False hope springs eternal.(NBA basketball)(Brief Article)

Boy, Danny Fortson looked good, camped in the post during a pickup game in Oakland, taking a pass from Larry Hughes and making a short turnaround jumper. Fortson was drenched in sweat from running hard for two hours. Foot problems? What foot problems?

And that was Erick Dampier on the other end during the same game, backing in for a hook shot and even looking graceful as he made the shot. The surgically repaired knee that sidelined him last season? It's just like any other knee now. The wrist injury that ended his season in March? Forget about it.

This is a fine time to be a Golden State Warrior. Of course it is. It's September.

"This is the first time in two years that Erick has been completely healthy," Warriors general manager Garry St. Jean says. "And having Danny back, that's like bringing an 18-wheeler down there, with cars bouncing off him and him not even feeling it. If we can just keep everyone healthy ..."

Because the NBA's preseason starts in the fall, we are spared those "hope-springs-eternal" references that dominate baseball's spring training. There is the same anticipation and the same twisting of possibilities that allow folks to convince themselves this season will be different. "If we can just stay healthy ..." Ah, but we know better. For an NBA team, "hope falls eternal" doesn't sound promising, but it's pretty accurate.

Every team has its "ifs," but some teams have been working on the same "ifs" for years now. Still, these annual September delusions are harmless and occasionally turn out not to be delusions at all. Who would have thought, at this point last year, that Allen Iverson would start showing up on time? Who knows, maybe St. Jean is right. If the Warriors stay healthy, put them in The Finals. Why not? It's September.

Several other popular annual delusions: