Phil’s makeover off to Early start

PHIL JACKSON’S assessment after a few months of sifting through the mess he inherited with the Knicks was an immediate need to alter the mix of players, regardless of whether pending free agent Carmelo Anthony returns next season.

Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton were the first to be purged, as Jackson shipped them to Dallas on Wednesday for four players — including point guard upgrade Jose Calderon — and two second-round picks in Thursday night’s NBA draft.

The Knicks also acquired veteran big man Samuel Dalembert and guards Shane Larkin and Wayne Ellington in the deal, before Jackson also scooped up Wichita State small forward and Middletown (N.Y.) product Cleanthony Early with the 34th pick and Greek shooting guard Thanasis Antetokounmpo, the older brother of the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, with the 51st selection.

The Knicks also acquired the 57th pick from Indiana in exchange for cash, and took French big man Louis Labeyrie.

“I think we saw that what we wanted to get accomplished was we had to change some of the chemistry on this team. To do that, we felt (it was) important to bring in some new personnel and start with some character guys that we feel can carry this forward,” Jackson said at the team’s practice facility in Greenburgh shortly before the draft in Brooklyn. “Watching them play, I saw guys that looked at each other like, ‘You didn’t back me up. You weren’t here when I needed help.’ There just wasn’t the right combination or feel (where) it felt like everybody was in synch all the time.

“We want to send a message to all of our players that we are on the move and we are making changes to move forward in the direction that we want to go.”

Chandler, a member of the Mavericks’ 2011 championship team, endured a step-back season last year after winning NBA Defensive Player of the Year and making his first career All-Star team, respectively, in his first two seasons in New York. Chandler, who was openly critical of since-fired coach Mike Woodson’s strategies more than once during the Knicks’ 37-45 campaign, also is entering the final year of his contract at $14.6 million. “We knew that’s one of the things, we didn’t want to watch another player go off and not get anything in return, so to speak,” Jackson said.

According to Jackson, the key to his first trade as team president was Calderon, whom the Hall of Famer believes will be a good fit under first-year coach Derek Fisher running Jackson’s Triangle system.

“Jose is a thoughtful guard,” Jackson said. “He’s got great control of the ball. He pushes the ball up, accelerates it up the court. He’s a very good three-point shooter. He organizes a team quite well, and we anticipate he’ll fit in to what we’re trying to do.”