Jerry West got a steal in the draft in Gooden.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
We're saying not long at all for Jerry West to make his mark. He added bench scoring (Wesley Person and Gordan Giricek of Croatia) and size (7'2" Cezary Trybanski of Poland). Who's really got Mr. Logo excited? Drew Gooden, who has the ability to excel at both forward positions. The promise: Gooden plus Pau Gasol and Lorenzen Wright will eventually form a rock-solid frontcourt. The problem: Who gets them the ball?

STARTING FIVE
Long, lean and a little raw up front, but pretty good, too. Look for Gooden's development to put Battier's starting small forward spot in jeopardy.

Midwest Division

1. Mavericks

2. Spurs

3. T-Wolves

4. Jazz

5. Rockets

6. Grizzlies

7. Nuggets

Scouting Report Index

Pau Gasol, PF: First European Rookie of the Year
Shane Battier, SF: After 14.4 ppg as SG, shifts to his natural position
Lorenzen Wright, C: A beast on boards -- when he's healthy
Michael Dickerson, SG: A solid backcourt scorer -- when he's healthy
Jason Williams, PG: Team sees growth. Guess we need glasses

BENCH
Person, Gooden, Stromile Swift, Tony Massenburg and Brevin Knight. Some nights, this group will be better than the starters.

GLOBAL VIEW
Gasol's (Spain) 1,441 points third-most ever by a non-U.S. rookie.

FREEWHEELIN' WITH WALTON
How long will it take for Jerry to turn against Jason?

This article will appear in the November 11 issue of ESPN The Magazine.