Jackson stays in holding pattern

THE COACHING carousel is spinning and the stagnant Knicks are running out of alternatives to Kurt Rambis.

So the question remains for Phil Jackson: If he wasn’t going to conduct an earnest search, why hasn’t he named Rambis the coach yet?

Not that Jackson seems to care much for optics, but if his plan is to sell the idea that Rambis is the best move for the organization, it is being undermined every day he doesn’t pull the trigger.

The Knicks don’t own a draft pick but there are moves to contemplate, a pre-draft camp starting Wednesday to analyze and a free-agency strategy to plot.

As unpopular as hiring Rambis would be with the fan base and maybe even Carmelo Anthony, the logic would be easy to follow — Rambis allows Jackson the best opportunity to be an extension of the coach and install a triangle to his specifications. It’s hard to imagine there’s a candidate more loyal than Rambis.

One theory is that James Dolan hasn’t approved the hire. Another is that Jackson is sitting on a mystery candidate and Rambis could serve as an assistant or executive.

Amid the fog, one thing is getting clearer by the day: the known entities are drying up. Three coaching vacancies remain in the NBA but none have been open longer than the Knicks. The Kings went through an extensive search before hiring Dave Joerger on Monday. David Blatt, who interviewed with Phil Jackson weeks ago, reportedly spoke with the Houston Rockets on Monday about their opening.

Former Indiana coach Frank Vogel emerged as the frontrunner to replace Joerger in Memphis. According to The Vertical, the Grizzlies are prepared to make Vogel an offer at market value.

Jackson, meanwhile, hasn’t been heard from since tweeting on a road trip. He passed on Tom Thibodeau, Scott Brooks and Joerger. He is waiting for something but it’s unclear what.