criticizes it.

                  And I'll never forget Bob was the one who recommended the Pacers not trade Artest in the summer of '04 when there were some McGrady rumors.

                  When Tinsley is traded as Bob has wanted for a few years, he'll be the first one to rip the Pacers and say they didn't get enough.


                  Bob, and everyone else, if I ever think the Pacers are tanking a game or a series of games (tanking means to lose on purpose) I will demand my money back and if the pacers won't give it to me, then I'll pester Bob until he does.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Kravitz: What's the point? Go ahead and TANK it

                    We have - what - 4 guys left from 04/05?

                    Foster - perfect role player, one of two inside men who can defend.
                    Tinsley - tough to move.
                    Harrison - rookie contract big.
                    JO - our lone genuine star.

                    If that isn't a 2 year "raze" job, I don't know what is.

                    Does Bob "I-get-my-info-and-opinions-from-anonymous-web-fan-forums-and-sell-it-all-for-money" Kravitz want a team of nothing but rookies?
                    “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill

                    “If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning.” - Catherine Aird

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                    • #11
                      Re: Kravitz: What's the point? Go ahead and TANK it

                      Kravitz' article does look familiar, but common sense is usually pretty familiar.

                      However, I would not at all be surprised if he reads Pacer digest. In today's world, it would be professional malpractice for a sports writer not to do so.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Kravitz: What's the point? Go ahead and TANK it

                        For those who would like to.....this is not a joke:

                        http://www.cathedral-irish.org/uploa...tfactsheet.pdf
                        Ever notice how friendly folks are at a shootin' range??.

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: Kravitz: What's the point? Go ahead and TANK it

                          Originally posted by indygeezer View Post
                          For those who would like to.....this is not a joke:

                          http://www.cathedral-irish.org/uploa...tfactsheet.pdf
                          Interesting Geez, however a water tank and a bucket of balls would work just as well for me.
                          You know how hippos are made out to be sweet and silly, like big cows, but are actually extremely dangerous and can kill you with stunning brutality? The Pacers are the NBA's hippos....Matt Moore CBS Sports....

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: Kravitz: What's the point? Go ahead and TANK it

                            Originally posted by FlavaDave View Post
                            It is scary how much that article looks like it was lifted straight off of Pacers Digest. I'm seriously suspicious.
                            For once, I completely agree with Kravitz...or at least...he completely agrees with many of us on PD.

                            Too bad it took him this long for him to figure it out.
                            Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: Kravitz: What's the point? Go ahead and TANK it

                              I am with some others on this board in that common thoughts will intersect somewhere. It's kind of hard to write something novel when there is only a common thread.

                              I have to say though, there is a big difference in being bad and being pathetic and I just crossed over to the "we are pathetic" side. This is just painful for me to read how some of these teams (NEW JERSEY!) just ream us. If, indeed, players have tuned Carlisle out as some have suggested I might recommend they get some high quality hearing aids because they aren't doing themselves any favors.

                              Wait, nix that, Tinsley doesn't need the hearing aids.
                              The best exercise of the human heart is reaching down and picking someone else up.

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