This Dream Teen actually arrives without abnormal hype, for a change. A year after the draft doubled as the senior prom, Amare Stoudemire, the best player to turn pro this time without having played in college and one of the best to come out without having attended college, lasted all the way to No. 9 and was overshadowed by the massive influx of foreign substances. But he did attend six high schools, so those college grown-ups don't have anything on him as far as being better-suited to adjust to a life of road trips.

	Amare Stoudemire will get plenty of on-the-job experience as a rookie.

He doesn't even arrive in Phoenix as the only first-round pick, because Stanford shooter Casey Jacobsen is on board. He won't be forced to stand front and center in the spotlight, either, because Shawn Marion and Stephon Marbury are still around -- there's some rumor going around that Penny Hardaway is, too -- and Joe Johnson remains a top prospect heading into his second season. Stoudemire isn't even the only Suns big man whose improvements, or lack thereof, will be at the forefront of the needed team-wide strides. Telephone call for Jake Tsakalidis.

And that's where the chances at a low-key entrance end.

A large part of the direction of the franchise is resting on Stoudemire, that's all. Winning 36 games and playing in the same Pacific Division as teams who were already better and just improved again in the offseason -- the Clippers by acquiring Andre Miller, the Lakers by getting Kareem Rush to boost the bench, the Kings by adding Keon Clark -- means you can't miss badly on a lottery pick. There's nothing to suggest the Suns just did, but it points out the extra pressure that goes with being selected by an organization and a city that isn't used to watching the playoffs on TV. Stoudemire never developing would, in appearance alone, be an additional body blow to a front office that is insisting the recovery won't take as long as most expect.

Maybe his progress will come quickly. Maybe it will come with a slower learning curve and regular reminders that he was, after all, just in high school.

But it has to come.

Why will it?

Because one head coach, and not Phoenix's Frank Johnson, said before the draft that Stoudemire is a "big-time stud."

Because he could have gone a couple ticks higher than No. 9 and no one would have been surprised.

Because free-agent signee Scott Williams is in place as an ideal big man's mentor. He has the perseverance to go from being undrafted out of North Carolina to a career that, so far, has lasted 12 seasons. He has the attitude and approach to where the Bucks knew that trading him in the summer of 2001 would be a major loss of energy.

Most of all, though, Stoudemire will be a player because his chance will come on a platter. The Suns need an inside game. They have already made the commitment to patience -- sending veterans Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk to Boston last season to get then-rookie Johnson and going with Stoudemire over Big Ten-tested, Big Dance-proven Jared Jeffries -- so there won't be a need to fast-track him to where setbacks will damage his confidence. He will be given every chance to succeed because Randy Johnson is the next big man in town to be sent to the low block if this one goes bad.

	There won't be a need to fast-track (Stoudemire) to where setbacks will damage his confidence. He will be given every chance to succeed because Randy Johnson is the next big man in town to be sent to the low block if this one goes bad.

"I think the expectation level has already been lowered, but we're trying to get better right now," general manager Bryan Colangelo said in the days after the draft. "As much as we want Amare to come in and do everything that other high school players have done, we want him to succeed, but we're not going to force the issue. I think it's important to let it develop naturally. I think that as the expectation level has dropped and as we're doing new things internally to re-engineer the organization, so to speak, focusing on ticket sales and marketing, I think it's important to start at a low point and grow. And let's hope that that low point is not very low. Let's hope that we're a lot nearer than we think. Actually, we've been projected to be in the lower rung of the league. I've got to differ with that. I've got to disagree. I think that we've got some great young talent on this team. I think that between Stephon, Shawn, Joe Johnson and Jake, who is still learning the game, there's just a tremendous amount of things happening.

"We think the results may be more immediate than you anticipate. But that's not to force the issue. We're going to put him in a situation and an environment we feel he can succeed, which means that's the best thing for the Phoenix Suns. Having said that, we have a healthy (Tom) Gugliotta coming back, hopefully, and maybe there's an opportunity for him to work with Amare and teach him some of the things he knows. We have (assistant coach) Marc Iavaroni and his big-man skills ... We just anticipate that we've got a lot of positive things going for him with respect to his development."

Stoudemire himself being one of those.

Colangelo: "Athletically, I think you need to look at what he brings to the table, and talk about the skills that he does have with no coaching. He seems to be a sponge for information and teaching right now."

Stoudemire the next day: "I haven't really had a coach that really knew the game. I just had a coach that scouted talent, because I had a team full of great players. Now I get the opportunity to play under Frank Johnson and the coaching staff and hopefully I can learn the game a lot better."

Colangelo: "You can see Amare is far beyond his years. First, he said I was right."

Talk about your good starts. Or maybe it was a good recovery, considering the first time the Suns saw Stoudemire, he was wearing a Clippers cap, which is a reality check around Phoenix greater than the standings. The Clips get thrown in their face before it even happens on the court this season. Now he gets the chance to fix that part, too.

Welcome to the future for them all, the team and the lottery pick. Ready or not.

Scott Howard-Cooper, who covers the NBA for the Sacramento Bee, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.