The anti-NBA Finals: Big Baby and Austin Rivers beef about who's a bigger bum
Glen “Big Baby” Davis’ complicated relationship with Doc Rivers dates back to their Boston days, when the former Celtics coach constantly knocked the 6-foot-9, 289-pound forward about his weight and emotional instability. The two got along well enough for Rivers to bring Davis back into the fold on the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014, but their bond was broken for good when, as Big Baby tells it, Rivers rode him on a broken ankle in the 2015 playoffs and sent him packing without so much as a goodbye.
Now, Baby’s beef apparently extends to the entire Rivers clan. Davis and Austin Rivers were Clippers teammates under Doc in 2015, when their playoff run ended in collapse against the Houston Rockets. Apparently, Davis once told Skip Bayless that Doc’s son’s presence on the Clippers fostered some resentment, so Bayless did what Bayless does, stirring the pot for Austin with that charge of nepotism.
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The younger Rivers obliged, taking his turn at poking fun of Baby’s weight and emotional instability:
.@AustinRivers25 on Big Baby Davis: How are you supposed to play someone if they are constantly out of shape and don't remember the plays? pic.twitter.com/PLiVUEkldv
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) May 31, 2017
“If someone is constantly out of shape, late, don’t remember plays, how the hell you supposed to play?” Austin Rivers told FS1’s “Undisputed” on Wednesday. “So, I don’t even know where that even goes with the team. That has nothing to do with him coming at my father. I really don’t care. That’s between him and my pops, but as far as him talking about me being [the coach’s son], that has never had a play in the team. I’ve earned every stripe that I’ve gotten. I’ve earned every playing time. That’s just him talking out the side of his neck. I don’t even know where that comes from, so I don’t even pay him no mind. Wasting my time talking about that.”
Let’s just say Big Baby didn’t take too kindly to that criticism. He responded from his vacation spot in Hawaii with a minute-long Instagram video that’s been edited here to mute many of the expletives:
“I’m in Hawaii minding my own business, and I look on ‘Undisupted’ and I see old punk-ass Austin Rivers talking s***,” said Davis. “C’mon man. Yeah I might’ve been overweight, a little bit. Probably late for one or two practices. C’mon man. Don’t know the plays? C’mon bruh. You’re lying now, bruh. Now you’re f***ing lying. C’mon now, man. Now that’s a f***ing lie.
“Second of all, your father gave you your money. 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.”
Well, then. Tell us how you really feel, Big Baby. Let’s remember Davis’ relationship with Austin also goes back to 2007-08, when the Celtics drafted Baby in the second round and the younger Rivers, then a 16-year-old freshman at Florida’s Winter Park High, often hung around the team in Boston.
While Davis played a limit role as a reserve on those championship Celtics (he was a much bigger factor in their 2010 run to the Finals), Austin’s legend as a prep recruit grew with stories about how he held his own against members of an NBA title-winning team. Rivers ultimately became a top-10 pick in the 2010 NBA draft, but flamed out in New Orleans before joining the Clippers in January 2015.
After a rough start to his Clippers career, Austin has emerged as a serviceable backup in 2015-16, earning a hefty three-year, $35 million contract from his father, who also serves as the team’s president of basketball operations, a year after Doc let Davis go at age 29. Austin enjoyed the best year of his career this past season, posting comparable numbers to Big Baby’s best season in Boston, where he averaged 11.7 points and 5.4 rebounds off the bench in 2010-11. That was enough to earn Davis a four-year, $26 million contract as part of a Celtics sign-and-trade with the Orlando Magic.
Somewhere along the line, Davis developed his resentment for Doc and his son. Big Baby originally aired his grievances during an appearance on Chris Broussard’s “In The Zone” podcast a few months ago, when the eight-year NBA veteran called his ex-coach overrated and “lucky as hell” to win the 2008 title in Boston, while lamenting the fact Rivers played Spencer Hawes over him on the Clips.
The awkwardness came to a head last month when Baby face-palmed his noggin during Doc’s surprise appearance on a 2008 Celtics reunion Kevin Garnett held for his “Inside the NBA” Area 21 segment:
That silent but deadly beef with Doc was nothing compared to Big Baby wailing about Austin, though.
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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
