NBA Hurting Spurs turn to backup Hart

Seattle's loss has become San Antonio's gain.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
If Ray Allen hadn't injured his ankle and Jeff Van Gundy hadn't let him walk out the door, Jason Hart would be making his living as a third-stringer on the Seattle SuperSonics or Houston Rockets.
Instead, he's become the emergency starting point guard for the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.
Hart's story is a crazy one, and it begins at the end of training camp when he thought he had earned a job with the Sonics. But on the night of Oct. 22, Allen complained of ankle pain during the second half of Seattle's preseason game against Golden State.
The injury eventually led to surgery for Allen, who is out for six to eight weeks. Seattle, finding itself in need of another shooter, decided to waive Hart and keep rookie Richie Frahm.
That's what led Hart to Houston, where the Rockets conducted a private workout for him last week before putting him on a plane back home to Los Angeles.
Immediate need
While switching flights in Phoenix, Hart turned on his telephone and saw a message from his agent. The Spurs had called, and they wanted him immediately.
With Tony Parker sidelined by a sprained ankle and Anthony Carter out with knee tendinitis, San Antonio was desperate. And Hart, who had spent the 2001-02 season with the Spurs, was a known commodity.
"There were other guys we considered, but we didn't need someone to come in and play five minutes, we needed someone to come in and play 30 minutes," general manager R.C. Buford said, "and there weren't a lot of people that knew our system and knew our play calls."
Hart continued on to LAX, landing at midnight. He packed his bags and tried to go to sleep at 2 a.m., tossing and turning and thinking about his new job as his 8-month-old child lay tucked between him and his wife.
By 7 a.m. he was back at the airport and getting on a flight to San Antonio.
The next night, he started and played 31 minutes in a victory over the Knicks.
Coach's praise
"He's done a fine job, he really has," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who could have Parker back as early as Monday. "He's in a real tough spot, but I think he's handling himself real well and playing real confidently."
Often defended by Kobe Bryant, Hart had 14 points, five assists and just one turnover in 45 minutes against the Lakers on Thursday night in a 120-117 double-overtime loss.
With Carter now eligible to come off the injured list, Hart could be out of a job soon. Then again, the Spurs might just like Hart enough to keep him around for the rest of the season as a possible alternative to Carter as Parker's primary backup.
"It was just my luck that Ray Allen messed his ankle up that day, but it worked out for me," Hart said. "I'm going to ride it however long it goes."