When the Knicks visited the Lakers in late December at Staples Center, Phil Jackson planned to sit in the front row with his girlfriend, and Lakers VP, Jeanie Buss.
But at the last minute, Jackson pulled out, thinking it was unfair to Mike D’Antoni because his presence would be misconstrued.
Now with D’Antoni gone and Mike Woodson serving as interim coach, Jackson can feel free to attend any Knicks games. The next step is expected to be owner James Dolan courting Jackson again after the season and bringing on Philsanity.
Dolan must see if he can bring the Zen Master out of retirement and finally make him a Knicks coach after two failed attempts. Six years ago, they failed to entice Jackson as he chose to return to the Lakers because he didn’t want to leave Buss in Los Angeles In 1999, they stuck with Jeff Van Gundy after an awkward attempt at courting Jackson.
According to a source, leaving Los Angeles and his girlfriend won’t be a determinant factor for Jackson this time around. Buss makes many business trips to New York. A source said Jackson hasn’t been approached by any NBA team since retiring last May.
Jackson still has a fondness for the New York area. After attending the Hall of Fame ceremonies in Springfield, Mass., in August to be Dennis Rodman’s presenter, he took Buss on a vacation to upstate New Paltz and Woodstock, where he lived for several years coaching the Albany Patroons of the CBA.
But the biggest issue for Jackson is whether he feels he can win his record 12th coaching championship with this talented group of Tyson Chandler, Amar’e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and new point guard sensation Jeremy Lin.
Anthony, an isolation player, can play Jackson’s triangle probably the best of the current cast, and Dolan desperately wants to figure out a way to get the most out of the superstar, for whom he gutted the team to acquire in a February 2011 trade.
Jackson, the former Knicks power forward who has two additional championship rings as a player, has spent retirement in Los Angeles writing a book and has yet to attend a Lakers game. He did not end there on wonderful terms with owner Jerry Buss, and will not coach there again.
Jackson has enjoyed retirement, doing a lot of cooking and spending the holidays with his children and grandchildren for the first time in several years without having to coach on Christmas Day. But in a sign he has the itch, Jackson has watched a lot of NBA games after recently deciding to renew his NBA League pass subscription. Jackson has also filmed three commercials since October, for Audi, Gatorade and Asus.
Other candidates who should be considered include another retiree, Jerry Sloan, who reportedly would have interest in New York; John Calipari, the Kentucky coach who already has tweeted his disinterest; Blazers coach Nate McMillan, whose team got slaughtered by the Knicks 121-79 Wednesday night at the Garden and could be fired; longtime NBA coach Mike Dunleavy, who likes New York City; and Mike Krzyzewski, the Duke coach who finally could take the step to the pros.
marc.berman@nypost.com