OAKLAND, Calif. — Remember when David Lee was the Knicks’ starting center? Neither do I.

Two years ago, Lee and Nate Robinson were the faces of the Knicks. It only seems like two billion years ago.

Now the faces belong to Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and their new giant, 7-foot-1 center Tyson Chandler. Now it is the “Broadway Bigs’’ hitting California in style this week.

The Knicks start their road trip tonight in Oakland, where, according to reports, Lee still plies his trade in a lousy basketball town. It’s California Dreamin’ for the Knicks as they play out 2011 in Cali on their lone Western trip of the lockout-shortened season. Three games in four nights — getting the Lakers in Hollywood tomorrow and Sacramento on New Year’s Eve. It is the end of 2011, but the very beginning for these Knicks.

“We’ve got to improve a lot on chemistry,’’ coach Mike D’Antoni said yesterday before boarding a cross-country flight. “And then it’ll all work out.’’

Two years ago, Lee was the Knicks’ starting center, all 6-foot-9 of him. He played hard, but was overmatched defensively nightly. Lee was a good guy, a better rebounder and had a strong following in New York, even tabbed as an injury replacement to the All-Star Game in his last Knicks season in 2009-10. But he isn’t an All-Star, isn’t the face of the Warriors, isn’t even the most famous ex-Knick on the Warriors.

Golden State is about their guards now — their new head coach, ex-Knicks point guard Mark Jackson, point guard Stephen Curry, who may not play tonight because of an ankle injury, and super-talented shooting guard Monta Ellis. Lee has scored 20-plus points in each of the Warriors’ first two games, but can go unnoticed.

Robinson? A couple of days ago, D’Antoni smirked when asked if the Knicks might sign Robinson because of their injury-depleted point-guard situation.

“We’ll look into it,’’ D’Antoni said.

General manager Glen Grunwald never called Robinson’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, and yesterday the Knicks claimed former Harvard point guard Jeremy Lin off waivers rather than sign Robinson, once the Knicks’ most popular player.

The Knicks could have been more dominant in their Christmas debut instead of squeaking by the Paul Pierce-less Celtics, 106-104, after taking a 17-point lead. But the Knicks have their excuses, as D’Antoni rushes to blend the new pieces after just a two-week training camp. And that newness isn’t just incorporating Chandler but Stoudemire and Anthony still figuring each other out.

Lee took $80 million in 2010 to flee New York for Oakland. Chandler did the opposite, spurning the Warriors. He said Jackson, his SoCal neighbor, even understood why: It’s the allure of Broadway.

Lee is playing in Oakland, Robinson was born in Oakland and the Knicks play tonight in Oakland, so far removed from their past.