Matt Barnes does not appear to look back too fondly on his time with at least a couple of members of the LA Clippers organization.
Appearing this week on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio, Barnes took some shots at Clippers coach Doc Rivers and his son Clippers guard Austin Rivers.
#ICYMI – @Matt_Barnes22 tells @NicoleZaloumis & @RicBucher that Austin Rivers is a fake tough guy who's "arrogant" and Doc Rivers is responsible for "the demise of the Clippers". Hear the full interview On Demand with the @SIRIUSXM app! #LCLonMDSR pic.twitter.com/Y1WYRKEjxr
— Mad Dog Sports Radio (@MadDogRadio) January 17, 2018
“To see them go after Austin isn’t surprising,” said the retired swingman, in reference to the postgame melee between the Clippers and the Rockets on Monday. “Austin kinda rubs dudes the wrong way, talks a lot of trash, and doesn’t really back it up. So I think people are probably tired of that.
“He’s just very arrogant,” Barnes added of Austin. “Hearing guys talk around the league and seeing guys that had a problem while I was playing with him, I could see why. He carries himself like he’s a ten-time All-Star, and he’s not. That kind of arrogance rubs guys the wrong way, and if you’re talking trash on top of that, there are some guys in the NBA that it’s not gonna happen.”
Barnes was then asked about Doc and proceeded to throw some more shade.
“Doc played a vital role in, I’d probably say, the demise of the Clippers,” he said. “At the beginning, he did well, but then I think his players started seeing through him. Say one thing, do another thing, do things like give his son a bunch of money, sign his son. As players, that’s the kinda stuff you talk about — from JJ [Redick] to Chris [Paul] to myself, the guys on the team still. You’ve seen the best of the Clippers the way they’re built as they stand now.”
Barnes, who retired this offseason after winning a championship with the Golden State Warriors, was with the Clippers for three seasons from 2012 to 2015 (not counting a brief stint with them back at the start of his NBA career in 2004). Doc was his coach for the last two of those seasons, and Austin was his teammate for the last one.
We recently heard similar comments from another former Clipper who was on the team with the Rivers family, and it seems that this is becoming something of a trend for players once they depart from Lob City.
