2010 NBA Draft Provides Fans an Opportunity for Hope, Escapism

The NBA Draft is tomorrow, and I cannot wait. It is one of my favorite sporting events of the year.

But why?

Well, it is one of the few times of the year when there is hope for bad teams. The excitement of selecting a player (if you agree with the pick) makes fans believe that their team can be good.

They forget about the previous season. Excitement and renewed hope arrives.

Fresh college stars slip into shiny new NBA uniforms.

Trust me, every fan but Lakers fans (who should be content with their roster but probably aren't) are excited to see what they can add via the draft.

We all see players as future stars. Their fresh faces and the new names make us excited. Who doesn't want to see John Wall light up the NBA? And that's especially true for Wizards fans.

We like to see changes to our teams; it's fun to imagine the future.

The NBA Draft is like a fantasy. We forget about the actual teams and stare into the faces of these new players. We get so caught up in the draft and forget that teams are trying to build championship teams. We forget that the draft will bring us just one, two, or three players.

But who cares? The draft provides us with an escape from the realities of the NBA.

As a Nets fan, why can't I fantasize about Wes Johnson or Derrick Favors throwing down a jam, or Evan Turner running the game? Why can't we believe that they will make us better? Maybe they will, too.

They haven't made mistakes and aren't tarnished NBA players yet.

On draft night, they are simply rising stars with glorified potential. With them, things can only go up, right?