Donte DiVincenzo

Atlantic Notes: Brunson, Bogdanovic, DiVincenzo, Maxey, Lowry

March 5th, 2024 at 6:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks got more good news on Jalen Brunson‘s knee. An MRI on the injured area came back clean, coach Tom Thibodeau told Newsday’s Steve Popper (Twitter link) and other media members.

Brunson, who didn’t play against the Hawks on Tuesday, was diagnosed with a left knee contusion after colliding with teammate Isaiah Hartenstein in the opening minute of New York’s win over Cleveland on Sunday. It initially looked much worse. The Knicks’ All-Star guard was helped off the court after attempting a mid-range shot and did not return.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Bojan Bogdanovic and Donte DiVincenzo combined for 48 points after Brunson left Sunday’s game and snapped out of shooting slumps. They were aided by crisp ball movement, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post notes, as the Knicks had 32 assists on Sunday, the most they had recorded since Dec. 11.
Sixers star guard Tyrese Maxey has entered the league’s concussion protocol, as relayed by ESPN’s news services. He was diagnosed with a mild concussion, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Maxey hit his head against the knee of Mavericks forward Derrick Jones in the third quarter of Sunday’s win and was subbed out, though he did eventually return.
Kyle Lowry, who has taken over as the Sixers’ starting point guard, doesn’t want to reflect on his career accomplishments until he retires, he told Pompey. “Of course, I know what they are,” Lowry said. “I’ve never sat down and really thought about the things that I’ve done. I just continue to live in the moment where I can’t think about what I’ve done, what is there to do, you know? ‘Do you want to win a couple more championships or whatever I can win?’ But I never sat back and thought about it yet. The reason is because I’m still playing.”

New York Notes: Hart, DiVincenzo, Simmons, Claxton

March 3rd, 2024 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

With so many regulars missing due to injuries, the Knicks have been leaning heavily on forward Josh Hart, who has played at least 40 minutes in six of the team’s past seven games, including 47:10 in Thursday’s loss to Golden State. After admitting earlier in the season that his Team USA stint last summer might be catching up with him, Hart has welcomed the extra playing time and shown no signs of hitting a wall, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post.

“At the end of the day as a competitor I want to play,” Hart said following Thursday’s game. “If I went out, especially if we were making a run and I got (taken) out, I’m mad. You know what I mean? I want to play as much as I can.”

Head coach Tom Thibodeau told Botte and other reporters that he’s “always talking” to Hart about his workload and that he’s pleased with how the 28-year-old has responded to his increased role.

“He’s handled it well,” Thibodeau said. “Obviously, we’re shorthanded right now so that’s what’s required. But (he had) 18 rebounds, seven assists (on Thursday). And he’s a great defender, so we need him right now.”

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:

While Donte DiVincenzo is a long shot to suit up for Italy in this year’s Olympics, the Knicks wing said in a conversation with Simone Sandri of Gazzetta Dello Sport that he hopes to represent the national team in the years to come, even if he can’t get his Italian passport in time for Paris this summer.
Fred Katz of The Athletic examines a few areas of concern for the Knicks, including the offensive production from the first unit and all the teams that are right on their heels in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Nets guard/forward Ben Simmons missed a third consecutive game on Saturday due to left leg soreness, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Simmons has been limited to 15 appearances in 2023/24, including just 10 since playing the first five games of the season.
The Nets only have a couple more months to experiment with the way they use Nic Claxton before they’ll have to pay up to retain him in free agency, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required). As Lewis details, Claxton and Simmons have remained altogether incompatible in their minutes sharing the court, and while Simmons was a major part of Brooklyn’s game plan entering this season, Claxton now looks like the player who will be a bigger part of the franchise’s plans going forward.

New York Notes: Anunoby, DiVincenzo, Simmons, Graham

February 29th, 2024 at 5:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Forward OG Anunoby has been cleared to do some on-court work, but still isn’t doing any contact, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps (Twitter link) and other media members on Thursday.

Anunoby underwent elbow surgery earlier this month. At that time, he was ruled out for at least three weeks. He hasn’t suited up since Jan. 27.

Isaiah Hartenstein is returning to action against Golden State on Thursday evening after missing Tuesday’s game against New Orleans due to Achilles soreness. Jalen Brunson, who also sat out Tuesday due to neck spasms, will play tonight too, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets.

We have more on the New York teams:

Donte DiVincenzo‘s impact on the Knicks’ offense during this injury-filled stretch can’t be overstated, Popper writes in a subscriber-only story for Newsday. DiVincenzo is averaging 22.2 points and 3.2 assists this month.
The Nets’ Ben Simmons is sitting out against the Hawks on Thursday due to left leg soreness, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets. Simmons has appeared in eight games this month, averaging 5.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 18.8 minutes.
With the Nets losing assistant general manager Jeff Peterson, who is heading to the Hornets as their head of basketball operations, Pelicans assistant GM Bryson Graham could be a candidate to replace him, according to Net Income. Graham is currently working under GM Trajan Langdon, who was also a candidate for the Hornets job.

Knicks Notes: DiVincenzo, Anunoby, Randle, Injuries

February 28th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves were a serious suitor for Donte DiVincenzo and had a real chance to sign him when he reached free agency last summer, league sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic. DiVincenzo, who was also weighing “significant” offers from a few other teams in addition to the Knicks, reached out to former Warriors teammate Stephen Curry to ask his advice, according to Katz.

As Katz writes, DiVincenzo was leaning toward the Knicks and Curry helped him finalize that decision, confirming that New York would be a good fit for his skill set.

“Just looking at the depth chart and the role he could play, what they needed,” Curry said. “They were already a playoff team, starting to trend in the right direction. Then (there is) his familiarity with their players from college. That made it so he’d have the opportunity to go in and do exactly what he did for us. He’s a smart, high-IQ basketball player who plays defense.”

DiVincenzo, who said he would’ve liked to stay in Golden State if the Warriors had been in position to make a competitive offer, appreciated Curry’s input.

“I’m a grown man. I make my own decisions, but to have somebody of that stature to almost voice the opinion that I’m thinking — it makes you feel good about the decision you’re making, rather than if he says something way out of left field and you kind of start to question things,” DiVincenzo said. “… He reinforced what I was thinking about New York.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Ian Begley of SNY.tv checks in on several Knicks injuries, exploring where things stand for OG Anunoby (elbow), Julius Randle (shoulder), Jalen Brunson (neck), and Isaiah Hartenstein (Achilles). Begley thinks Anunoby will likely return to the court before Randle, barring setbacks, and suggests that mid-March is viewed as a realistic target for Anunoby.
Despite being hit hard by the injury bug in recent weeks, the Knicks aren’t griping about their bad luck, Josh Hart said on Tuesday after the team lost for the sixth time in its last eight games. “We’re not going to complain about injuries. … Whenever you go through adversity, you got two choices,” Hart said, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. “You got the first one to kind of face it head on. And don’t complain, just work. And then you have the other one that’s just go into a ball and complain and cry about it. So I don’t think that’s what anyone in this locker room is doing.”
There are two ways for the Knicks to silence the speculation about the possibility of a trade for a superstar, according to Andrew Crane of The New York Post (subscription required), who says the club could either make a trade for a star or continue to win without needing one. As Crane notes, if the Knicks can get healthy by the playoffs, the group that flashed its potential following the Anunoby addition in January – and has since added two more solid role players in Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks – will get a chance to show what it’s capable of this spring.
As we detailed in a separate story this afternoon, the Knicks’ protest of their February 12 loss was formally denied by the NBA, as expected.

Pistons’ Williams Blasts Refs After Loss For “Worst Call Of The Season”

February 27th, 2024 at 7:47am CST by Luke Adams

Two weeks after narrowly losing a game in Houston following a blown last-second call, the Knicks benefited from a missed call late in a two-point home victory over Detroit on Monday.

As Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press and Tim Bontemps of ESPN detail, the Knicks were trailing 111-110 in the game’s final minute and lost control of the ball with 10 seconds left. As Pistons guard Ausar Thompson began dribbling up the court, Knicks wing Donte DiVincenzo dove into him, jarring the ball loose (Twitter video links). No foul was called on DiVincenzo as the Knicks recovered the loose ball and Josh Hart scored the game-winning basket en route to a 113-111 victory.

“Where’s the New York media now?” Pistons head coach Monty Williams said after the game. “The absolute worst call of the season. No call. And enough’s enough. We’ve done it the right way, we’ve called the league, we’ve sent in clips. We’re sick of hearing the same stuff over and over again. We had a chance to win the game and a guy dove into Ausar’s legs, and it was a no-call.

“That’s an abomination. You cannot miss that in an NBA game, period, and I’m tired of talking about it, I’m tired of our guys asking me, ‘What more can we do, coach?’ That situation is Exhibit A to what we’ve been dealing with all season long, and enough’s enough.

“You cannot dive into a guy’s legs in a big-time game like that and there be a no-call. It’s ridiculous, and we’re tired of it. We just want a fair game called. Period. And I’ve got nothing else to say. We want a fair game, and that was not fair.”

In the pool report conducted by Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press after the game, crew chief James Williams admitted that the officials got the call wrong.

“Upon postgame review, we determined that Thompson gets to the ball first, and then was deprived of the opportunity to gain possession of the ball,” Williams said. “Therefore, a loose ball foul should have been whistled on New York’s Donte DiVincenzo.”

Pistons guard Cade Cunningham described the team as “livid” after the game, while Thompson admitted he was surprised when the play continued without a foul being called.

“I was very confused when I was on the ground and the play kept going, I’m not going to lie,” Thompson said. “But, I mean, that’s how it goes.”

As Sankofa writes, the officiating has been a sore spot for Williams and the Pistons all season — the club has been whistled for an NBA-high 21.9 fouls per game while losing 49 of 57 contests. Still, Williams’ post-game comments on Monday were his strongest indictment yet of a game’s referees and seem likely to warrant the league’s attention.

Williams was fined last March when he was coaching the Suns for his comments about the officiating following a loss to the Lakers, but hasn’t faced any penalties from the league for his comments to the press so far this season. That could change as soon as later today.

Knicks Notes: Randle, Anunoby, Robinson, Hartenstein, More

February 21st, 2024 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said on Tuesday that Julius Randle continues to make “good, steady progress” in his recovery from a dislocated right shoulder, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv. One day later, speaking publicly on Wednesday for the first time since suffering the injury, Randle told reporters that he’s feeling “better and stronger” than he was earlier in the month, according to Peter Botte of The New York Post.

However, neither Thibodeau nor Randle indicated that the possibility of season-ending surgery is off the table.

“I mean, we’ll see. There’s still necessary steps. It’s a process to everything. I have to weigh out everything ultimately and decide from there,” Randle said. “But right now I’m just focused on trying to avoid (surgery), obviously, and get back on the court as soon as I can.”

Even if Randle is able to return to action this season without undergoing surgery, it’s unclear if he’ll be able to avoid a procedure on the shoulder in the offseason, Botte writes.

“I’ve heard many different opinions. Both, so we’ll see,” Randle said when asked about that scenario. “I like how I feel today as far as getting better, feeling stronger, progressing to where I need to be, as far as getting on the court.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

While Randle’s recovery timeline remains very much up in the air, another injured Knicks forward – OG Anunoby – said on Tuesday that he “for sure” expects to return before the end of the regular season and be available for the playoffs, according to Botte. Anunoby, who underwent a procedure on his right elbow a couple weeks ago, is expected to be reevaluated around March 1 and to resume on-court activities not longer after that, a league source tells Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Within that same Athletic story, Katz says center Mitchell Robinson (ankle surgery) is on track to resume on-court work not long after the All-Star break, though it remains to be seen whether or not he’ll return this season. Katz adds that big man Isaiah Hartenstein doesn’t view the Achilles injury he has been nursing as a serious issue.
Hartenstein, Donte DiVincenzo (hamstring), and Bojan Bogdanovic (calf) all returned to practice on Tuesday and went through a second day of workouts on Wednesday, according to Thibodeau, who said that all three players remain on track to return on Thursday (Twitter link via Steve Popper of Newsday).
During a Boardroom.tv discussion (YouTube link) between Kevin Durant and longtime business partner Rich Kleiman, the duo confirmed that Kleiman badly wanted Durant to sign with the Knicks as a free agent in 2019, when the star forward instead chose to join the Nets.

Atlantic Notes: Barnes, Lowry, Brunson, DiVincenzo

February 19th, 2024 at 8:00pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Raptors have lost three games in a row, two of which were blowouts. The 23-point loss to the Spurs on Monday, in particular, showed Scottie Barnes is still figuring out what it means to be a leader, writes TSN’s Josh Lewenberg. Barnes finished that game with just seven points on 20.0% shooting and departed for the locker room with about four seconds left.

Toronto failed to send a message by not disciplining Barnes, Lewenberg opines, pointing to a time early in the 2020/21 season when the team responded to Pascal Siakam leaving a game early by holding him out of the following game.

Lewenberg, The Athletic’s Eric Koreen and Sportsnet.ca’s Michael Grange all explore the topic, writing that Barnes is still in the first steps of figuring out his leading style after Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby all departed over the past year.

For what it’s worth, Barnes downplayed the situation after the game and followed up the performance by scoring 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in a two-point loss to the Pacers right before the deadline.

“He is learning what kind of effect he has on [the] team and teammates and everybody,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said. “He’s going through this for the first time in his life, being the face of a franchise, and he’s emotional, but he also needs to learn how to channel those emotions. This is another great learning opportunity for him. That doesn’t mean it’s never going to happen again, but I believe that there’s going to be less and less and much better handling [of] those situations going forward.”

We have more notes from the Atlantic Division:

Kyle Lowry had multiple options on the buyout market, according to Nick Nurse, but saw the Sixers as his best fit (Twitter link via South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman). Nurse also referred to Lowry as a backup point guard, meaning he’ll help fill the defensive role that opened when the team traded away Patrick Beverley at the deadline.
After making his first All-Star and Three-Point Contest appearances, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson is looking to what’s next, according to the New York Post’s Peter Botte. Brunson is taking it game-by-game and day-by-day. “I know a lot of Knicks fans want to put us right in the Eastern Conference Finals. We were one step short last year,” Brunson said. “I think for us … we can’t look forward to the playoffs. We have to focus on every single day, just chipping away and getting better and better.“
Donte DiVincenzo is having a career year with the Knicks, averaging career highs of 13.6 points and 41.5% from beyond the arc. He’s been especially productive as the Knicks have rocketed up the standings since the New Year. The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy explores DiVincenzo’s ascension from playing at small Catholic school Salesianum to a starting role with a contending team. “I thought he was going to play for money, but I didn’t think it was going to the NBA. I thought it was going to be Italy or something,” Salesianum’s head coach at the time Brendan Haley said. “But he just kept getting better and better. And keeps betting on himself and keeps winning.“

Knicks Notes: Achiuwa, Injuries, Randle, DiVincenzo

February 16th, 2024 at 6:41pm CST by Rory Maher

After a highly impressive stretch of play which saw New York go 15-2 from January 1 to February 1, a wave of injuries finally caught up with the Knicks, who have dropped five of their past six games entering the All-Star break.

With OG Anunoby (elbow), Julius Randle (shoulder), Mitchell Robinson (ankle surgery) all sidelined and Isaiah Hartenstein missing the past three contests with a sore Achilles, the Knicks have been heavily reliant on Precious Achiuwa, and the fourth-year forward/center has responded well, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post.

Over the past eight games, all starts, the 24-year-old big man has put up 14.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.6 blocks in 41.6 minutes. Achiuwa pulled down an eye-popping 19 offensive rebounds over the past two games, Botte notes.

“I mentioned earlier what Isaiah has shown us and then Precious coming in,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said after Wednesday’s road loss to the Magic. “Obviously there were things we liked about [Achiuwa], that’s why we traded for him. But he’s shown us a lot. And it’s given us more versatility, we have size now at the 4. He can play the 4 or the 5, can play it well. … So that’s a big plus for us.”

Achiuwa, who was acquired from Toronto in the deal that sent Anunoby to New York, will be a restricted free agent this summer if the Knicks give him a qualifying offer, which seems very likely based on how he’s performed of late.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Thibodeau is hoping to have multiple players back from injuries after the All-Star break, Botte writes in another story for The New York Post. Donte DiVincenzo (hamstring), trade-deadline addition Bojan Bogdanovic (calf) and Hartenstein all missed Wednesday’s game, but they could return next Thursday against Philadelphia. “I think we’ve had a great two-thirds of the season. We’ve put ourselves in a position where we’ve done well, but we have a lot of room for improvement,” All-Star guard Jalen Brunson said. “So I think this break is obviously good for us. We’re the walking wounded right now. But I’m more than happy with what we’ve been able to do. So quick reset and just be ready to go next week.”
While there’s still a chance he may need season-ending surgery after dislocating his right shoulder on January 27, Randle’s rehab has gone well over the past few weeks, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv. “I’ve heard during this period that there’s been some positive progression here during the rehab and I think that’s left people with even more reason to be optimistic that Randle will be back at some point this season,” Begley said on Thursday’s episode of The Putback with Ian Begley. “I don’t know if they’re out of the woods yet, but certainly the progress that he has made over the last couple of weeks during this rehab stretch has left people excited about the possibility of him coming back.”
DiVicenzo is another player who has stepped up his game with Randle and Anunoby out. As Fred Katz of The Athletic details, DiVincenzo is drawing extra defensive attention lately due to his long-range shooting, with the sixth-year guard ranking second in the NBA over his past eight games in three-point attempts (13.3) and makes (5.3), only trailing Stephen Curry in those two categories. He’s averaging 26.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals on .459/.396/.750 shooting in 40.4 minutes over that span. “I think it’s his best stretch of basketball,” Thibodeau said.

New York Notes: DiVincenzo, Knicks’ Roster, Johnson, Bridges

February 15th, 2024 at 7:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks swingman Donte DiVincenzo would like to represent Italy in this year’s Summer Olympics but it apparently won’t happen.

“Ideally, I would love to,” DiVincenzo told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “Logistically and how everything plays out, I don’t know if it’s possible. But if everything works out perfectly, I would love to.”

However, in a follow-up story, Bondy said he received an email from a representative from the Italian Basketball Federation stating that DiVincenzo couldn’t be added to the team.

“For the next Olympic Games there would not be the time to complete the procedures to provide him with an Italian passport,” Francesco D’Aniello wrote.

We have more on the New York teams:

The Knicks only have 13 players on standard contracts and need to add at least one more. According to Ian Begley of SNY TV, signing one – or more — of their G League players to a standard contract is a possibility. Charlie Brown Jr., Jacob Toppin and Duane Washington are currently on two-way deals and may be candidates for a promotion, while Taj Gibson, who is currently on a 10-day deal, could receive a rest-of-the-season contract, Begley adds.
Nets forward Cameron Johnson returned to action on Wednesday after missing four games with a left adductor strain. He came off the bench and played 18 minutes, contributed four points, three rebounds and two assists. Johnson started in all 40 of his previous appearances but Dorian Finney-Smith got the starting nod with Johnson on a minutes restriction. Coach Jacque Vaughn will have to choose between the two of them going forward, unless he wants to put Cam Thomas in a sixth man role again, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post,
The Nets’ last game before the All-Star break was a disaster, as they lost by 50 to the first-place Celtics. Forward Mikal Bridges told Lewis that the team shouldn’t forget about the loss. “Yeah, I mean you gotta learn and fix the issue; that’s pretty much what it is. You can’t just let this one go and think like, ‘Oh, like, let it drop.’ No,” he said. “Yeah, maybe if you lost towards the end, but you got beat by 50. It’s not just, ‘Let it go.’ A lot of (bleep) is not right, and you’ve got to fix it.”

Officials Admit To Missed Last-Second Call In Knicks Loss

February 13th, 2024 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks lost their third consecutive game on Monday night, as their comeback effort in Houston fell just short. However, the outcome might have been different if not for an error by the officiating crew during the game’s decisive final seconds.

With the score tied at 103 on the final possession of regulation, Rockets guard Aaron Holiday corralled a loose ball and fired up a desperation fade-away three-pointer as time expired (Twitter video link). The shot missed, but Knicks guard Jalen Brunson was called for a foul and Holiday made two game-winning free throws with 0.3 seconds left on the clock.

After the final buzzer sounded, crew chief Ed Malloy admitted in an interview with pool reporter Fred Katz of The Athletic that Brunson should not have been whistled for a foul. A no-call would have sent the game to overtime.

“After seeing it during postgame review, the offensive player was able to return to a normal playing position on the floor,” Malloy said. “The contact, which occurred after the release of the ball, therefore is incidental and marginal to the shot attempt and should not have been called.”

Knicks players and head coach Tom Thibodeau were relatively muted in their criticisms of the officiating after the game, clearly not looking to give the NBA a reason to fine them. Brunson repeatedly – and sarcastically – referred to the game-deciding foul as a “great call,” while Thibodeau said, “If you look at the film, you see it.”

After watching the Rockets go to the foul line 33 times while the Knicks attempted just 12 free throws, Thibodeau offered some broader thoughts about the way the game is refereed, as Katz details.

“The thing with the officials — this is the way I feel about that, in general — is I don’t really care how tight the game is called,” Thibodeau said. “You can call it tight or you can call it loose. I just want consistency to be the same. And they have a job. They have to control and manage the game. That’s their No. 1 responsibility. They have to use their judgment, and I have respect for that. It didn’t go our way tonight.”

As Katz notes, the Knicks could technically file a protest, but a successful protest requires the team to prove that a rule was misapplied, not just that a judgment call was wrong, so it would almost certainly be futile.

The banged-up Knicks, who lost yet another player – Donte DiVincenzo (hamstring) – on Monday due to an injury, have one more game on their schedule before the All-Star break. They’ll play on Wednesday in Orlando, then hope to come back healthier when their schedule resumes on February 22 in Philadelphia.

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