KNICK NOTES

INGLEWOOD – Maybe revenge is so sweet because it brings a big smile to those getting their due. Such was the case for Derek Harper, ex-Knick and Knick wannabe before this season. The free agent settled on the Lakers and is now the starting point guard.

He finished off the Knicks with back-to-back 3-point bombs last night in the 99-91 Laker victory. The Lakers are 20-11. The Knicks are 16-14.

The Lakers were leading 83-75 when Chris Childs hit a three, but Harper followed with his own three that put the Lakers up and away, 86-78 with 3:43 remaining. And then for fun and to show the Knicks he can still play, Harper buried another 3-pointer after a Latrell Sprewell free throw. Harper finished with eight points, nine assists and only two turnovers.

Did he send a message with those threes? “My message to Ernie [Grunfeld] is hello, I hope things are going good,” Harper said. “I’ve said enough as to how I felt … I felt as a player they weren’t loyal to me.

“But being a veteran player, I sort of understand the business part of it. But you go to The Finals with a guy, you go through the trenches for a person, you expect them to support you and be loyal to you and when it’s not there, it disturbs you a little bit. But I’m man enough to move on from the situation, and I have.”

Harper stood up for Jeff Van Gundy, saying, “I don’t think there is a harder-working coach in the league. I think I put him right in the category with Pat Riley, when it comes to working and being dedicated to the job.

“I’m a Jeff Van Gundy fan; I think it would be crazy to get rid of him because the core of that team is very, very comfortable with him as a coach, and I think that is very important.”

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Knicks starting point guard Charlie Ward had an atrocious game, scoring only two points to go along with his three turnovers and only four assists in 26 minutes … Marcus Camby was out of the rotation again, limited to only five minutes by Van Gundy … Because of O’Neal’s massive size, the Knicks started Chris Dudley in favor of Kurt Thomas, who was later ejected for flagrant foul. “It’s not like we’re breaking up a successful lineup,” Van Gundy said. “I told them long ago we were going to go with what’s appropriate.”

Thomas’ big problem has been turnovers. “He’s been a higher-than-suspected turnover player,” Van Gundy said. “We have enough turnover players. … But he’s played well. The more he can rebound, the more he can stay on the floor.”