Mark Jackson feels like a leader again. He feels like a Knick again. He feels like himself again.
"I absolutely feel more a part of the team this year," Jackson said after the Knicks practiced yesterday at SUNY Purchase. "I feel like I'm more vocally able to do things that I wasn't able to do a year ago."

When Jackson made his less-than-triumphant return to the Garden with 29 games remaining on the schedule, it came after years of being hated in his hometown while playing with the Pacers and briefly with Toronto.