Please know that this is a tounge in cheek post quoting Doc on a off hand comment. I'm sure he doesn't really hate bloggers and think all of you are fools.
"I like what we’ve done," he said. "I coach the way I coach. I’ve always laughed at some of the criticism. I was joking with someone the other day, and I said, ‘Answer me this. Why would someone listen to a guy that hasn’t played, he hasn’t coached . . . some of the guys have never even been reporters, they’re bloggers, and not listen to a guy and his whole staff who have played and coached? Now who’s the fool? Me, or the people listening to them?’ "
I'm not about to launch into an anti-Buzz Bissinger tirade about understanding and respecting bloggers. That's all been said and done before. I will point out that Doc is obviously human and he's got to be tired of the attacks on his person from Bill Simmons and the rest of the "blogosphere."
For my part I have to agree with his general sentiment, if not the thinnly veiled shot at bloggers and blog readers. Most of us don't know enough about basketball to really judge how good a job coaches are doing without looking at the win-loss record. I know I have trouble knowing exactly how much of a blow play is poor execution and how much was poor coaching. I know I shout at the TV when I disagree with a substitution Doc makes, but I also know that sometimes it works out a lot better than I thought because of something I hadn't thought of.
Perhaps that is why I've always flip flopped on my opinion of Doc. I just don't know if he's a bad coach or a guy that's had bad teams up until now. Maybe if I had played and coached college ball I would have a better idea, but who knows? Even then you wouldn't know all the stuff that goes on behind closed doors and behind the scenes.
On the other hand, part of the fun of being a fan is having an opinion and letting it be known. Then you get to debate it with other fans on sites like these. Foolish or not, it is fun, and it is part of what makes this game fun to follow. Oh yeah, and we also happen to be the ones that ultimately pay Doc's salary, so I think we have every right to have whatever opinion of him that we want.
Besides, if he wants to silence the critics once and for all, all he has to do is go out and win that ring. Nothing would make me happier.