Report: Knicks Coach, Former Star End Feud
Madison Square Garden has hosted its share of title bouts but a rematch between a New York Knicks assistant coach and a former Manhattan star won’t be added to the list.
Per SNY’s Ian Begley, cooler heads have prevailed in the feud between Rick Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo, who came to verbal blows after the Knicks did preseason battle with the latter’s new employers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, last weekend.
“(I) talked to several people about Rick Brunson & Donte DiVincenzo exchanging words the other night,” Begley said in a Thursday X post. One thing I’ve heard consistently is that they’ve had a close relationship for a while and it’s water under the bridge at this point, for both Brunson and DiVincenzo.”
DiVincenzo was one of the headlining pieces that the Knicks moved in the deal that acquired Karl-Anthony Towns. During free throws in the first half of the Sunday game, he exchanged words with the Knicks bench and later confronted Brunson directly as the teams exchanged pleasantries following a 115-110 New York win.
Brunson, of course, is the father of Jalen, the Knicks’ starting point guard and franchise face. DiVincenzo has formed a lasting friendship with the younger Brunson and served as the best man at his wedding to Ali Marks.
In the immediate aftermath, DiVincenzo expressed a desire to “both be men and talk about it privately.” He also said that his relationship with the Brunsons was “separate” and that he planned to “figure everything out,” per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
In any event, matchups between the Knicks and Timberwolves should still be among the most anticipated on the NBA’s interconference slate this season after their deal, which also sent Julius Randle to Minneapolis. The Knicks go to Target Center on Dec. 19 while the Wolves will make their way back to Manhattan just over a month later on Jan. 17.
