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.

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.

``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.''

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OLYMPIC SECURITY:@ Karl Malone didn't know what to say after being informed that the American security agents who will protect with U.S. Olympic men's basketball team in Athens next summer will not be armed.

``So what are they with us for?'' Malone asked, declining to provide more of a reaction. ``I need to go back and digest that one for a couple days.''

Greece has demanded that only its forces carry weapons during the Olympics, a stance that could cause friction with the American delegation. At least two other nations, Australia and Israel, also reportedly plan to send security details.

Upon hearing the news, U.S. sprinter Jon Drummond let out a low whistle.

``That makes me a little bit fearful,'' he said. ``There's a whole lot of anti-Americanism out there at the moment for the Greeks to just say, 'Hey, don't worry, we got this locked down.'''

A record $775 million already has been budgeted for security. Greek authorities plan to deploy 40,000 policemen and another 16,000 security personnel from the armed services.

San Antonio Spurs guard Shane Heal, who will be competing for Australia, shrugged off the issue.

``For us Australians, it's not as relevant as for the American team that's going to create so much more interest or furor. People love them or don't like them,'' Heal said. ``The Australians, we just sort of sneak around and nobody notices us.''

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THIS 'N THAT:@ Steve Nash, who plans to opt out of his contract at the end of the season and become a free agent, would like to return to his home country and play for the Toronto Raptors. ``It would be very difficult to leave Dallas, but if the day came that I had to leave then obviously Toronto would be my first choice,'' he said. ... Of the 28 players selected in the first round of the 2001 draft, 19 had their fourth-year options picked up. Eddie Griffin of Houston, Rodney White of Denver, Orlando's Steven Hunter, Michael Bradley of Toronto and New Jersey's Brandon Armstrong did not. Kirk Haston, Joe Forte and Jeryl Sasser were waived this season. Utah picked up the option on Andrei Kirilenko, who was drafted in 1999 but didn't join the club until 2001, and Indiana did the same with Primoz Brezec, who was drafted in 2000 and joined the team in 2001. ... Shaquille O'Neal began the season by missing 20 of his first 24 foul shots, then made four in a row at the end of a victory in Milwaukee. O'Neal made 11 of 16 Thursday in San Antonio, getting three do-overs after the Spurs were called for lane violations. ``Free throws are always going to be a struggle for Shaquille,'' coach Phil Jackson said. ``When you don't have an orthodox stroke, it's not easy to put that ball in the hoop. There's no way around it.'' ... Antonio McDyess of the Knicks tested his surgically repaired left knee in full-court three-on-two drills Thursday. ``It's definitely a big step for me,'' McDyess told reporters. ``It's the first time to go through this with the team since the injury.''