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 will transfer him to the bench.
“Clearly everybody desires to begin 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 need to get to – I perceive that. It was by no means a factor of, ‘Oh, we bought Mikal, I’m pissed off.’ I used to be tremendous excited,” DiVincenzo informed The Publish. “Take the Villanova s–t out of it, I used to be tremendous excited as a result of we’ve an excellent participant coming again to the workforce. And also you get OG [Anunoby] again, now you’re , ‘Wow we’re going to be actually good.’ There was by no means a dialog of my function was going to be diminished. There was by no means a task that my minutes can 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 nicely past expectations.
He set the franchise report for 3-pointers, led the Japanese Convention in treys after December and have become New York’s second-leading scorer within the playoffs after Jalen Brunson.
A few 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 faculty 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 exchange 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 bought Mikal, that is what you’re function 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 understand how that sort of picked up pace but it surely’s utterly unfaithful. You’ll be able to 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 whole lot of video games I come off the bench,” stated DiVincenzo, who’s projected to come back 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 Recreation 2 winner towards the Sixers – maybe the largest Knicks shot of the final 20-plus years.
He was anticipated to play in Sunday’s preseason contest, dealing with off towards Bridges, Brunson, Hart and the remainder of the remainder of the Knicks.
Earlier within the week, GQ Journal printed a narrative and video shoot of the ‘Nova foursome however the theme needed to be reworked as a result of the interviews have been carried out earlier than the commerce.
“It’s not bizarre. We’re associates outdoors of basketball,” DiVincenzo stated. “It’s not like we simply turned associates in basketball and that’s the one factor we’ve 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 sort of humorous. However that doesn’t change something in regards to 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 highway sport.
The commerce, in any case, was a stunner. However it wasn’t about DiVincenzo being disgruntled over his function.
“I used to be at dwelling after I heard in regards to the commerce. And when it went down, I sort of heard rumors of what was occurring. The one factor that made sense for me was (going to) Minnesota,” DiVincenzo stated. “Initially, you by no means need to get traded. So I used to be sort of upset, I used to be sort of harm. …And my thoughts went proper to (the Timberwolves). ….It was a straightforward transition. There have been no offended emotions, no mad emotions, nothing like that. It was an preliminary, ‘Rattling I bought traded.’ And you progress on to the subsequent factor. It was all love.”
