Forward of his return to MSG, Donte DiVincenzo denied the “utterly unfaithful” rumors that he was upset the Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges as a result of it might transfer him to the bench.
“Clearly everybody desires to start out coming off the season I had final 12 months, however I additionally perceive that there’s completely different lineups and completely different combos that groups wish to get to – I perceive that. It was by no means a factor of, ‘Oh, we received Mikal, I’m pissed off.’ I used to be tremendous excited,” DiVincenzo instructed The Publish. “Take the Villanova s–t out of it, I used to be tremendous excited as a result of we’ve got an excellent participant coming again to the workforce. And also you get OG [Anunoby] again, now you’re taking a look at, ‘Wow we’re going to be actually good.’ There was by no means a dialog of my position was going to be diminished. There was by no means a dialog that my minutes could be diminished. It was the surface assumption and ran with it and it was unfaithful.”
DiVincenzo, now a member of the Timberwolves after final month’s blockbuster commerce, was thrust into the Knicks’ beginning lineup final season due to accidents and thrived properly past expectations.
He set the franchise document for 3-pointers, led the Jap Convention in treys after December and have become New York’s second-leading scorer within the playoffs after Jalen Brunson.
A couple of month after their postseason run ended, the Knicks used 5 first-round picks to amass Bridges from Brooklyn.
It not solely bolstered the Villanova reference to 4 school teammates on the Knicks, but in addition created a logjam on the wings with three former Wildcats – Bridges, DiVincenzo and Josh Hart – all able to beginning.
Logic advised Bridges would substitute DiVincenzo within the lineup however that was by no means mentioned with the 27-year-old.
“There was no conversations with [coach Tom Thibodeau.] There was no conversations with [team president] Leon [Rose],” DiVincenzo stated. “There was no conversations the place it’s like, ‘Hey, we received Mikal, that is what you’re position goes to be.’ Since you don’t know till the season begins. So my thoughts wasn’t on that.”
DiVincenzo was swapped in late September with Julius Randle for Karl-Anthony Cities, a transfer that was adopted by a report the guard was “actually sad” about not beginning with the Knicks and wasn’t a fan of the Villanova reunion storyline.
“I don’t know the way that type of picked up pace but it surely’s utterly unfaithful. You may have a look at the workforce I’m on proper now – there’s going to be some video games I begin, and there’s going to be a variety of video games I come off the bench,” stated DiVincenzo, who’s projected to return off the Minnesota bench behind a guard/wing trio of Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels.
Sporting a full pink beard, DiVincenzo was again at MSG on Sunday and warming up on the identical hoop he nailed that Sport 2 winner towards the Sixers – maybe the most important Knicks shot of the final 20-plus years.
He was anticipated to play in Sunday’s preseason contest, going through off towards Bridges, Brunson, Hart and the remainder of the Knicks.
Earlier within the week, GQ Journal revealed a narrative and video shoot of the ‘Nova foursome however the theme needed to be reworked as a result of the interviews have been performed earlier than the commerce.
“It’s not bizarre. We’re pals exterior of basketball,” DiVincenzo stated. “It’s not like we simply turned pals in basketball and that’s the one factor we’ve got friendship-wise. These are my brothers. We may do the shoot, whether or not all of us play for 4 completely different groups or the identical workforce. I feel the timing of it was type of humorous. However that doesn’t change something concerning the relationship or something. We don’t really feel bizarre like saying, ‘I’m not in it, so why would you publish it?’”
With the transfer so sudden and occurring simply earlier than coaching camp, DiVincenzo stated he nonetheless owns a home in New York and it was unusual to sleep in his common mattress earlier than a street recreation.
The commerce, in any case, was a stunner. However it wasn’t about DiVincenzo being disgruntled over his position.
“I used to be at residence after I heard concerning the commerce. And when it went down, I type of heard rumors of what was happening. The one factor that made sense for me was (going to) Minnesota,” DiVincenzo stated. “Initially, you by no means wish to get traded. So I used to be type of upset, I used to be type of harm. …And my thoughts went proper to (the Timberwolves). ….It was a straightforward transition. There have been no indignant emotions, no mad emotions, nothing like that. It was an preliminary, ‘Rattling I received traded.’ And you progress on to the following factor. It was all love.”
