There's enough pressure when you're the fourth overall pick in the draft, but it doubles when the legendary general manager who selected you immediately insists that you're the Rookie of the Year, "hands down."

That's what Drew Gooden faced in his rookie season in Memphis, but instead of winning awards, he got a one-way ticket to Orlando in February courtesy of the man who chose him, Grizzlies GM Jerry West. While moving from the House of Blues to the Land of the Mouse has plenty of advantages off the court -- more sun, no income tax and less Elvis -- it was the change of scenery on the court that really did Gooden well.

While in Memphis, he was stuck in a situation where the previous year's Rookie of the Year, Pau Gasol, was already entrenched at Gooden's natural power forward spot. Playing out of position at small forward, he averaged a modest 12.1 points and 5.8 rebounds in 51 games before the trade.

Once in Orlando, he woke up. Gooden's numbers soared to 13.6 points and 8.4 rebounds with the Magic, where he could play power forward and use his quickness to abuse bulkier players off the dribble. No longer miscast on the perimeter, his shooting percentage rose from 44.3 percent to 49.8 percent, and he took nearly 60 percent more free throws.

Unfortunately, the 2003-04 season could put Gooden in a similar bind to the one he faced in Memphis. With the acquisition of Juwan Howard, the Magic find themselves with two quality power forwards, both of whom need to be in the lineup. That means Gooden could find himself back at small forward.

Gooden's other option is to put his 6-foot-10, 230-pound frame under the strain of playing center -- a Disney version of Kurt Thomas, essentially. While Gooden would no doubt get his points against the lumbering giants he'd be matched up against, he'd also take a nightly pounding in the paint. It's instructive to note that Thomas, at a similar size, has had to resort to mad hacking and as a result led the NBA in fouls by a mile for two straight seasons.

How Gooden and Howard handle the transition will be one of the keys to the Orlando season. The Magic have a potentially devastating attack with those two joining leading scorer Tracy McGrady, but it won't matter if Gooden is rendered ineffective by playing on the perimeter.

The Magic are dark horses in the Eastern Conference if they can get 17 and 10 a night from Gooden in his sophomore campaign. On the other hand, they're also-rans if he doesn't deliver. For that reason, the Atlantic Division spotlight is on Drew Gooden.

-- By John Hollinger, SI.com