BRIEFLY : CELTIC MAY HAVE HEART TROUBLE.

M.L. Carr ran from the gym to take the urgent message: Another Boston Celtics player drafted in the first round, Eric Williams, might have a heart problem.

Boston's coach quickly tried to head off comparisons with Reggie Lewis, the team captain who died in 1993 after collapsing while shooting baskets at Brandeis University, the same facility where the Celtics worked out Friday.

``We don't want to alarm Eric. We don't want to alarm anyone,'' Carr said. ``Let's figure out what this is before we run off to any conclusions.''

A routine team physical Thursday showed a cardiac abnormality, and Williams stayed behind for more tests while his teammates left Friday for training camp at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro.

Williams had left the gym, and his teammates were unavailable for comment, when Carr made the announcement at the end of the annual media session on the first day of camp.

Williams might not have known about the test results as he talked with reporters earlier. He told them he had gained 25 pounds, but felt fine. Arthroscopic knee surgery last April forced him to curtail his offseason workouts.

Carr didn't give details of the problem and said Williams might join the Celtics in North Carolina, where they will practice until next Friday's exhibition opener at Charlotte.

Williams returned to New England Baptist Hospital, where Thursday's physical took place.

Williams, a forward drafted 14th out of Providence last year, has no known history of heart problems. He missed 18 games as a rookie, including the last five after knee surgery.

Dominique Wilkins marked his return to the NBA after playing a year in Greece by attending his first practice in Austin as a member of the San Antonio Spurs.

``The Spurs are a great fit for me. I can definitely help this team,'' said Wilkins, who last year helped Panathinaikos Athens win the championship in Greece's professional league.

``I have no problem coming off the bench. I'll play whatever position they want me to play,'' said Wilkins who averaged 25.8 points, 2.6 assists and 1.36 steals during 13 years in the NBA.

Former Lakers forward Fred Roberts signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks.

Roberts, 36, averaged 3.7 points and 1.4 rebounds in 33 games last season with the Lakers. In his 12-year career, he also has played for San Antonio, Utah, Boston, Milwaukee and Cleveland.

For the second time in eight days, Jerrod Mustaf is out of a job. The Seattle SuperSonics announced that the NBA had ruled the Sonics couldn't claim Mustaf on waivers because the club is over the salary cap.

Mustaf subsequently cleared waivers and became a free agent, but the Sonics decided not to offer him a contract, president and general manager Wally Walker said in a statement.

BASEBALL

Florida Marlins second baseman Luis Castillo underwent surgery on Thursday to tighten his unstable left shoulder and repair damaged cartilage, the team said Friday. Castillo will require three to four months of rehabilitation following surgery. He's expected to be ready for spring training.

The San Francisco Giants bought out the contract of second baseman Robby Thompson, making him a free agent. Thompson, 34, has a .257 career batting average in 12 years with the Giants, but he has not played 100 games in a season since 1993 because of injuries.

ETC.

Former WBA heavyweight champion Tony Tubbs is fighting a charge that he possessed crack cocaine. Police in the Cincinnati suburb of Norwood, Ohio, said Tubbs was sitting in the back seat of a car that officers stopped early Thursday. Officers said they ordered Tubbs out of the car and noticed what they said was a rock of crack cocaine on the floor near one of his shoes. The charge is a fifth-degree felony. Police said conviction could bring punishment of a year in prison and a $2,500 fine. . . .

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Photo: DOMINIQUE WILKINS: ``I have no problem coming off th e bench. I'll play whatever position they want me to play,'' said the newest San Antonio Spur