It took all of one practice, and Warriors head coach Mark Jackson was ready to make a lofty proclamation about rookie Klay Thompson:

"Klay is ready today. He's ready today. He's a big-time talent," Jackson said. "I've seen coaches who would never play rookies, but that's not my train of thought. Klay Thompson will play right away. There's no question about it. He's that good."

Thompson and rookie big man Jeremy Tyler were able to practice for the first time after signing contracts Tuesday, the fifth day of training camp.

"This is almost the perfect situation for him," said Mychal Thompson, Klay's father and the No. 1 overall pick in the 1978 draft. "If he couldn't be a Laker, I wanted him to be in the Pacific Division and playing for the Warriors.

"... It's a perfect role for him. He's 6-foot-7 and moves his feet well, defensively. He knows how to get into the passing lanes, and he'll block shots as a guard. He'll bring a different facet to their game.

"He's virtually a point guard, being a ball-handler and being able to be a playmaker. They've got the best shooting backcourt in the NBA."

Klay Thompson was the 11th overall pick. At Washington State, he averaged 17.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game over three seasons. The Warriors were high on Klay Thompson throughout the draft process, and he became the obvious pick after executive board member Jerry West watched him work out in Southern California.

"Jerry is the consummate professional in this league and a great talent evaluator," said Mychal Thompson, whom West brought to the Lakers in a 1987 trade. "I told Klay that if Jerry West thinks a lot of you, that validates you as a player.

"You don't want to let him down. You want to justify his choice of bringing you to the Warriors."

Tyler is a 6-10, 260-pounder whom the Warriors purchased from Charlotte in the second round. He skipped his senior year of high school to play professionally in Israel and Japan.

In 33 games with the Tokyo Apache, Tyler averaged 9.9 points and 6.4 rebounds. He's a candidate to split time with the Dakota Wizards, the Warriors-owned NBA Development League team, but both he and Jackson said they hope it doesn't come to that.

"Jeremy is a young man who works hard. He's a great listener. He made some mistakes, but you can tell that he has a bright future ahead of him," Jackson said. "There are advantages to keeping him up here, but, obviously, there's nothing like real playing situations. We'll pick and choose our spots.

"Hopefully, he's good enough today that (the D-League) will never be an issue."