Julius Randle to make preseason debut on Wednesday

In what was the unofficial returns of Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to New York, and the first game Karl-Anthony Towns played against Minnesota since being traded earlier this month, the highlight came after the buzzer sounded when DiVincenzo and Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, the father of New York star guard Jalen Brunson, had to be separated following a verbal altercation. “Just some words. I don’t fully know what was said. A lot of people there,” DiVincenzo said. “But I really have no comment on the situation. We’re both grown men and can talk about it privately.” -via New York Times / October 14, 2024

Randle, whose five seasons at the Garden represent the franchise’s best stint since at least Carmelo Anthony’s, had been excited about the opportunity to recreate the success of last season’s January, when the Knicks owned a 14-2 record and were close to fully healthy. But Randle, who dislocated his shoulder at the end of that month, was traded to Minnesota in a summer shocker, and the opportunity to run it back was eliminated. “My whole thing has always been since the day I got here is control what you can control. And if that opportunity presented itself, I would’ve been ready for it. It didn’t,” Randle said. “And honestly, I’m really happy and excited and blessed. I’ve got unfinished business here. And that’s what I’m choosing to focus on.” -via New York Post / October 13, 2024

Asked what advice he’d give Karl-Anthony Towns about handling the market’s expectations, Julius Randle, who got better at ignoring negativity in his final two seasons with the Knicks, said, “Just think of basketball. Just stay locked in. Stay in the moment. This place tends to make things bigger than what it may seem like at the time.” -via New York Post / October 13, 2024