From inexperience, the Orlando Magic now speak.

"I can't say I'm a veteran," power forward Drew Gooden said by telephone last week. "I've played only one season. I only played 26 games in Orlando. I feel like I'm still new."

Gooden will celebrate his 22nd birthday Wednesday. It almost qualifies him as elderly on this team.

One week before training camp, all you see is youth around the Magic. They are two tiers of young: young and really young.

In an astonishing upset, the Magic improved their athleticism, toughness and basketball savvy this off-season -- and got younger. It cost them a few million dollars as well as some cookies and milk.

After Gooden's birthday, the average age of the 13 players with sure roster spots will be 24.9. Subtract the injured Grant Hill, and that average is 24.5. The Magic figure to sign forward Donnell Harvey, 23, soon, and he will put them at 24.4.

They're inexperienced, too. Seven players (Harvey would make eight) have less than three years of service.

And, lucky them, they must conquer this franchise's latest impossible challenge: The young Magic can't be young, especially Gooden.