Former Clipper Matt Barnes: Doc Rivers 'never wanted me'
Matt Barnes is speaking his mind? We know, you're surprised. When's the last time that happened?
And it's happening again.
Buried in a feature on Barnes that Shaun Powell wrote for NBA.com are a few quotes about the former Clippers' former coach, Doc Rivers. Rivers, who is also in charge of player personnel decisions for the Clips, took over in L.A. before the 2013-14 season, and apparently, that meant some bad fortune for Barnes.
Here's more from Powell's feature:
"Doc never wanted me," he said. "He couldn't wait to get rid of me. Doc and I never saw eye to eye. He tried to get me out of there the second he got there, so it wasn't too surprising to me what happened when things went south."
There are some more eyebrow-raising quotes from Barnes in there, too, including some of the following:
"I can't wait to play against Doc Rivers," he emphasizes.
[...]
Rivers was under the gun as a GM because past moves didn't work and he needed changes, so Barnes was shipped to the Hornets and then to the Grizzlies, who drafted him in 2002.
"I was the first trade of the summer," said Barnes. "Like I said, he couldn't wait."
And do you think Barnes was done with this? Heck no. He railed against those who accused him of disliking Doc in an Instagram post over the weekend, which featured some not-safe-for-work language.
That game in Los Angeles on Nov. 9 when the Grizzlies visit the Clippers should be a fun one.
