There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the Minnesota Timberwolves this season. Even though their roster was dramatically altered by the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, they are still shaping up as one of the deepest and most talented teams in the Western Conference. They have all the needed pieces to be right back in the Western Conference Finals seven months from now.
Wolves fans are still waiting to see the debut of Julius Randle in preseason, but it seems that he should be suiting up sooner rather than later. Donte DiVincenzo, on the other hand, has played in all three of Minnesota's preseason games and impressed viewers every time. Anthony Edwards in particular has had some glowing reviews for Donte's impact on this team.
On Sunday evening, the Timberwolves traveled to New York City to take on the Knicks in a preseason game that had some obvious storylines behind it from the jump. Even though it was just an exhibition contest that did not count toward the standings, it was still significant that Karl-Anthony Towns played in his first ever game against his former team.
So of course, all eyes were on this one when Donte DiVincenzo made some comments during the first quarter directed at Tom Thibodeau. Initially, there were some comments on social media that DiVincenzo had told his former head coach "thanks for the trade," but he refuted these claims in the locker room postgame.
Here it is, clear as day.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) October 14, 2024
Donte DiVincenzo's explanation after the game, and the correct captioning of his interaction with the Knicks bench. pic.twitter.com/qPiZWiNDJa
DiVincenzo chirped at his former head coach
According to Donte, he was joking around with Thibodeau about his finishing, not about anything relating to the trade. When Thibs was asked about the viral moment following the game, he was quick to downplay the trash talk. "Two guys talking," he said. "I don't pay attention to that stuff."
But perhaps the more interesting bit of trash talk came after the conclusion of the contest when DiVincenzo and Rick Brunson, Jalen Brunson's father, had to be separated. Rick is an assistant coach for the Knicks, and he was going back and forth with Donte before other players and coaches stepped in and the two went their respective ways.
We do not yet know what was said during this moment, but it obviously had to be something more serious if others had to step in between them. This whole game and these moments of drama served to set the stage for the coming season. DiVincenzo clearly still has some things on his mind regarding his former team, and he is not afraid to let them be known.
The Timberwolves will play the Knicks twice more during the regular season, once in Minnesota on December 19 and once in New York on January 17. Wolves fans will no doubt be circling these dates on their calendars now.