The elephant in the room might be seated somewhere near the Miami Heat’s bench, but Phil Jackson has no problem seeing him from all the way across the country.

And with each Miami loss, Jackson believes Pat Riley, the team president, is moving closer to taking over as coach for Erik Spoelstra.

One day after the Heat were trounced at home by Indiana, falling to 8-6, Jackson became the most credible voice to pick up a wooden spoon and stir the pot about Spoelstra’s future.

“Eventually if things don’t turn around, the weight is going to fall there where (without) the success they were hoping for, there will be a real drive for the players to have some kind of change,” Jackson said Tuesday, before the Lakers beat the Bulls 98-91. “It’s easier to change coaches than it would be to change teams, after they made all those player adjustments.”

Jackson was responding to a question about comments he made earlier in the day, when he told ESPN Radio in Chicago that he could envision a reprise of 2005-06, when Riley — at the behest of Shaquille O’Neal — fired Stan Van Gundy when the Heat were 11-10,  took over and eventually led the Heat to their lone NBA championship.

Jackson figures LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will sit on their hands for only so long.

“The scenario that sits kind of behind the scene,’’ Jackson told the station, “is that eventually these guys that were recruited — Bosh and James — by Pat Riley and Micky Arison, the owner, are going to come in and say, ‘We feel you (Riley) can do a better job coaching the team. We came here on the hopes that this would work,’ and whatever, I don’t know. That’s kind of my take on it — eventually if things don’t straighten out here soon, it could be the Van Gundy thing all over again.”

Surprisingly, such drama has been rare in Los Angeles during the past few years. No longer are these the Lakers of the feuding superstars, nor does Kobe Bryant feel it necessary to call out the general manager, owner or wayward teammate.

In fact, there he was Tuesday night, moving out to run a pick-and-roll with Shannon Brown — with the ball in Brown’s hands. The Lakers turned back the Bulls thanks to Brown, who scored 21 points, the fourth-quarter play of Steve Blake, who hit a pair of clutch 3-pointers, and Matt Barnes.

Team Tranquility is now 13-2.

“The less drama, the easier it is to get our jobs done,” said Brown, who sank five 3-pointers. “It’s a real professional environment, and we’re having fun.”

Brown said the Heat’s travails are not a topic that is talked about regularly amongst the Lakers, but the Heat are on TV so frequently it’s a difficult subject to avoid completely.

Lamar Odom might have the best feel of any Laker for what is going on with the Heat. He played under Riley and Arison before he was traded to the Lakers for O’Neal.

“People have put so much expectation that if you don’t live up to it, it seems like you’re going through adverse times, but you’re not going to win every game,” Odom said. “We don’t know what’s going on. From the outside looking in, it seems like everything’s OK. If you listen, you can become distracted but I don’t think they’re listening.”

Jackson said the backlash against the Heat — after James’ orchestrated announcement, and the smoke-and-mirrors introductions, and the proclamations they would win more than 70 games — is contributing to their struggles. It creates an air of negativity, which is something Jackson dealt with in 2004, when the tension between Bryant and O’Neal was palpable.

“As a coach, you’re constantly wondering where the leak is going to happen,” Jackson said. “You kind of want to contain everything in, and keep it amongst ourselves. That’s the biggest concern you have as a coach. Players, I’m sure, feel the pressure of performing, of being as good as we’re supposed to be.”

In addition to integrating the new parts, the Heat have not been healthy, either. Mike Miller (thumb) has yet to suit up, Wade (wrist) has been bothered by nagging injuries and Udonis Haslem might be out until the All-Star break — or possibly the entire season — after tearing ligaments in his foot.

Though Jackson recently said he expected the Heat to be able to challenge his Bulls’ 72-victory record, he reiterated he did not mean this season. He said the Heat need time — and Spoelstra deserves it.

Jackson said it was unfair to blame Spoelstra for the slow start.

“The responsibility ends up coming back to the players and performing,” Jackson said. “They just got Wade back, he has a bad game and those things will happen.”

But he also knows the reality of what is happening in Miami. If the Heat does not get their act together soon, other things might happen as well.

By Billy Witz