The relationship between Austin Rivers and Doc Rivers is one of the more controversial issues among NBA players. It stems from the speculation that the L.A. Clippers guard is receiving undeserved playing time because his father is the head coach.

The speculation leads to more questions, like how many think that Chris Paul's decision to be moved to the Houston Rockets primarily comes from this controversial father-son relationship.

Recently, the Clippers and the Rockets met at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. The game turned out to be a very physical and emotional one for both teams. Once again, Austin and Paul seemed to be the center point of the controversy that surrounded the game.

Matt Barnes, who had a brief stint with the Clippers, shared his thoughts on the young Rivers. He said:

“He's just very arrogant . . . I've known him personally.”

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This criticism of Rivers not being able to play good basketball seems to be somewhat unfounded. The Clippers guard is averaging 15.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. But if what Barnes said about Rivers is true, then the latter may need to tone it down.

The fact that there is an issue around him should be enough reason for the Duke product to stay mellow and out of the spotlight.

As of this writing, the Clippers are 22-21. Having a win-loss record a little over .500 is actually quite impressive for the L.A. team with many of their key players losing significant time because of injuries, including Rivers himself.