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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"

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

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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.

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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.

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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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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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Wells: 'The best locker room I've had the opportunity to cover since I've been in Indiana'

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  • #76
    Re: Wells: 'The best locker room I've had the opportunity to cover since I've been in Indiana'

    Originally posted by Naptown_Seth View Post
    This blurb isn't about not going out on the town (I bet guys are doing it right now) or saying the guys parade around the court like they just got out of finishing school (they don't), this is just saying that unlike recent years these guys like being around each other, at least within the confines of their job.

    I'll take it, that makes a big difference in the kind of effort a guy will give you. And hopefully over time it will translate into improved play.

    As much as I was ready to trade Dun and/or Troy, I'm not now. Why? Consistency. Rasho, Ford, Jack, okay if you find a quality deal.

    But at least try to keep Danny, Mike, Troy and Jeff together simply because they are getting to know each other on the court finally. And if possible try to keep 4-5 other main guys on the roster too. Let's see that 2000 Pacers thing where the same guys kept playing together for year after year till they got great.
    I totally agree with this. Ignoring that I think that we would be hard-pressed to find a team that wouldn't mind taking on a big contract that would impact their 2010 Salary Cap ( which is 2/3 of the teams out there hoping to hit it big in the 2010 FA Sweepstakes ), I'm all for keeping them for the very reasons that you suggest.....we need the consistency of building a good core involving most of the players that we will likely have over the next 2-3 seasons.
    Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

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    • #77
      Re: Wells: 'The best locker room I've had the opportunity to cover since I've been in Indiana'

      Originally posted by Naptown_Seth View Post
      Green for Danny - not a redickulous thought...but I'd never do it.
      Me either, but I would go much further.

      I'm not one of those people that would trade anyone if it would make the Pacers better.

      I wouldn't take . . . well anyone for Danny. I've watched him grow before my eyes and to me it would be like trading one of my children.

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      • #78
        Re: Wells: 'The best locker room I've had the opportunity to cover since I've been in Indiana'

        Originally posted by Will Galen View Post
        Me either, but I would go much further.

        I'm not one of those people that would trade anyone if it would make the Pacers better.

        I wouldn't take . . . well anyone for Danny. I've watched him grow before my eyes and to me it would be like trading one of my children.

        A-KING-MEN BROTHER !!!!

        Last edited by Kemo; 01-09-2009, 09:50 AM.
        "Political Correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

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        • #79
          Re: Wells: 'The best locker room I've had the opportunity to cover since I've been in Indiana'

          Originally posted by Since86 View Post
          Every post I make? Hardly. Actually I think that's the first time.

          With that said, chemistry isn't the defining factor to wins. No one has ever claimed it to be. Chemistry can be the difference between 13-22 and 10-25 though. Not having issues between players goes a long way. It makes them more enjoyable to watch, and more successful. But in no way is it the most important aspect of the team. I can provide countless examples just from the years of watching Tinsley and AJ. Those Pacer squads routinely underachieved. That's even without talking about the bigger elephant in the room with Ron and JO.
          One thing that is missing here is that if they can hang tough and together with this record just think of how it will be when they start winning. This is great news.
          The best exercise of the human heart is reaching down and picking someone else up.

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          • #80
            Re: Wells: 'The best locker room I've had the opportunity to cover since I've been in Indiana'

            Originally posted by ABADays View Post
            One thing that is missing here is that if they can hang tough and together with this record just think of how it will be when they start winning. This is great news.
            Best case scenario is for this team to continue to grow together, but also continue to lose a lot of close games, thus assuring a very high draft pick next year.

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            • #81
              Re: Wells: 'The best locker room I've had the opportunity to cover since I've been in Indiana'

              Originally posted by A-Train View Post
              Best case scenario is for this team to continue to grow together, but also continue to lose a lot of close games, thus assuring a very high draft pick next year.
              Uhh, no. You never make it a goal to lose. Shame on you.

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              • #82
                Re: Wells: 'The best locker room I've had the opportunity to cover since I've been in Indiana'

                Pacers are notw5-6 in games decided by 3 points or less and have won 3 straight. I know I have a lot more confidence when the game goes down to the last shot
                Last edited by Unclebuck; 01-09-2009, 11:44 AM.

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                • #83
                  Re: Wells: 'The best locker room I've had the opportunity to cover since I've been in Indiana'

                  Originally posted by duke dynamite View Post
                  Uhh, no. You never make it a goal to lose. Shame on you.
                  Yeah, I figured someone might take that the wrong way.

                  I'm not saying the team TRIES to lose. I'm hoping they fight as hard as they can every night. But, getting a high draft pick next year would be the best thing for the team in the long run.

                  Playing .500 ball and getting mediocre draft picks year in and year out is not a good way to build a team. The Pacers proved that in the late 80's, early 90's. They always barely made the playoffs, got ousted in the first round, then didn't have a high enough draft pick the next year to make that much of a difference. So, mediocre they remained.

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                  • #84
                    Re: Wells: 'The best locker room I've had the opportunity to cover since I've been in Indiana'

                    Originally posted by A-Train View Post
                    Yeah, I figured someone might take that the wrong way.

                    I'm not saying the team TRIES to lose. I'm hoping they fight as hard as they can every night. But, getting a high draft pick next year would be the best thing for the team in the long run.
                    Why do we need high draft picks? We shouldn't be re-building every year. We have two quality draft picks this year in Rush and Hibbert.

                    Yeah, having a draft pick is great, especially a 1st rounder, but it's not going to help us too much with all the developing young talent we currently have. It will just be another player that the team has to put many resources into developing.

                    Don't get me wrong, we've found hidden gems before late in the first round (Maybe just one or two recently).

                    The bottom line is that you can't hope your team loses. Whether by 1 point or 100.

                    Playing .500 ball and getting mediocre draft picks year in and year out is not a good way to build a team. The Pacers proved that in the late 80's, early 90's. They always barely made the playoffs, got ousted in the first round, then didn't have a high enough draft pick the next year to make that much of a difference. So, mediocre they remained.
                    None of our players in the late 90's were high picks, either. We were not mediocre.

                    I still don't call the majority of the 90's teams mediocre, either.
                    Last edited by duke dynamite; 01-09-2009, 11:33 AM.

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                    • #85
                      Re: Wells: 'The best locker room I've had the opportunity to cover since I've been in Indiana'

                      That's right. The losing is not by design. It just isn't a big deal - THIS YEAR. When I watch the Pacers lose, I feel no disappointment at all because they are progressing toward two goals: thier young players are generally getting better (though it might not appear that way at times) and they are getting closer to a really good draft pick.

                      They aren't supposed to be good, so if they overachieve and destroy their draft opportunity that is a bad thing.
                      Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
                      Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
                      Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
                      Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
                      And life itself, rushing over me
                      Life itself, the wind in black elms,
                      Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

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                      • #86
                        Re: Wells: 'The best locker room I've had the opportunity to cover since I've been in Indiana'

                        Originally posted by ChicagoJ View Post
                        They aren't supposed to be good, so if they overachieve and destroy their draft opportunity that is a bad thing.
                        Could you help me by explaining this for me. How is it bad? Overachieving to me would be making the playoffs, and a major step forward in development. (IMO)

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                        • #87
                          Re: Wells: 'The best locker room I've had the opportunity to cover since I've been in Indiana'

                          Originally posted by ChicagoJ View Post

                          They aren't supposed to be good, so if they overachieve and destroy their draft opportunity that is a bad thing.
                          Well said. And I agree that this only goes for this year.

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                          • #88
                            Re: Wells: 'The best locker room I've had the opportunity to cover since I've been in Indiana'

                            Originally posted by duke dynamite View Post
                            Could you help me by explaining this for me. How is it bad? Overachieving to me would be making the playoffs, and a major step forward in development. (IMO)
                            Do you believe we're set with the players we have right now?

                            Comment


                            • #89
                              Re: Wells: 'The best locker room I've had the opportunity to cover since I've been in Indiana'

                              Originally posted by ChicagoJ View Post
                              That's right. The losing is not by design. It just isn't a big deal - THIS YEAR. When I watch the Pacers lose, I feel no disappointment at all because they are progressing toward two goals: thier young players are generally getting better (though it might not appear that way at times) and they are getting closer to a really good draft pick.

                              They aren't supposed to be good, so if they overachieve and destroy their draft opportunity that is a bad thing.
                              I really don't care much about the draft.

                              But no, I don't live and die with every win or loss with this team - I do feel good for the guys when they win and bad for them when they loss - because I think this team tries to play the right way.

                              Comment


                              • #90
                                Re: Wells: 'The best locker room I've had the opportunity to cover since I've been in Indiana'

                                Originally posted by A-Train View Post
                                Do you believe we're set with the players we have right now?
                                Not at all. I do believe we have a little bit more moving and shaking to go.

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