The start of the regular season is still four weeks away. So it makes sense that Derek Fisher wasn’t ready to announce his starting lineup on Friday.

“The only person that I know for sure is going to probably start is No. 7 [Carmelo Anthony],” Fisher said. “Everything else ... we haven't practiced yet and so part of going to practice and starting training camp is learning who your team is and how different players work together. Putting the starting lineup together is not just about individual guys; it's about five guys that that work well together as a unit.

“Not only those five guys, but the guys who come off the bench and complement [the first unit]. So those decisions in my opinion can't be made before we've had a chance to observe as a coaching staff how that's going and which guys are playing well together. ... As we move into the preseason, I'm sure it's going to crystallize and we'll have a starting lineup by the 28th [of October].”

It seems as if Jose Calderon is a lock to start at point guard. Beyond Calderon and Anthony, Fisher will have options. He can choose among J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr. at shooting guard. He has several candidates -- including Anthony -- who can start at power forward. And he can start Samuel Dalembert or Jason Smith at center.

Phil Jackson said on Friday that there will be enough minutes to share among the shooting guards and power forwards.

“The wonderful thing about having a system of offense is the interchangeable parts, as opposed to having a point guard oriented offense where you depend upon one person to organize the offense,” Jackson said. “So we can do a number of things that can create playing time for players, change lineups.

“Hopefully the players learn how to organize themselves out there. We think that we have a number of power forwards too in that situation. Andrea [Bargnani], Amar'e [Stoudemire], Carmelo moving to power forward. So we have, as I mentioned before, quite a bit of depth on this team in multiple spots.”

Brass supports Melo’s weight loss: Jackson, GM Steve Mills and Fisher all agreed that Anthony’s offseason weight loss was a positive for both Anthony and the Knicks.

Said Jackson: “In our exit meetings last April, we really emphasized about conditioning and being prepared to play. ... We think July 1 is the beginning of the next season. People have to appropriately use their time for rest and recuperation, for weight training and then for conditioning. Carmelo took that very seriously.”

Fisher talked about the medical and coaching staff trying to use Anthony more economically this season. Anthony played a career-high 38.7 minutes per game last year.

“We’re hoping [to adjust] not [only] minutes played, but how those minutes are played, how he’s utilized within the framework of what we’d like to do as a team,” Fisher said.

On Carmelo’s weight loss, Fisher added: “I think it’s more consistent with as guys age and they’re trying to find ways to maximize a great opportunity to play in the NBA for as long as they can. How it impacts him on the court, we’ll see. Whenever you’re healthy and you lighten the load on your body it can help you.”

Fish says D is a priority: There will be plenty said about how Anthony and others fit into the Knicks new triangle offense.

But Fisher made it clear on Friday that his top priority in training camp is improving the Knicks’ defense. New York last season ranked a paltry 24th in defensive efficiency, a measure of points allowed per 100 possessions. The club ranked 28th in points allowed per shot.

“For our team from a basketball perspective, I think defense is what we have to focus on from day one,” he said. “Success will be [determined by] defense ... we’ve got to figure out a way to break into that [group of] elite defensive teams.”

The Knicks’ best defender is Shumpert, who is widely considered one of the top young perimeter defenders in the NBA. New York traded its best interior defender -- Tyson Chandler -- to Dallas and received Dalembert, a veteran center, in return. Based solely on personnel and recent history, it doesn’t seem as if the Knicks have the individual defensive talent to be elite. Whether Fisher can coach them into a solid defensive unit remains to be seen.

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