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When the Sacramento Kings released Jason Hart on March 1, it might've been the best thing for the former Syracuse University standout's NBA career.

Hart, who played at Syracuse from 1996 to 2000, had been languishing on the end of Sacramento's bench. He had played a total of two minutes in January and February.

In the final year of a three-year deal, Hart wanted out. His agent, Bill Neff, went public with his client's unhappiness.

"It was not a great situation in Sacramento," Neff said. "You want to see guys play and he wasn't playing."

On Thursday, March 1, the NBA's deadline for players to switch teams and still be eligible for the playoffs, the Kings released Hart.

Four days later, in a prearranged deal, Hart signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Los Angeles Clippers were in the hunt for a spot in the Western Conference playoffs and desperate for a point guard after injuries to Shaun Livingston and Sam Cassell.

The move to the Los Angeles Clippers meant a homecoming for the Los Angeles native. He would play in front of friends and family. And he would resurrect his career in the matter of just two months.

Hart played in 23 games for the Los Angeles Clippers, starting 22 of them. He averaged 9.0 points and 4.0 assists and helped L.A.'s playoff push.

"Once I got the opportunity to play with the Los Angeles Clippers, I just tried to go all-out," Hart said. "I did everything I could to get us into the playoffs."

The Los Angeles Clippers missed out on the final playoff spot in a race with Golden State that came down to the final day of the regular season.

Neff said Hart's efforts will be rewarded this summer.

"I think it re-established for people exactly what we have been saying - he's a quality NBA point guard," Neff said. "He was able to be a starter on a team that made a serious run at the playoffs and they had a good record when he was starting."

Hart said that in a postseason discussion with Mike Dunleavy, the Los Angeles Clippers coach expressed that he would like to have Hart return to the team next season. Hart said he would like the opportunity to remain in his hometown. Neff took a wait-and-see approach.

"I have not spoken with the Los Angeles Clippers," Neff said. "I would hope they saw enough of Jason to see how far they could go with him. Look at what he did in 30 games and think what he could do in 80.

"You'd like to stay with a team that's treated you well," he said. "But that's in a perfect world. That doesn't always get done. The reality is there will be other options both for them and for us."

A second-round pick of the Milwaukee Bucks back in 2000, Hart has had to scratch and claw his way into the league. He played in just 11 games in his first two NBA seasons. He spent a year overseas and then rose out of the NBDL to return to the NBA in the 2003-04 campaign with the San Antonio Spurs.

He played in 140 games for Charlotte in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. So when he found himself buried on the Kings' bench, Hart put aside his second-round/NBDL past. He felt he not only belonged in the NBA, but he belonged on the court.

"I've been in the NBA for four straight years and this was my sixth year," Hart said. "Nobody said it was going to be easy. When you're a second-round pick, you've got to work for it. There are no guarantees. But I knew I could play, and I wasn't getting the chance."

Neff knew he had to get his client out of Sacramento. Not so Hart could play this season, although that would be nice, but so he could get paid next season. How do you convince teams to sign your free agent when he's sitting on the bench for a team bound for the draft lottery?

"If he had not left Sacramento, it would've been a very tough situation," Neff said. "That's why I consumed my whole year trying to find a correct match for Jason."

Shaun Livingston, the Los Angeles Clippers' second-year point guard, suffered a total dislocation of his knee on Feb. 26. Hart was released three days later and in a Los Angeles Clippers' uniform a week later.

"When Shaun Livingston went down," Neff said. "I worked hard to make that match."

Neff will wait until July 1 when teams can officially negotiate with free agents. Until then, Hart will be at his Los Angeles-area home with his wife, Brandi, and their sons, 4-year-old Jason and 7-month-old Justin.

"I'm from here," Hart said. "I'm always going to live in L.A. But I'll play anywhere. I'll play in Alaska. Playing in the NBA is like every day is Christmas."

And March 1st must be New Year's.

 

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