Feud among former Clippers suggests why Lob City was a bust

One day after Patrick Beverley and J.J. Redick sparred over Redick's criticism of Doc Rivers, his old coach with the L.A. Clippers, former center Spencer Hawes jumped in to defend Redick over former teammate - and Doc's son - Austin Rivers.

Let's recap. First, Redick criticized his old coach for not taking responsibility when the teams he coached struggled, and "throwing the team under the bus."

Redick played for the Clippers from 2013-17, where he became a regular starter for the first time in his career. He averaged 15.8 points per game and shot a scorching 44 percent from three-point range during that time.
But despite winning between 51 and 57 games every season, the team lost four of their six playoff series, blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Houston Rockets in 2015, including a 19-point third-quarter lead in an elimination game.

After Patrick Beverley tweeted that Doc "Started you when no one else wanted 2," Redick shot back that another team had made him a contract offer to start. Then Austin Rivers went on ESPN and said it was "very ironic and kinda weird" that Redick was being negative about his old coach when he'd had his best years there.

But it speaks to the internal problems of that wildly talented Clippers team, known as "Lob City." The squad featured future Hall of Famer Chris Paul, five-time Clippers All-Star Blake Griffin, a first-team all-NBA center in DeAndre Jordan, plus sharpshooters Redick and Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford. That collection of talent never got out of the second round of the playoffs.

That may be more damning than anything Redick said about Rivers. The failure of the team is an indictment of Rivers' coaching, as is the rift between these former Clippers.

Granted, Beverley and Redick were never teammates in Los Angeles, with Redick departing for the 76ers the same summer Beverley arrived from Houston. But there was clearly a rift in the locker room, and ironically, Austin's "favored status" with his coach/father was reportedly a source of resentment.

For a team that was already known for whining incessantly about officiating, it's not a huge surprise these Clippers also sniped at one another. But it could explain why they repeatedly came up short or melted down in big games.

Now Doc Rivers has another talented, star-laden team in Milwaukee, one that's only 3-7 since he took over as head coach. The next few months may show us whether Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo will be on TV complaining about Doc in five years. Or five weeks.