EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Every time Phil Jackson thinks the winter of his career is finally here, he awakens to find it is Indian summer and someone is luring him back to coaching. Elusive as Jackson may be at 66, the hunt continues. With 11 N.B.A. titles, he will not reach the end without saying no to at least a few more teams.

Indeed, with the Knicks slouching under .500 and Coach Mike D’Antoni’s offense having gone missing since Carmelo Anthony arrived, Jackson’s name resounds louder and louder in New York.

How could it not? The city remains so special to Jackson that his girlfriend, Jeanie Buss, the daughter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ owner, is always wondering whether he will end his career where it started in the 1960s, when he was the Knicks’ resident hippie. And, she is quick to note, there are hourly nonstops between the two coasts.

But all that will matter only if Jackson decides he does want to sit on the bench again, despite his age and his aches and pains. He has always wanted to make the break from coaching and, after two tries, has never been happier than he now is in retirement No. 3. Here, the sky is blue, the temperature is in the 60s and the beach is five blocks from the 10-table bistro where he ate lunch Thursday.