Memphis Grizzlies' Matt Barnes Explains Hatred for Former LA Clippers Coach Doc Rivers
Apparently, head coaches don't seem to like Matt Barnes too much. From head coach of the New York Knicks, Derek Fisher, to head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, Doc Rivers, the dislike looks pretty strong. Barnes physically attacked former friend and teammate, Derek Fisher, for hanging out with his ex-wife, Gloria Govan, and he also decided to come clean about his relationship with former coach, Doc Rivers. Barnes claims Rivers hated him and "never wanted" him.
Matt Barnes has never been one to keep the bashing about his former coaches to himself. Back when Barnes played for the Philadelphia 76ers under head coach, Maurice Cheeks, he almost got in a physical fight with Cheeks. According to DeadSpin, in an interview with Sports Illustrated last season, Barnes called Mo Cheeks a "d*ck."
Now that Barnes has revealed that he and Doc Rivers never quite got along, it comes as no great surprise. In a recent interview with NBA.com, Barnes admitted that he and Doc Rivers never saw eye-to-eye:
"I can't wait to play against Doc Rivers," he said. "Doc never wanted me. 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...I was the first trade of the summer; like I said, he couldn't wait."
Apparently, Barnes wanted to stay and finish his career with the LA Clippers, especially considering the fact that he originally started with the team. (It would've been the perfect circle of his career; starting from the Clippers, going to nine different teams and coming back home to the Clippers). H knew that wasn't going to work out too well the minute Doc Rivers became the Clippers' head coach. Now Barnes has been traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Lance Stephenson (which, if Rivers' had a problem with Barnes' attitude, it highly unlikely that he'll be a fan of Lance Stephenson's attitude) and Paul Pierce, who used to play for Rivers in Boston.
At least Barnes has been quite positive about playing for Memphis, and the whole Grizzlies' organization seems quite pleased to have him on the team: