Derrick Rose took advantage of the first start of his season at first-team scoring.
Rose started the Knicks’ 140-point outburst by jerking to the basket and putting a left-handed runner off the glass. The Knicks never stopped scoring in the first game that Elfrid Payton missed this season.
Will it be passing the hotspot or just a one-night stand? Rose scored 18 points and made his first six shots in the Knicks’ 140-121 victory over the awful Kings in the festive garden on Thursday.
Do you remember when Rose came on board? Tom Thibodeau’s first remarks were that Rose would ‘initially’ come off the bench.
Payton sat with a sore thigh muscle and Rose, who was acquired this month, was anointed the starter – his first Knicks start since the 2016-17 season when he was first on the team.
Although Rose (32) started 618 games in his career, he was a 25-minute constraint with Detroit before the trade.
“It’s not hard,” Rose said before the game. “It’s basketball. It’s still basketball, brother. To give guys the ball where they want the ball. Thibs will put us in an excellent place to be prepared in certain situations, and my job is to hit the ball, and therefore only hit when I can and only play my game. I do not think I need to think about it. I have been an appetizer for most of my career. So it should not be too difficult. ‘
Former Knicks coach David Fizdale will always wonder what last season could have looked like if Payton had not strained his hamstring in the season’s fifth game. By the time Payton returned after an absence of 18 games, Fizdale was 4-18 and was sacked after Payton’s first rusty game.
It was quite different for Payton in his second season as Knick. He was an ironman and played in the first 32 games before Thursday.
Payton was a decision-maker during the game, but canceled it after taking a handful of free throws an hour before the discount. He averaged 12.4 points, 3.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds on 44.1 percent shooting.
Payton’s hamstring acted in Tuesday’s game against Golden State. He was durable – and effective – in calling out newcomer Immanuel Quickley to start in front of him before Rose showed up.
“As for the value of Elfrid to the team, we’ve seen it,” Thibodeau said. ‘His strengths differ from some of the other guys’s – his size, ability to protect the ball and his ability to get into the paint are invaluable to use. He had a very good season. ‘