Doc Rivers and Matt Barnes apparently aren't best buddies. The ex-Los Angeles Clippers forward was honest about his relationship with his former coach now that he's a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, telling NBA.com's Shaun Powell that he "can't wait to play against Doc Rivers."
"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."
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"I was the first trade of the summer," said Barnes. "Like I said, he couldn't wait."
This is far from the worst thing Barnes has said about a coach. "I hated Mo Cheeks," Barnes told Sports Illustrated's Chris Ballard last season. "He was a dick."
With Rivers, it doesn't appear that the animosity runs quite as deep. Barnes, though, clearly feels undervalued and disrespected by Rivers. This is a little surprising, given that he played a key role on successful Clippers teams for the last three years.
Barnes was considered the weak link in arguably the best starting lineup in the league, alongside Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Rivers broke that group up by sending Barnes and Spencer Hawes to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Lance Stephenson. The Hornets then traded him to Memphis, he will battling with teams like the Clippers for home-court advantage in the loaded Western Conference. Either Stephenson, Paul Pierce or Wesley Johnson will replace him in Los Angeles' first five.
In the interview with NBA.com, Barnes said he believes the Clippers will miss him, as he brought intangibles that they lack now. I wonder what Rivers will say about that -- he'll surely be asked about it soon.
