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Donte DiVincenzo Rumors
Before taking the Rockets offer, the Suns had in-depth discussions with the Minnesota Timberwolves about moving Durant for a package that included star center Rudy Gobert, guard Donte DiVincenzo, promising forward Terrence Shannon Jr. and the 17th pick in this year's draft, sources told ESPN. Had that deal come to fruition, there was a place for Beal in the lineup, and the Suns might've made it a priority to keep him.
Donte DiVincenzo officially an Italian citizen
President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella put his signature today by approving the CDM proposal President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella put his signature today by approving the CDM proposal to confer Italian citizenship for sporting merit on Donte DiVincenzo.
The saga of American-born DiVincenzo getting an Italian passport had begun back in 2018 when the player was an NBA rookie with the Milwaukee Bucks. He’s mentioned his willingness to represent Italy multiple times and now it seems that he’ll wear the Azzurri jersey for the first time in the upcoming European championship.
The Wolves also believed DiVincenzo's underrated playmaking could boost the offense and help make up for what they were losing by sacrificing Towns' floor-spacing. Don't forget that, before the Villanova product signed with New York in the summer of 2023, Minnesota's Tim Connelly-led front office chased him hard.
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Isaiah Hartenstein is one win away from the NBA Finals. The Knicks have a chance to make their first NBA Finals in 25 years. Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo have helped Minnesota reach the Western Conference finals for the second straight season. “It’s funny when you see all three teams, I think for everyone it was a win-win,” Hartenstein told SNY from the visitor’s locker room at the Target Center late Monday night. “…. Then you see Obi (Toppin) with Indiana. I think it’s bittersweet for everybody.”
“The amount of s*** Julius takes, it’s hard to even fathom how he deals with it,” Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo told Yahoo Sports. “To see him carry the load, night in and night out, everybody knows how much stuff he deals with, everybody knows how much flak he [catches], and he doesn't let it faze him, he doesn't let it bother him.”
Before March, Randle was averaging 0.92 points per isolation, per GeniusIQ, which ranked 53rd out of 64 players with at least 150 isolations. But since then, Randle is averaging 1.12 points per isolation, which ranks sixth among 21 players with at least 150 plays and places him next to star scorers like Jalen Brunson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The other former Knick who joined Randle in the trade also found his legs as the season went on. Through his first 25 games in Minnesota, DiVincenzo had made just 32% of his 3-pointers, and though he rose to 37% by mid-January, a toe strain kept him out of the lineup for more than a month. But after DiVincenzo returned, he made a scorching 45% of his 3-point tries, which was even better than the Timberwolves expected when they added him to their perimeter rotation last fall. All of a sudden, a once-rotten trade looked splendid, as all the key parts were flourishing for their new teams.
What’s it like seeing guys like Donte DiVincenzo, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and Jalen Brunson become the faces of Villanova in the NBA, and how does it feel to see them representing the program and building the brand on the biggest stage? Eric Dixon: For me, it’s great for the brand. The best part is seeing those guys come back. I’ve had a pretty good relationship with Mikal and JB. It’s nice to see them succeed. They come back, they’re part of the brotherhood, and you want to see your brothers do well. Seeing them have success is a big boost for the brand and the program.
Dave McMenamin: Donte DiVincenzo when asked about MIN’s motivation to close the series before GSW can get Steph Curry back: “There’s not a fear that we need to end it before he comes back. We would like to, obviously. You don’t want one of the best players in the world to come back in the series”
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![Dave McMenamin: “But there’s not a [feeling of] ‘It’s …](https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/gcdn/content-pipeline-sports-images/sports2/nba/players/338365.png?format=png8&auto=webp&quality=85,75&width=140)
Without Curry’s gravity, the Warriors are far less potent. Butler prefers to be a playmaker rather than an alpha scorer. Podziemski has been quiet through two games. Jonathan Kuminga had 18 points in Game 2 but has been wildly inconsistent, as has Hield, who did go 4 of 9 from 3, but didn’t get going until the Wolves were up by 20 points. “He wants to win,” Donte DiVincenzo said of Conley. “Everybody wants to win, but you just see how hard he’s playing in whatever stints he has. He’s giving everything he has.”
Dave McMenamin: Donte DiVincenzo came into the locker room pregame flashing his fingers in a V, with a huge smile on his face, talking about Pope Leo. “I’m having a great day!” he exclaimed. He said Coach Jay Wright texted their Wildcats group chat: “Did you see it guys?!?! Nova pride!”
More than four dozen players were nominated by PBWA members. Twenty-five finalists were selected by a PBWA subcommittee to create the official ballot, which was voted on by the entire membership. Players received two points for every first-team vote and one point for every second-team vote. The other 15 finalists, in alphabetical order, were: Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic), Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons), DeMar DeRozan (Sacramento Kings), Donte DiVincenzo (Minnesota Timberwolves), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves), Al Horford (Boston Celtics), Kyrie Irving (Dallas Mavericks), C.J. McCollum (New Orleans Pelicans), Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers), Georges Niang (Cleveland Cavaliers/Atlanta Hawks), Kristaps Porzingis (Boston Celtics), Austin Reaves (Los Angeles Lakers), Fred VanVleet (Houston Rockets) and Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs).
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