First, it was Glen “Big Baby” Davis. Then, Chris Paul. And now, Matt Barnes. Guys who played with Los Angeles Clippers guard Austin Rivers just don’t seem to like the coach’s son, and that’s unfortunate.

There was the time in June when Big Baby told Rivers, “Don’t say s*** to me. Your father gave you your money. You ain’t work for it, motherf***er. What type of s***? I was there. I seen you at practice. You didn’t give a f***, thinking you all that wearing them tight-ass pants. Your father gave you all that money, so you can go wear those tight-ass pants, but keep your f***ing mouth closed, man. Shut up, man. You’re a f***ing bum who’s been given the world. Shut up and just stay under your father.”

That was harsh, but we cast it off as more emotional baggage from Davis, who also had a score to settle with Doc Rivers, the coach of the Clippers and Boston Celtics who twice sent Big Baby packing.

There was the time in July when “SportsCenter” anchor Michael Eaves reported that “Paul’s relationship with Doc Rivers started to deteriorate rapidly after the Clippers acquired Austin Rivers.” The report indicated that the bitterness Paul harbored eventually led to his exit from the franchise:





Here's some information on the Chris Paul trade. First the MICRO:Paul's relationship with Doc Rivers started to… Posted by Michael Eaves on Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Several members of the team felt Austin acted entitled because his dad was both the coach and the President of Basketball Operations. In the view of the tenured players, Austin Rivers never tried to fit in, and when players tried to address the situation with him, he still did not respond the way the core of the team wanted him to. It led to resentment within the locker room, which often played out during games. One of Paul’s biggest contentions with Doc was that Paul, and other players, felt Doc treated Austin more favorably than other players. He would yell at guys for certain things during games and practices, but not get on Austin in the same manner for similar transgressions.

But what really solidified Paul’s dissatisfaction with Doc was a proposed trade involving Carmelo Anthony last season. New York offered Carmelo and Sasha Vujacic to the Clippers in exchange for Jamal Crawford, Paul Pierce and Austin Rivers, a deal to which Rivers ultimately said no. That event led Paul to feel that keeping his son on the roster was more important to Doc than improving the team. So, ultimately, Paul lost both trust and faith in Doc. As one league executive put it, “Chris despises Doc.”

But we cast that off, too, once USA Today reported that “Paul had texted Rivers to refute the report, and Austin picked up the phone.” The two ex-teammates reportedly had a 40-minute conversation.

These false rumors are comedy…so fictional it's actually amusing! People will say or do anything to get attention. A lot out there — Austin Rivers (@AustinRivers25) June 28, 2017





“I called Chris and was like, ‘Chris, what’s going on?’’” Austin Rivers told USA Today. “Chris is like, ‘This is the biggest bull(expletive) I’ve ever seen in my life.’ Chris was just like, ‘This is a joke.’ So I asked him, I’m like, ‘You don’t need to come out and say nothing publicly, I don’t need you to do that. It’s just going to make it even more, now they’re going to drag it out two more days. I’ll take it. I don’t care. I’ve been dealing with this (dynamic) since I was six (years old). I really don’t even care.’”

Then, Paul joined a group of his Houston Rockets teammates who reportedly tried to enter the Clippers’ locker room on Monday night to confront Austin and Blake Griffin, and our Spidey sense went off: Hey, maybe that Chris Paul and Austin Rivers thing wasn’t “the biggest bull(expletive).“

Now, Barnes is piling on:

#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





“He’s just very arrogant,” Barnes told Mad Dog Sports Radio of Austin. “I know him personally, and at the beginning it took a little bit to get used to and as a teammate you kind of just accept him for who he is and have his back as a teammate, but hearing guys talk around the league and seeing guys that had a problem with him while I was playing with him, I could see why.

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