The New York Knicks are previously in need of Donte DiVincenzo

As any parent trying to dissuade a child from a flashy, garish—and most importantly, expensive—Christmas present: You don’t need it, New York Knicks fans.

ClutchPoint’s NBA Insider Brett Siegel energized a sleepy NBA Friday with a report indicating that Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo was “viewed as a possible trade candidate for several contending teams around the league.” Siegel clarified that there was “no indication that the Timberwolves will move their newly acquired guard,” but it has proved hard to stop Knicks fans’ unbridled enthusiasm for nostalgia and gossip.

It’s not what it takes to imagine DiVincenzo in a Knicks jersey any imagination considering he was on the roster less than two months ago and left Manhattan as the record holder after just one tour (most successful three-pointers in a single season).

That doesn’t even get into the Main Line mythos that never got around when the “‘Nova Knicks” concept reached maximum overdrive when Mikal Bridges was added to a fold that already featured DiVincenzo, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart . That never happened when DiVincenzo and Julius Randle were traded to Minnesota for the services of Karl-Anthony Towns. Siegel’s report has rekindled hope that the foursome will one day take to the Madison Square Garden hardwood as teammates beyond the Big East Tournament.

But the Knicks face enough loss for their perception of being stuck in the past, forever subject to the purgatory of turn-of-the-century hijacks and championships won before most major cable networks took to the air. Why long for the golden year … 2024?

This temptation carries no sin: The Knicks’ early struggles, especially from deep, had many growing pains for nostalgia in mere weeks, especially as Bridges and Towns struggled to live up to their incoming hype. So it was fair to wonder if the best move the Knicks could have made was nothing at all, especially considering how DiVincenzo was shipped just days before training camp.

But is DiVincenzo changing the Knicks’ championship fortunes? It’s not likely, and the fact that there is no desirable spot in the starting 5 for DiVincenzo is only the first reason.

The latest ideas about the Knicks adding players – this season has already conjured up dreams of Giannis Antetokounmpo with New York on his chest – have been met with resistance in the form of being grateful for what the Garden already has, which New York has gone all in on a group entitled Brunson and Towns. Admitting defeat on their lieutenants (because Minnesota certainly won’t be swayed by drafts that are likely still in elementary school) so early in the process would eat away at the psyche of modern New Yorkers and erode the progress developed by the floor unit’s Brunson- era.

The Knicks’ three-point effort, fueled in part by Towns’ famed range and OG Anunoby and Cameron Payne’s insertion into the offensive game, has stabilized well enough to allow them to hang around and even dominate shootouts. Defense is the Knicks’ biggest problem, and while DiVincenzo’s defense has been decent enough in recent seasons, it’s not going to move the Knicks’ championship needle.

As it stands, the Knicks are in relatively the same position as they were last season: fully capable of scoring and shooting/attempting from deep (10th in successful threes per game and 21st in attempts after having sat in the bottom fifth during the first decade) . The only thing missing is defense, and that is far from DiVincenzo’s strength. If the Knicks want to solve this problem, sticking with what they have and just having a little bit of patience — namely, when it comes to waiting out Mitchell Robinson’s rehab — will be the key to moving forward in lieu of a DiVincenzo -based meal. fault.

New York was also a team that began to move away from key cogs, no matter how much they have loved the organization. Only five players from the 2023-2024 season opener are still on the team, and only three men in that group actually played in that loss to Boston. There’s no point in crawling back to DiVincenzo, especially when the deal that sent him away in the first place left them little to give anyway. But even if DiVincenzo, whose primary average has dropped dramatically in Minneapolis, found a second wind in a potential return to Manhattan, the Knicks are no longer the NBA’s answer to career rehab.

If the Knicks want to indulge in nostalgia, they are far better off being patient with Mitchell Robinson, who is set to return this winter in what should arguably bolster their defense. New York is already capable of holding its own in shootouts, but in this day and age, going for 120 points every night is not a viable plan of attack for a championship contender.

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