Minnesota Timberwolves wing Donte DiVincenzo returned to play against the New York Knicks, who recently traded him for Karl-Anthony Towns.
After the preseason game, DiVincenzo got into a heated exchange with Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson. The coach is also the father of New York’s point guard Jalen Brunson, who attended college with DiVincenzo. The pair actually won two collegiate national championships playing alongside each other.
While we may never learn exactly what happened during the argument between DiVincenzo and his former assistant coach, there were some preceding incidents that perhaps led to the tension. For example, he also had a back-and-forth with his former head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Donte DiVincenzo is still so bitter with the Knicks.
Sunday night was the first time that Donte DiVincenzo faced his old team, the New York Knicks, after being thrown into the shocking Karl-Anthony Towns trade. And let me tell you, DiVincenzo, now with the Minnesota Timberwolves, did not seem remotely interested in holding back any ill feelings over his life being uprooted just days before Knicks training camp.
It started with DiVincenzo appearing to trash-talk Tom Thibodeau while shooting free throws. The guard was seen jawing at Thibodeau, with some incorrectly assuming it was about his trade from New York.
As DiVincenzo clarified after the game, he was actually rhetorically asking Thibodeau about whether he could finish at the rim, a criticism he apparently heard during his Knicks stint:
“Thank you for the trade Thibs. Thank you for the trade… that’s what happens when they let you run the show. That’s what happens when they let you run the show” pic.twitter.com/9F8LD8YRLI
Donte DiVincenzo says that he was not talking to Tom Thibodeau about being traded to the Timberwolves when he yelled towards the Knicks' bench during the game tonight: pic.twitter.com/SfMNclGOhv
DiVincenzo and Brunson were caught in a heated argument on the postgame court where they actually had to be separated by other Timberwolves and Knicks players. It was not clear what was said between them:
Whatever happened here, it sure seems like we have the early makings of a tasty interconference rivalry. The Knicks will visit DiVincenzo’s Timberwolves again in late December.
This massive move will give New York an incredible starting five, but there is one small problem: The organization cannot actually discuss the terms and implications until the league processes the transaction. That usually isn’t a big deal but that comes at a very inconvenient time: Media day.
With so many reporters around the team, they all want to know about Towns. But they are only getting coy, canned answers. Here are a few of them so far:
Current and former members of the Celtics put together a video tribute to Gorman’s time calling the storied ball club.
On this past Sunday (April 12), Hall of Fame Boston Celtics broadcaster Mike Gorman was feted by the city and league he spent the last 43 years calling Celtics games in. The Mayor of the City of Boston, Michelle Wu, declared it “Mike Gorman Day,” and Gorman’s peers, co-workers, and members of the Celtics organization and their fans united to give him the send-off he deserves.
Current and former members of the Celtics also put together a video tribute to Gorman’s time calling the storied ball club.
Take a look at the clip embedded below to see it for yourself, courtesy of the CLNS Media “Celtics All Access” YouTube channel.
After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the New York Knicks, DeMar DeRozan jpoked fun at Thom Thibodeau.
The Chicago Bulls welcomed the New York Knicks to town on Friday night for a game that meant something to both teams. The Bulls are fighting to maintain home-court advantage in the 9-10 game over the Atlanta Hawks, while the Knicks are trying to keep their spot in the East playoffs, even pushing for home-court advantage in the first round.
Javonte Green played hero for the Bulls, as the veteran forward exploded for 25 points and 13 rebounds. Meanwhile, point guard Jalen Brunson had a 35-point, 11-assist showing for the Knicks. However, the Bulls rode Green’s impressive showing to a 108-100 win in wire-to-wire fashion.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile on the sidelines or laugh or crack a joke,” DeRozan joked. “You’ve got to love that in your coach. His attitude is very indicative of the teams he has coached.”
DeRozan put up 20 points and dished out 10 assists against New York.
Taj Gibson and Tom Thibodeau can’t quit each other.
Taj Gibson and Tom Thibodeau just can’t quit each other. With Mitchell Robinson out for most of the season (if not the full season, including the playoffs) and Julius Randle expected to miss at least several weeks, the New York Knicks have signed veteran frontcourt utilityman and savvy veteran Taj Gibson to a 10-day deal, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN via Priority Sports agency.
A Thibodeau favorite who played for the Knicks from 2019-22, and who previously played for Thibs on the Chicago Bulls in previous years, Gibson appeared in 10 games through December before he got officially waived on Jan. 7.
During his brief tenure with the Knicks earlier this season, Gibson averaged 1.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, one assist, and one block per game in nearly 10 minutes per game.
The former Trojan, now 38 years old, received a standing ovation from the New York crowd at Madison Squad Garden upon returning for his latest 10-day stint. The Knicks are having a strong season and Gibson is treated with respect in New York because of his strong work ethic and dedication to team-first goals.
He’s back! Free agent F/C Taj Gibson is signing a 10-day contract with the New York Knicks, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/uaz5H876sh
New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau gives his respect to rising Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey.
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey is one of the rising stars in the NBA. The fourth-year guard out of Kentucky has been putting up big numbers all season and Friday was no different.
Maxey had 27 points on 9-for-20 shooting with nine assists and four rebounds in a 128-92 loss to the New York Knicks. The Knicks walked away with the win, but New York coach Tom Thibodeau gave his respect to Maxey before the game as he has been impressed with his improvements.
“Each year, he’s gotten a lot better,” said Thibodeau of Maxey. “I think, in some ways, there’s a clear path for him now and I thought every time people were out last year, he skyrocketed.”
Maxey had a strong 2022-23 season that was sometimes overshadowed by the greatness of Joel Embiid and James Harden. Embiid led the league in scoring on his way to an MVP award while Harden led the league in assists as he showed off his brilliant playmaking.
Now, with Harden gone, the position belongs to Maxey, and the rising star is flourishing. He’s taking complete advantage of the opportunities placed in front of him.
“Now I think that the way the team is built and surrounding Maxey and Joel with shooting has opened up the floor and his speed and his shooting has gotten a lot better,” Thibodeau finished. “His first step, just the way he plays. He puts enormous pressure on you. He’s having a monster year.”
Perhaps the biggest concern right now is that head coach Tom Thibodeau insists on playing RJ Barrett over 24-year-old guard Immanuel Quickley. Even though Barrett was selected third overall in the 2019 NBA Draft and has shown flashes of potential, it is Quickley who has contributed more to winning for New York.
This was exemplified when the Knicks lost to the Thunder, 129-120, on Wednesday. Barrett finished with 14 points (5-of-14 from the field, 1-of-7 on 3-pointers) in 29 minutes while Quickley (7-of-10 FG, 4-of-5 3P) was a lot more efficient and productive with only 24 minutes played.
When asked about having RJ replace IQ late in the fourth quarter, Thibs says it was due to matchups and b/c OKC has length/size. Says “everyone needs to sacrifice.” pic.twitter.com/98kcxhyzzg
Here is more explanation in this story from Fred Katz (via The Athletic):
“Thibodeau has shied away from specificities whenever asked about Quickley’s minutes, instead reiterating more generally his points about sacrifice. But he looks at the lineup data. He has said various times that point differential per possession is the ‘most important’ statistic.”
In that case, what do the numbers tell us? It is worth noting that the best lineups for the Knicks feature Quickley playing alongside Brunson, Julius Randle, Josh Hart and either Mitchell Robinson or Isaiah Hartenstein.
New York has outscored opponents by 7.1 points per 100 possessions during the 447 minutes that Quickley has appeared without Barrett so far this year. Meanwhile, per PBPStats, the Knicks are getting outscored by 4.2 points per 100 in the 484 minutes when Barrett has appeared without Quickley.
Dating back to the 2020-21 campaign, including the playoffs, the contrast is even more striking. New York has a net rating of plus-10.4 with Quickley but no Barrett and a net rating of minus-4.3 with Barrett but no Quickley.
While it is important to have as much height and length as possible on the court, the advanced analytics also suggest that Quickley is a more impactful player than Barrett.
We pulled visualization to compare and contrast how the two players have fared in two of the most trusted advanced analytics, Estimated Plus-Minus and Daily Plus-Minus.
Both suggest that since the start of his professional career, Quickley has maintained the edge by a fairly wide margin.
This isn’t necessarily an indictment on Barrett, who is one of the highest-paid players on the Knicks and is signed to a four-year deal worth $107 million.
Instead, playing more with the second unit could potentially benefit Barrett.
Per 100 possessions, he has scored an additional 3.6 points and 1.3 assists during minutes he has not played with Brunson relative to when they have played together. His usage rate has also spiked from 24.9 percent to 30.0 percent during these minutes, per PBPStats.
A change of his role would give him more opportunities to lead New York’s offense rather than playing more off-ball. Barrett has struggled on spot-up possessions and when his shot is contested, his catch-and-shoot jumper isn’t falling.
Quickley, who was the runner-up for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year last season, does well in the second unit. But if the Knicks are going to make a serious run in the Eastern Conference, he should play in the starting lineup instead of Barrett.
According to The Athletic’s Fred Katz, the vibes surrounding the team are “immaculate” and there is a “wave of cheeriness” in the locker room. Even Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, who is sometimes thought of as a bit of a curmudgeon, seems happy with what he has seen.
“Quickley’s my guy … You celebrate your team. You celebrate winning. Those are the things that you celebrate. I want our team to have win. I want them to have joy. But I don’t want it to get lost and I don’t want it to get twisted: Winning is way more fun than fun is fun.”
Let’s take a second and let that sink in one more time.
“Most of us will never have an idea of what it would be like to play and succeed at the professional level, but in Quickley, we see a player reacting to all of it as we imagine we might if ever given the chance.”
But that translates even better when the Knicks are winning basketball games, and that’s exactly what happens when Quickley is on the court.
Quickley has the second-best point differential among all players in the league during games he has come off the bench. The Knicks are 35-17 (.673) when Quickley logs at least 22 minutes and 4-10 (.285) in all other games.
So as long as the Knicks keep playing Quickley, they’re probably going to keep having fun. And remember: Winning is more fun than fun is fun.
But even with Brunson’s individual success — while leading the Knicks to the Eastern Conference’s current No. 5 seed — it looks like he still sometimes has to work hard to get head coach Tom Thibodeau’s attention. We saw a hilarious example of this Wednesday night during a 142-118 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
As Brunson (39 points) came out of the game, he tried to say something to Thibodeau. But Thibodeau was so focused on the action that he didn’t notice Brunson’s presence at first. What ensued was an amusing awkward reaction where the two shared a fist bump after Thibodeau finally looked Brunson’s way:
Whatever Brunson and Thibodeau have had cooking this year, it seems to be working lately. The Knicks have won 10 of their last 12 games, including seven straight. With how focused Thibodeau usually is on matchups, something tells me this might not be the last harmless exchange he has with Brunson this year.
