SAN ANTONIO -- Clutching a Sharpie at an Academy sporting goods on a balmy Sunday, San Antonio Spurs rookie guard Jonathon Simmons squinted carefully at the almost 500 fans waiting in line for autographs.
The longer he peered into the crowd, the faster Simmons drifted into the daydream; this cotton-candy fantasy spun fresh every day with every jumper and dunk, with every well-wisher's text message, practically every moment.
"Really, that's what it felt like: a daydream," Simmons recalled. "To see almost 500 people just waiting on me, it was like, 'What?' It was crazy that people wanted to come out and see me; not because I'm a Spurs player, but actually because people like the way I play.