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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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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.

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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.

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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:

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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

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.

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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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Rule #10

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Odd Thoughts: Carving both the Cavaliers & a turkey [The Front Page]

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  • #1

    Odd Thoughts: Carving both the Cavaliers & a turkey [The Front Page]

    Odd Thoughts: Carving both the Cavaliers & a turkey
    Written by Peck

    Link



    Let’s reflect on this for a moment. We are going into the Thanksgiving holiday with a winning record 7-6, a two game win streak (the only team in the central that is not currently on a loss or losing streak), we have the 5th best record in the Eastern Conference and are 3-0 on the second game of back to backs.

    All of that is good, but this is better.

    The Indiana Pacers are a different basketball team. We are not the same team from the past few years and frankly we are not even the same team that ended the pre-season and started the regular season. Over the past couple of weeks you can see it in their play on the floor and the swagger that they have as they go to the bench. Their confidence is rising as their play on the court has improved and right now other than elite teams (which we get to face a couple over the next week) I don’t fear anyone. I’m not even sure how much I fear elite teams to be honest with you. Don’t take that as unfound over confidence as I know the end result, but right now I’m looking at how the team plays not so much the end results.

    That is the point in which I am really trying to make with my statement from above that this is better. I am thrilled with the record, really I am, in fact a couple of bounces here or there and we could actually have a much better record. But going into the season I decided I wasn’t going to judge the team overall just based on wins and losses, I was going to go with how the team was playing on the floor and the effort they were putting in.

    Why, why all of a sudden have the Indiana Pacers become a team that has turned itself into at the very least was inconsistent and at worst was a doormat into a team that is tough as nails and that no opponent should overlook?

    There are several reasons but we’ll start with the single biggest change from any of the previous four years (I am even including Rick Carlisle’s last season here).

    Say with me area 55.

    DEFENSE (clap clap) DEFENSE (clap clap) DEFENSE (clap clap)

    For whatever reason our entire team is committed to defending the floor and it shows up each and every game. I’ll say it again; OUR ENTIRE TEAM is committed to defending the floor.

    There is not a single player on our team who is not willing to step up and take a charge. Little Darren Collison stepped in the lane the other night in Miami and took a big charge, Mike Dunleavy has taken several charges and Danny Granger has taken a charge.

    What I love about it is that our guys are not just trying to draw a charge but they are actually in position on the floor playing defense. We even drew a charge on his royal highness the other night and I’m certain he had to be told what a charge was because he had never been called for one before, I’m pretty confident he didn’t even know that was a rule.

    Why now as opposed to any other time have we decided to do this?

    Again the reasons are many but let’s start with this. Your best player has committed to being an elite level defender this year. Danny has stated his goal is to be a first or second team all defense and while I don’t know if he will be or not I sure as heck love his attitude and effort this season.

    It’s as simple as this your best player can’t make everyone else buy into a system or style of play but if he doesn’t buy into it then it can be assured that most others won’t either. Danny has bought in and in the gambling world I would say that not only has he bought in I think he has doubled down.

    Second of all your entire starting front court takes pride in their defensive presence and offers you a combination of speed, height, athletic ability, toughness and desire to get the job done. Sure some front courts are going to be bigger, tougher, faster, etc. But when we talk about those teams we are talking about teams that are in the title hunt.

    Our guards and wings are quicker and more athletic than they have been in a long time. Brandon Rush has been his usual outstanding presence on defense and while Mike Dunleavy will never be confused with Sidney Moncrief on defense he has not embarrassed himself either. Darren Collison still has a nasty habit of ball gawking but he is starting to do that less each game over the past two and T.J. Ford has been outstanding at on the ball defense.

    Frankly you could argue that this may be the one difference between this season and other is that overall our entire team is quicker and more athletic.

    Of course you can not over look the one obvious glaring omission from the current squad that had been present the previous 3 and ½ seasons. There is no saloon door taking up space at the four or God help me at the five as he had the previous years. You can debate the merits of how much this change makes on the club (I contend it is the single biggest best change to happen, maybe ever) but no one can deny that it is a change.

    Well we’ve covered defense so what else has changed.

    As corny as this is going to sound I think the team gets along better than it has. Now obviously most of us are not privy to the behind the scenes things that go on with the club so this is pure speculation but just from watching them on the bench, seeing them interact with each other via social networking and talking with a few people who are privy to the behind the scenes stuff I honestly think these guys like each other, root for each other and listen to each other.

    This year before they go back on the floor from a time out or break or whatever, Jim O’Brien is not the last person they hear. There is always a player talking to the players in a huddle and usually it is Darren Collison however I’ve seen James Posey, T.J. Ford and Danny Granger do this as well.

    I don’t know what kind of value you can actually put on team chemistry as in the past I’ve read statements about how the three peat Lakers didn’t even like each other away from the court, but when you are not dealing with the most dominate center of his generation and the best scorer in the league I would tend to think team chemistry is better than not having it.

    The players cheer for each other in the game on the court and from the bench, they willingly pass the ball to each other (often times to the detriment of taking a wide open layup) and they help each other on defense. If somebody misses an assignment somebody is willing to point it out to them, which is a big change from in the past.

    Look don’t get me wrong this is not Shangri la nor am I claiming the Lakers better watch out. We still have problems to over come and our offense often times makes me want to vomit in a bucket but I will just say that overall this year is so much more pleasant to watch than years past.

    All of that and I haven’t even covered the Cavaliers game.

    We won!!!!

    Now a Public service announcement brought to you unofficially on behalf of Pacers Sports & Entertainment.

    With the 16th pick in the 2005 NBA draft the Toronto Raptors select Joey Graham of Oklahoma State University. Psssssssssttttttt….. go look up who was selected at 17.

    Happy Thanksgiving everybody.



    *beeps*
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Odd Thoughts: Carving both the Cavaliers & a turkey [The Front Page]

    I also think that leadership by Darren Collison, James Posey, Roy Hibbert, and Danny Granger has really helped us as well.

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Odd Thoughts: Carving both the Cavaliers & a turkey [The Front Page]

      What is the difference between this year and last year? This year, the WHOLE team has bought into O'Brien's system. Right now, I have a refrigerator packed with crow. I've always criticized Obie, but if all his players "get" his system, you're gonna be a very good team.
      Passion, Pride, Playoffs, Pacers

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Odd Thoughts: Carving both the Cavaliers & a turkey [The Front Page]

        An outrageous notion, perhaps, but I wonder if anyone (Mark Cuban?) has ironed out a metric for tracking game-time chemistry; e.g., uttered commands, dynamic reactions, praise/support/counsel. (A related metric on leadership would be a nice pairing.)

        Like most of us here, I am enjoying the team's process of improvement and development as much as its newly-found success. A part of me will be quite content to see the season play out with no changes to the team, and then watch the events of next summer unfold. Another part of me, however, lusts for a mid-season trade -- perhaps to upgrade our PF or backup C position (or both!) -- in order to increase our chances of playoff success this year as well as in the future.

        Given the apparent positive togetherness of the team, however, I am mindful of the looming question that follows any potential trade: "How would this affect team chemistry?" Many seasons have passed since this question has been relevant, let alone important. Any conjectural analysis must include not only "Whom do we add?" but also, critically, "Whom do we remove?"

        Happy Thanksgiving to all at PD* - happy following, and happy conjecturing!

        (*EDIT: Ongoing thanks to our most excellent admins!)
        Last edited by DrFife; 11-24-2010, 09:03 AM.


        "He’s no shrinking violet when it comes to that kind of stuff."

        - Rick Carlisle on how Kevin Pritchard responds to needed roster changes.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Odd Thoughts: Carving both the Cavaliers & a turkey [The Front Page]

          Originally posted by RoboHicks View Post
          This year before they go back on the floor from a time out or break or whatever, Jim O’Brien is not the last person they hear. There is always a player talking to the players in a huddle and usually it is Darren Collison however I’ve seen James Posey, T.J. Ford and Danny Granger do this as well.
          D.Jones deserves some love here as well.
          This space for rent.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Odd Thoughts: Carving both the Cavaliers & a turkey [The Front Page]

            I hope we aren't going a little overboard in our praise - this team still has significant weaknesses that will be exposed against good teams. And there will be nights when the Pacers just play horribly.

            I predicted 39 wins before the season started, if I could change that prediction I would probably increase it to 42 or 43 wins. So 3 or 4 games better - aalthough if they do win 42 games that is 10 games better than last season and that is quite a nice jump. (I only mention this to hopefully keep things in perspective.

            Two things point to a mentally tougher team - road record and record on back to backs.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Odd Thoughts: Carving both the Cavaliers & a turkey [The Front Page]

              DC just doesn't ballgawk, he has horrible helpside positioning. He's often times flat with his man, at the same depth on the floor as him. It doesn't allow him to see both, his man and the ball.

              If he would just take two steps, and get lower on the floor, he would drastically change his positioning. Two steps DC, that's all. Two steps.
              “Just because you're offended, doesn't mean you're right.” ― Ricky Gervais.

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Odd Thoughts: Carving both the Cavaliers & a turkey [The Front Page]

                DC will figure out his defense. He was already markedly better last night on that end.


                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Odd Thoughts: Carving both the Cavaliers & a turkey [The Front Page]

                  Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
                  I hope we aren't going a little overboard in our praise - this team still has significant weaknesses that will be exposed against good teams. And there will be nights when the Pacers just play horribly.

                  I predicted 39 wins before the season started, if I could change that prediction I would probably increase it to 42 or 43 wins. So 3 or 4 games better - aalthough if they do win 42 games that is 10 games better than last season and that is quite a nice jump. (I only mention this to hopefully keep things in perspective.

                  Two things point to a mentally tougher team - road record and record on back to backs.
                  I like the mix of players we have. We have talented young guys and experienced older players. Mix in some mental toughness and a CONSISTENT,STABLE management and coaching message and you will get good, consistent results.
                  {o,o}
                  |)__)
                  -"-"-

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Odd Thoughts: Carving both the Cavaliers & a turkey [The Front Page]

                    So does anyone think that team chemistry is not important or maybe just not that important?


                    Basketball isn't played with computers, spreadsheets, and simulations. ChicagoJ 4/21/13

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Odd Thoughts: Carving both the Cavaliers & a turkey [The Front Page]

                      Originally posted by Peck View Post
                      So does anyone think that team chemistry is not important or maybe just not that important?
                      I think chemistry on the floor - defined as the ability to anticipate each others' moves and adjust one's own game in favor of the strengths of others as game and season dynamics change - is exceptionally important.

                      I think for young teams, this correlates well with (not causal, necessarily, but comes from the same place as) locker-room and off-the-court chemistry.

                      I think for veterans, there is more of an ability to separate on-the-court and off-the-court, so as long as no one is actively disruptive players can go about their individual businesses without being each others' best friends.
                      BillS

                      A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
                      Or throw in a first-round pick and flip it for a max-level point guard...

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Odd Thoughts: Carving both the Cavaliers & a turkey [The Front Page]

                        Originally posted by Peck View Post
                        So does anyone think that team chemistry is not important or maybe just not that important?
                        I think it is very important. Otherwise you are out there playing a 2 man game or 3 man game with your "personal friends"

                        Danny has shown he is now willing to make the pass instead of force a shot. This is because he now trusts his teammates.

                        We are almost at the point where we are to unselfish. The extra pass has turned into another extra pass. Something that would not have happened a year ago. When you like who you are playing with you want them to score as well. You help them get into their scoring locations and you pass them the ball.

                        Chemistry plays a large part in basketball.

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: Odd Thoughts: Carving both the Cavaliers & a turkey [The Front Page]

                          Originally posted by Peck View Post
                          So does anyone think that team chemistry is not important or maybe just not that important?
                          Chemistry is important for team success, I could also ad that this team haven't had any team chemistry because some of the players that were a big part on the team were one year rentals or players that knew weren't part of the future and had their own agendas.
                          @WhatTheFFacts: Studies show that sarcasm enhances the ability of the human mind to solve complex problems!

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: Odd Thoughts: Carving both the Cavaliers & a turkey [The Front Page]

                            Originally posted by Peck View Post
                            So does anyone think that team chemistry is not important or maybe just not that important?
                            You should ask the Miami Heat that question

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: Odd Thoughts: Carving both the Cavaliers & a turkey [The Front Page]

                              Soo, that turkey is a cannibal?

                              Comment

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