Mark Jackson Prepared to Answer Critics

The swagger is back, as well as the brashness. And so were the reassuring smiles and occasional winks. It was the first day of training camp Tuesday at SUNY-Purchase, and Knicks guard Mark Jackson resembled the player who not long ago captivated New York. And the old form was not limited to off the court, either.

Jackson, according to Coach Stu Jackson and teammates, performed in the scrimmages with the flair and effectiveness that were absent for much of last season. And that turnabout brought considerable relief to many.

“I don’t want to go overboard,” Stu Jackson said, “but Mark played very well. He’s a very, very good player.”

“Mark looks great,” Patrick Ewing said. “I’ve been kidding him about how slim he is. It’s important for him to play like the Mark Jackson of his first two years.”

The 24-year-old guard said he was “anxious” for camp to begin. He said he spent the summer playing in a few pro-am leagues and working out alone at all hours, unlike the summer of 1989 when he mostly rested a bad knee.

“I’m prepared to answer my critics,” he said. “I’m ready physically and mentally to play. I’m a fighter, I’m determined. I know my teammates were interested to see how I’d look.”

Speaking openly for the first time about the trials of last season, when he was booed by Knick fans and eventually lost his starting job to 34-year-old Maurice Cheeks, Jackson said he was devastated by his problems, but that he learned from them.

“Last season was not a perfect season for me,” he said. “I looked back over at it and I was bothered by it. I was hurt. But as soon as the season was over, I went back to the laboratory, to the gym.”

Jackson averaged 9.9 points and 7.4 assists last season, down from 16.9 and 8.6 the previous year. He said he was hurt most by the limited playing time he received near the end of the season, including sitting out the Game 5 playoff win in Boston.

“Ask any great performer about not being out there,” he said. “It’s like if Michael Jackson can’t sing, or a trumpet player can’t play. It’s what you want to do. It was damaging and it hurt. But I think I’ve become a better player and a better person from last year. This is a new season and it’s going to be a great season for me.”

He qualified that statement by saying “with the Knicks or somewhere else.” There has been much speculation that General Manager Al Bianchi has continued to shop the former NBA Rookie of the Year and all-star. Bianchi said his position is that Jackson will be around, but that a trade could happen.

Jackson said, “My feelings on playing in New York have not changed. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m just prepared to do a job for someone.”

The confidence with which he spoke underlined the change in the man. For much of last season Jackson appeared emotionless and disinterested when dealing with the media. But not yesterday.

“I’m much more relaxed this year,” he said. “I’m still the same guy, but I’m more settled now that I’ve gotten married (He wed Desiree Coleman during the summer). It’s a new year and a new -situation.”

Part of Jackson’s looseness can be attributed to a talk he had with Stu Jackson. The two did not have a pleasant working relationship last season, but both said any differences have been resolved.

“We needed that talk,” Mark Jackson said. “Once we got some things off our chests, we were able to walk away as a better coach and a better player.”

Stu Jackson said, “We came away from that talk with the understanding that we’re going to be open with each other. Things were said that needed to be said.”

At least for now, Cheeks is the starter at point guard because he ended last season in that role. “But I don’t see what that couldn’t change,” the coach said. Mark Jackson plans to force the coach’s hand. “Is there a point-guard controversy?” the guard asked rhetorically. “Was there a QB controversy with the Jets? To win the fans back, to win a job is very simple: You just produce. If I’m here, I’ll produce.”

Representatives for Charles Oakley and GM Al Bianchi talked Monday about renegotiating the forward’s contract. Oakley is in the fourth year of a six-year pact for $1 million a season that he signed with the Bulls. For a player of Oakley’s caliber in today’s market, he is underpaid. And Bianchi knows how important it is to keep one of his key players happy.

The sides are not that far apart. Look for Oakley to sign a new deal that will pay between $1.8 million and $2 million a season. “We’ll see what happens,” Oakley said Tuesday.

Unsigned first-round pick Jerrod Mustaf was not at practice. Bianchi said the sides are close and that he hopes to have the 6-10 forward in camp this week.

Greg Grant, the 5-7 guard signed as a free agent Monday, impressed everyone with his quickness. “Everyone had a tough time keeping up with him,” Maurice Cheeks said. Added Coach Stu Jackson: “He’s a specialist type of guy who could help us force an up tempo.”

Kiki Vandeweghe looked healthy and said he was free of pain. He said he gained 10 pounds since the end of last season.

Kenny Walker said he is 90-percent recovered from arthroscopic knee surgery he underwent in the summer.