Five key players of the Pacific Division are featured in the final installment of a six-part series.

MICKAEL PIETRUS-GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
After coming on strong near the end of his rookie season, Mr. Pietrus has begun this new season on the disabled list.  His presence at the shooting guard position made Chris Mullin soberly consider not extending the contract of Jason Richardson.  Former Warriors? coach Eric Musselman called Mr. Pietrus one of the best defenders he had ever seen.  If he continues to improve his offensive game, he has the capability of becoming a Ron Artest type of player.

CHRIS WILCOX-LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
As a member of Maryland?s National Championship squad, Chris Wilcox stood out as the player most NBA ready.  After two average seasons, Mr. Wilcox has begun this season on a tear, averaging 17.6 points per game over his first 7 games, to go with 7 rebounds.  Coupled with Elton Brand, the Clippers have a very formidable frontline combo, and can compete with the Tim Duncan?s and Kevin Garnett?s of the Western Conference.

CHRIS MIHM-LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Replacing Shaquille O?Neal is a daunting task that is not even worth the attempt, but Chris Mihm is the man the Lakers have asked to at least try.  Mr. Mihm has been mediocre in his first four seasons, playing behind Zydrunas Ilgauskas in Cleveland.  He has exceeded expectations during the first few games of the season, averaging 11 points and 6 rebounds.  He is also blocking almost 2 shots per game.  They will replace much of Mr. O?Neal?s scoring from Lamar Odom, but the Lakers will need Mr. Mihm to be an inside presence defensively.

THE CENTER POSITION-PHOENIX SUNS
While Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion make up possibly the best one/two combination at the forward positions, the Suns are weak at center.  They have shifted Mr. Stoudemire to the five position, but just as the Golden State Warriors tried Chris Webber at center during his rookie season, with a very similar lineup, there are limits to the effectiveness of such a small lineup.  Steve Hunter and Jake Voskuhl are who they have and since there are so many other offensive weapons on the floor, they will be primarily asked to shag the jump shots of Steve Nash, Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson.

THE CHRIS WEBBER/PEJA STOJAKOVIC RELATIONSHIP-SACRAMENTO KINGS
The Sacramento Kings were very nearly broken up this past offseason when Peja Stojakovic requested a trade.  He is still there, but the Kings are struggling, as they have lost that team chemistry, which made them one of the best teams in the league the last few years.  The Kings? depth has been chipped away at each season, as sacrifices are made to satisfy the salary cap, putting increased pressure upon their core players.  If the Kings plan on even making the playoffs, Chris Webber and Mr. Stojakovic will have to recapture the magical play they had in 2002 when they were just one game away from reaching the NBA Finals.