The reeling Knicks returned home yesterday, still followed closely by the grim cloud from their disastrous trip west.
Coach Isiah Thomas answered questions about his job security, but newly benched point guard Stephon Marbury – due to a death in his family – had no desire to face reporters still wanting to press him about his relationship with Thomas.
Marbury, who left the team for one game last week after being benched in favor of Mardy Collins at the start of what became an 0-4 swing, practiced but was the lone player to duck out before the media session began.
Thomas chose to face the barrage, though, insisting he had no concerns about his job. The Post reported Sunday that owner James Dolan won’t fire Thomas this month, despite a 2-7 start.
Fans at the Garden will make their feelings known tonight when the Knicks take on the 2-6 Warriors (MSG TV; ESPN radio-1050 AM; 7 p.m.). The reception is likely to be rough for Thomas in the wake of a five-game skid lowlighted by Saturday night’s 115-83 blowout loss in Denver.
“I don’t think it’s more of the same,” Thomas said of the chaos surrounding the team. “We lost four games out on the road, two of which we had a chance to win, and we were missing some of our key players.”
Thomas also was in no mood to apologize for how he handled the Marbury benching, saying he wouldn’t have done anything differently.
“When [leadership and defense] aren’t delivered, he’ll hear from me,” Thomas said of Marbury. “From that point-guard position, that’s what we need and that’s what we demand. Sometimes, it may not fit well, but those are the things we need.”
Asked yesterday if he gave Marbury permission to leave, as Marbury has insisted, Thomas did not respond and walked away.
While Thomas might be outwardly calm, the dreadful start coupled with the Marbury controversy already is taking its toll on his players. Guard Nate Robinson said the Knicks had a team meeting recently to talk over the mess.
“We [decided] to stay together,” Robinson said.
The question now becomes whether the Marbury incident will create a schism within Thomas’ obviously fragile locker room. Players remain upset that Thomas used Marbury immediately upon his return, against the Clippers – despite a reported team vote (instigated by Thomas) not to let him play.
Guard Jamal Crawford said the team’s reaction to letting Marbury play against the Clippers was “in-house,” but indicated the anger has cooled.
“That was a week ago, and now we’re just moving on,” he said.
Despite the ill will created by Thomas’ actions with Marbury, Crawford said he and his teammates still back their embattled coach.
“[The support for Thomas] is very strong,” Crawford said. “He was loyal in bringing us here, and we’re all very loyal to him. He can only do so much. Every game, we’ve had a chance to win. He’s not playing for us.”
But the emotion from that and the losses was apparent in the Knicks’ body language after a lengthy practice yesterday.
Center Eddy Curry, who was used a season-low 18 minutes by Thomas in the Nuggets loss despite just two fouls, slumped against a wall.
“We just need to block everything out and win some games,” he said.
bhubbuch@nypost.com