Timberwolves' Donte DiVincenzo gets into spat with Knicks coaches

The New York Knicks abruptly traded guard Donte DiVincenzo a few days before training camp. Based on Sunday's preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he might hold a grudge about it.

DiVincenzo yelled at the Knicks bench from the foul line midway through Sunday's preseason game with his new team, the Timberwolves.

He appeared to be saying, "I can't finish, right, Thibs? I can't finish?" Then he repeated, "That's what happens when they let you run the show."

While some viewers/amateur lip readers thought DiVincenzo was complaining about the trade, the Wolves guard clarified after the game that he was joking about his perceived inability to finish at the rim.

But he wasn't joking after the game, a 115-110 Knicks victory where DiVincenzo scored 15 points and delivered seven assists.

After the game, DiVincenzo had to be separated from Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, who's also the father of DiVincenzo's former teammate, Jalen Brunson.

After DiVincenzo played with Brunson at Villanova and in New York, where the elder Brunson was an assistant, the two knew each other well.

DiVincenzo was a groomsman at Jalen Brunson's wedding, so the two are extremely close, with DiVincenzo calling him "my brother and my best friend." He declined to talk about the exchange with the Knicks assistant, saying he'd "talk about that privately" with Rick.

That kind of passion is why Knicks fans and players loved DiVincenzo, who hit big shots and talked trash during their playoff run last season.

While the Knicks got a big upgrade in adding center Karl-Anthony Towns in the deal that sent DiVincenzo to Minnesota, they also lost their star player's good friend, who also played college ball with Josh Hart and new Knick Mikal Bridges. It's only natural that emotions are still raw, especially with a passionate player like DiVincenzo. It's hard for any player not to take being traded as a rejection.

After the game, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch compared losing Towns, who had 16 points and 16 rebounds Sunday, to "a death in the family," so clearly sentiment was running high in both locker rooms.

Plus, the dust-up doesn't necessarily mean there's any beef between the players, especially since Rick Brunson may have misunderstood what DiVincenzo was yelling from the line in the first place.

One excited player is Wolves All-Star Anthony Edwards, who called playing with DiVincenzo "[Expetive] incredible. I don’t need the ball. You see it. I’m having fun, man. It’s fun to play with Donte."

It's fun to play with Donte, but it's no fun being on his bad side. The two teams meet again on Dec. 19 in Minnesota.