NBA

Knicks president Mills looks to get analytical

If you have a degree in abstract mathematics from MIT or Harvard, send your resume to 2 Penn Plaza, in care of Steve Mills.

The Knicks new president/general manager, a Princeton graduate, is mulling adding an analytics guru to the front office as part of his “rebuilding’’ of the franchise. The idea is to incorporate more advanced statistics in evaluating players and playing time.

Knicks coach Mike Woodson said owner James Dolan and Mills are already implementing new tracking systems to evaluate player efficiency this season. Memphis coach Lionel Hollins was fired in the offseason because he thought the Grizzlies’ new efficiency theorums were hogwash.

Woodson said he’s willing to try it.

“I’m open to anything if it means helping us win games,’’ Woodson said. “I know the league is kind of going that way. I’m old school, but I’m also open for things that can help us become a better team, too. We were implementing this new program with our development program that’s going to help us, being able to chart different things.’’

However, Woodson said sometimes the studies can be deceiving.

“Tracking different lineups who play well together, that’s all still up in the air,’’ Woodson said. “Sometimes you take a lineup that plays 10 minutes together, it looks good on paper but [bleep] the lineup that’s played 20 minutes together is winning games. [But] we got things going on with Mr. Dolan that can help us. Steve’s a part of it, absolutely.’’

Mike Smith is listed as the team’s director of analytics. Isiah Thomas earned a master’s degree in history last spring at Cal-Berkeley. Perhaps math would have been the better route to get back to the Knicks.

Mills said on ESPN Radio that Thomas will not rejoin the organization, that he won’t hire him a second time.

“No, Isiah will not be coming back to the Knicks,’’ Mills said.

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Amar’e Stoudemire shot with the team Tuesday, but wasn’t involved in contact drills. Woodson has no idea if he’ll play in the season opener. It’s clear the Knicks don’t think his knees can make it through an 82-game season. “We’re not rushing him, put it that way,’’ Woodson said. … Rookie Tim Hardaway Jr., who played just five quarters of summer league because of a sprained wrist, is still wearing a wrap but said he has healed completely. … Right before training camp, the coaches took a retreat to Foxwoods Resort to get away and discuss their roster/gameplans. “We drive up there, spend two days and just talk basketball to get ready for camp,’’ said Woodson. … Carmelo Anthony shot down a rumor he was behind Woodson getting his 2014-15 option exercised. Anthony said Mills never approached him. … Like Stoudemire, Woodson said Kenyon Martin also will do very little in preseason.