NY Knicks Rant: Derrick Rose must start over Elfrid Payton in playoffs

This should not be up for debate. Derrick Rose needs to start for the NY Knicks over Elfrid Payton if they plan on having any chance of making noise come playoff time.

Elfrid Payton is not a bad player by any means.

He does lack a bit in the Basketball IQ department and his decision-making is atrocious at times.

I cringe every time Payton drives into 2 or 3 defenders at the rim and gets stuffed instead of kicking it out to an open RJ or Reggie in the corner.

Whether it’s 1999 or 2021, 3 points are worth more than 2 points. Especially when the level of difficulty to make said 2 pointer is way higher than a wide-open 3-point shot.

I’ll be the first to say that I was excited about the Elfrid Payton acquisition when it first happened.

Back in New Orleans, Payton was a triple-double machine.

But, the team he was on lacked talent, and his production was more about the increased opportunity over anything else really.

Should the NY Knicks start Derrick Rose over Elfrid Payton in the playoffs?

Since then, I’ve tried trading Elfrid more times than I can count. Clearly, my articles never reached Leon Rose’s desk.

Say what you want about Payton’s reduced minutes over the 9-game winning streak the Knicks are on as this is being written…

Derrick Rose has earned more minutes and continues to do so each and every time he’s on the court.

I’m glad Payton has been getting far less time on the court in the month of April in comparison to the months previous.

He’s the only player on the team with a negative +/- stat over this most recent stretch of wins.

Since Derrick Rose came over via trade with Detroit, when he’s logged 25 minutes or more the Knicks are 11-5.

In that same timeframe, the Knicks are 6-5 with Payton logging 25 minutes or more.

For the season, the Knicks are 13-11 when Payton plays 25 minutes or more.

Payton is also averaging a negative +/- for almost every month so far this season. Take that for data.

Only in the month of April is he averaging a positive +/- figure, which stands at 0.5. Mind you, the Knicks are 10-3 on the month.

This team is winning in spite of Elfrid Payton. The numbers support that.

Sure, it may mess up the chemistry of the second unit a bit, but I think it’s a price the Knicks should pay.