Hiring Jerry West as the new president of basketball operations is a huge plus for the Memphis Grizzlies. West was not only a great, Hall of Fame player, but he is also one of the most astute general managers ever connected with the NBA.

West will first need to flesh out a competitive team around rookies Pau Gasol and Shane Battier and point guard Jason Williams. Barring injury, Gasol and Battier will enjoy long, high-quality NBA careers. I expect West to have a positive influence on Williams, who has tremendous skills and has taken a step back from the frivolous, random game he often played in Sacramento. West should help get Williams' best game going.

The other Memphis players have not established themselves and have shown only flashes of brilliance. West will work on adding quality depth and strengthening the Grizzlies' weak bench.

While the Grizzlies might not contend immediately, West will gradually have a very positive impact. The Western Conference is extremely competitive; the Grizzlies, who won 23 games this season, won't jump into a playoff spot just because West is in Memphis. Mr. Clutch can't suit up for the Grizzlies; he needs players.

West has a great sense of who can be good in the NBA, even when a player has been glossed over by other teams. Look at the trades West made to bring the Lakers their two best players -- Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. He didn't draft either player. West had the foresight to acquire Bryant at a time when nobody knew how good he was going to be.

I don't know what impact West's hiring will have on the future of coach Sidney Lowe, but West is the kind of general manager who will support his coaches and not interfere with them.

West appreciated the value of having Phil Jackson as head coach in Los Angeles. During Jackson's first season with the Lakers, I was doing a game in Los Angeles and interviewed West. The Lakers had looked awful in the preseason and were struggling with Jackson's triangle offense. I asked West, "How do you like your team?" He said, "I don't like them much now, but I think I will like them a lot after Christmas." And that's what happened.

Whether Lowe or someone else is the head coach in Memphis next season, West will stick by him and help him do his best job.

Hall of Fame coach Dr. Jack Ramsay is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.