You're already damaging the PS2 by using the slide card. Forcing pressure the cog doesn't usually exert is not enough to break your disc tray from not ejecting anymore or getting 'stuck' (most of the time) although in some cases people have arisen to the situation where it has. But I think that's due to negligence on their part (some people don't take care of their things...) and a faulty flip-top casing that's known for these sort of issues eventually. Even though I'm for a flip-top cover casing, the usual ones out on the market have known imperfections, which prevent a 'perfect fit'. If you're able in installing LED lights and such on your PS2, making a custom case is pretty nifty and much better than one you could buy (inexpensive too if you checked out some great tutorials on how to do so).
Swap Magic is the most cheapest and easiest alternative to use when it comes to trying to play import games - games from other regions. The other alternatives are using cheat devices such as Gameshark 2 and Action Replay but that requires a much longer process than Swap Magic most people can't tolerate and somewhat difficult to process if you're new to PS2 homebrews. Buying a mod-chip and paying for installation is the most expensive route one can choose to play imports.
That's a total misconception. Swap Magic doesn't convert anything. Think of SM using a blank region code in a sense that allows for games from any region to be played on that particular PS2 no matter what region it's from. Codebreaker for the PSX allowed was the good old days :thumbsup:
Not to mention the incredibly small fanbase who are even willing to buy KH2:FM+ if it ever comes to the U.S. and to those who haven't even heard of it, the method you suggest is why people should simply forget about KH2:FM+ ever reaching here.