LOS ANGELES — Knicks president Phil Jackson said his first full season has been “a project gone awry,’’ and added the key to his rebuilding mission is free agency more than his team’s very high lottery pick.
Jackson warned about the patience it takes even the top-four picks in the draft — which the Knicks are expected to have as they owned the league’s worst record at 12-51 entering Thursday’s game against the Lakers at Staples Center.
Attending the Knicks’ morning shootaround at UCLA, Jackson said of his college-recruiting forays on other campuses:
“All the coaches have been very warm and welcoming. I’m always amazed at the youth when looking at players coming out of college. …
“In the present day in the NBA, 19-, 20-year-olds, coming into the league, it’s really hard to project what that player will be like in his first contract situation,’’ Jackson said. “So what we’re trying to [see] what advancement can be made in the short-term. How quickly we can get back in the hunt and right away to [compete] for the championship? We know what the first-round pick will mean to us, but we also know we will build the team on free agents.
“We have 190 players or so who will be free agents. … That’s where our priority stands.’’
Jackson’s remarks could be taken as him being open to trading his first-round pick — or swapping places — for an immediate star such as a DeMarcus Cousins, depending on where the Knicks land in the draft. Because they didn’t have a pick last season or next season, the Knicks are not allowed to trade the rights to this year’s pick until July under NBA rules.
Neverthleess, when asked if he’s willing to be patient with the first-rounder, Jackson said he was.
“You get movers and franchise players from the draft,” Jackson said. “We’re rebuilding this team. You have do it that way.’’
Jackson then cited landing Patrick Ewing in 1985.
“We hope we can establish something here and go forward for the next 10 years,’’ Jackson said.
Jackson, in reference to the major spike in the 2016-17 salary cap due to an influx of TV money, said free agency is no longer about “how much money you have” because most teams will have salary-cap room.
“I can’t project that,’’ Jackson said. “There’s so many situational things. It’s not about who will have the most money anymore. That playing field pretty much has evened out, especially with the money coming into the league. It’s who’s attractive enough to get who you want to play their style. Establishing how you want to play basketball is important. There’s only a few teams in league who can say this is definitely the way we play. We want to be one of those teams.”
Jackson was asked if this season is a referendum on his triangle offense and Zen-like approach.
“It doesn’t feel like that at all,” he said. “It feels like it’s a project gone awry is basically what this is. This is what we wanted to be at the end of the year, not the middle of the year.’’
The Knicks are on pace for the worst record in franchise history, which is due, in part, to Jackson ripping apart the roster in January.
“Events created the situation,’’ Jackson said. “The number of injuries, a losing streak that was untenable. We put ourselves in the situation we are now. You can’t cry over spilt milk.’’
Jackson commended Derek Fisher for staying positive, but wishes the rookie coach got on the referees more.
“I really admire what Fish is trying to do,’’ Jackson said. “He’s been really good at staying positive. This is what counts today. This is what’s right.’’
The Knicks have five players under contract for next season, including Langston Galloway’s partial guarantee. Jackson said he doesn’t think it is feasible to bring in 10 new faces; saying some players not under contract will be offered contracts.
“We’re going to ask them to come back,’’ Jackson said. “They’re going to fill out a good part of our roster. We can’t bring in [10] guys and expect them to play together. That’s not part of our plan.’’
Asked to clarify his recent tweet about the “basketball gods’’ being “angry’’ after the Cleveland rout that featured late-game showboating by LeBron James, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, Jackson made it more confusing. A source had told The Post it was mostly directed at the Knicks, but Jackson strategically let it hang.
“That’s for anybody who resonates with it — could be the fans, could be you guys, could be Cleveland, could be the Knicks players,” Jackson said. “Those are all people that need to understand the way to play basketball has certain parameters around it that measures itself out.’’
Jackson had good news on Carmelo Anthony, who had surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon. Jackson said he expects Anthony could be ready to begin on-the-court training by June, in the early part of the four-to-six month rehab, saying things have gone very well.
Jackson also suggested beating his former team, the Lakers, means a lot to him and that’s why he joined the shootaround.
“This is the game to win,’’ Jackson said. “I wanted to let the guys know this is the game to win. It was nice to be able to get over here and a chance to give them some encouragement about tonight’s game.’’