lol, you are kidding right? Payton is completely unplayable. Broken. At one point — right before he got yanked in the third, he was facing out toward the fans behind the basket, head down, while the play was going on, not even looking at the other four Knicks on the court who were attempting to play offense without him. While still in the game he was doing nothing but getting swatted, refusing to take four footers, coughing up the ball, getting destroyed on defense, and getting yelled at by his teammates—who despite what Chip valiantly maintains, seem pretty damn sick of him.
Thibs has got one week to get him right...er, as right as he can be, or his first five minutes of playoff (in) action will be his last for the duration.
Anyway, none of the above should sully
The Joy of This Day
*** the game, completely predictable trap type, feisty fired up Celtic third stringers, Knicks just wanting to get on with it, and they did
*** I wasn't even gonna pop on Elf — I feel sorry for him as a human being, rarely having seen anything so sad and pathetic on a pro court — but then you had to go and open up your rancid maw
Playing Point Guard In NYC Is NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART.
Followers of my ruminations will recall I am likewise supportive of many underDawgs, and given the fuitility of this franchise for the past 20 years, since Larry Johnson conclusively said OUCH and could not longer remain ambulatory, and JVG meekly bailed....
well now....
So if TO BE A KNICK FAN IS TO SUFFER, what of a KNICK POINT GUARD.
Watching Dennis Smith immediately post-trade, watching A healthy Elfrid Payton the first half of this season, while acknowledging their shortcomings, they had a positive impact on the team, and one could envision them being solid contributors.
Then, through injuries and what have you, to witness the regressive eating away of their confidence, TO EXPERIENCE THEIR VERY PUBLIC NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, was especially painful, as they clearly withered from the public scutiny and general disdain.
I would still be suprised if Thibs totally bails on Elfrid. Even on the evidence of the past several weeks, and the past several quarters. Clearly Elfrid's confidence is shot.
Why?
Loyalty, misplaced or otherwise.
Our paucity of point guards.
Other than Derrek Rose, Jared "The Subway Jared Has More Of A Chance Of Getting Rotation Minutes Than Me" Harper and the looming specter of Luca Vildoza, where are our point guards?
ANSWER?
There are none.
Alec Burks, Immanuel Quickley and Frank Ntilikina are all basically COMBO GUARDS. They have facilitating skills, but as we have seen with French Frank, after he got a brief audition earlier in the season, the coaching staff seems to have concluded that he is more effective as an off the ball wing. Alec and Immanuel, like everyone else on the Knicks, have bought into the ball movement, share the rock, unselfish style of play, but clearly they are more comfortable creating for themselves.
Clearly, Rose IS capable of giving us more that 20-25 minutes a night, but there is surely a danger in leaning TOO DAMN HARD on the vet, tempting though it might be, which I am sure weighs heaveily on Thibs, Bryant and Payne.
I mean, look at our fucking record WITH or WITHOUT Rose in the lineup? The Rose Trade was a game changer, and the manner in which he bought into the culture and accepted his role, had positive reverberations up and down the roster.
We were 19-8 as of April 30.
We were 5-3 in May, and DR sat out one game.
So what, 24-11. 23-11?
JEEZ LOUIZE.
Clearly Elfrid IS BROKEN.
Just as clearly, THIBS has to max out the tools he has, and among the tool he has, praise the LORD, are the combined team work of Julius and RJ, who between them, tallied a combined NINE ASSISTS per game over the course of the regular season. We've gotten four assists per game out of D-Rose, three assists out of Elfrid, and two assists per game out of IQ and Burks.
Whereas Atlanta gets 9.4 assists per game our of Trae Bien, who also gets to the FT line 8.7 times a game and converts at a .886 clip.
WORTH NOTING: Atlanta converted 1417 out of 1745 FTAs, for an imposing .812%. Whereas the Knicks are 1181 out of 1506, for a .784%
That is a function of point guard play, and a glaring team weakness which the Hawks can surely exploit in a 7 game series.
In any event, is Elfrid Payton BROKEN?
Surely is.
But hey, it's THE PLAYOFFS, Knicks fans, and even a broken clock is right two times a day. 
Poll
