Zen Master addresses Knicks strife

The repercussions of the Knicks’ debacle are rippling across the NBA, and former Knicks are taking notice. Phil Jackson, the Lakers coach who was an integral member of the 1973 Knicks championship team, yesterday acknowledged the chaos swirling around his old club, and even said some Knicks fans have called him to lament.

All he can do is urge patience, especially since he sees some talent on the team.

“It’s really not healthy for our game,” Jackson said at the Lakers shootaround before they played the Celtics. “I have friends that still have season tickets and go to these games and call up to complain about it. I know the plight that they’re under.

“But there are cycles to things. This is a cycle and there will be another good cycle like the ’70s or the ’90s for Knicks fans in the future. They have enough interesting players that they could find a way to do it with this group.”

Jackson didn’t comment directly on Isiah Thomas, whose job could be on the line after chants of “Fire Isiah” echoed across the Garden during the Knicks loss to the Warriors Tuesday. And Thomas will likely will hear more of the same today when they play the Bulls in a matinee.

Jackson seemed to praise Isiah the general manager who assembled the players, but not the coach, who leads a team that is 2-9 after a disappointing 33-victory season last year.

“I think there’s a good enough team there that they can have a chance at some real success,” Jackson said. “Obviously, with a lot of things coming down on the organization, with management and coaching, it’s very difficult for players to hold their confidence. So that is a real difficult situation for all concerned, including the fans.”