After what became probably the biggest trade of the summer, with Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle landing in Minnesota after being traded by the Knicks for Karl-Anthony Towns last month, both teams faced each other in a highly-awaited preseason clash this past weekend. Drama ensued last night when there was a heated exchange involving the new Wolves guard.
In his first appearance back playing at Madison Square Garden, Donte had to be separated from New York’s assistant coach Rick Brunson, after the player was seen shouting some words at the bench while he was about to shoot a couple of free throws.
Even though all players and coaches were seen embracing themselves and shaking each other’s hands after the Knicks won the match by 5 points, Jalen Brunson’s father entered a verbal dispute with his former pupil on the Manhattan court. “I was talking to Thibs,” Donte was seen saying on camera.
During the contest, the former Warriors athlete was seen shouting at his ex-teammates during his own free throw attempts. “That’s what happens when they let you run the show,” he said twice during the first quarter. Nevertheless, after the game he declined to specify what exactly he had said.
Same thing happened when the press pressured him to reveal what ignited the fiery discussion he had with his former assistant coach, but simply said that it was all an inside joke he had with Thibodeau.
During the clash, DiVincenzo had 15 points and 7 assists, while KAT ended the game with 16 points and just as many rebounds. After the first time out was called at the MSG arena, the Manhattan club honoured their two former stars with a dedicated video that was played on the arena’s jumbotron.
Jalen Brunson, on one hand, had his arm wrapped around his old friend DiVincenzo. “I was right there,” he said when asked if he saw the exchange between Donte and his father. “It was words of affirmation.”
“My relationship with Jalen, that’s my brother and my best friend,” the new Timberwolves star sharedpsotgame. “That’s a separate relationship. I’ll talk about that privately, and figure everything out. But it is what it is.”
Minnesota star Anthony Edwards admitted that he’s loving his new teammate’s competitiveness and aggression during this preseason matchup
Despite the controversy, some actors around last night’s clash were actually loving the situation. Wolves forward Anthony Edwards shared his own thoughts after the game, saying that Donte’s competitive spirit and intensity is exactly what they are looking for in the Minnesota club.
“You can’t be mad at him, man,” Ant shared when asked about the drama that ensued after the match in New York. “He makes all the right plays and shoots the cover off the ball. New York is definitely going to miss him.”
DiVincenzo’s new coach also shared some words of admiration for his new pupil and went on to mention the raw emotion that surfaced the Madison Square Garden arena this Sunday night. Also, Chris Finch admitted that it still feels strange to see Karl-Anthony Towns wearing another team’s uniform.
“It’s like a death in the family in some ways,” the Minnesota coach said after the match. “You got to make it through that first year and everything is going to be a little odd. Once we get started, it’ll be business as usual.”
