Brandon, a two-time All-Star with the Cavaliers before coming to Milwaukee along with power forward Tyrone Hill in the three-team megatrade that sent power forward Vin Baker to Seattle and point guard Sherman Douglas to Cleveland, joins a team in desperate need of repairs at both ends of the floor. Tiresomely low-post bound on offense and hapless on defense, the Bucks ranked 27th in the league in assists and opponents' field goal percentage last year while winning 33 games and missing the playoffs for the sixth season in a row.

"Last year we were going nowhere fast," says second-year shooting guard Ray Allen. "Everyone was just waiting for the season to end. Something had to change."

In Brandon the Bucks got not only their first bona fide point guard in years but also the man who is arguably the best in the league at that position. While directing Mike Fratello's plodding offense last year, Brandon contributed 19.5 points and 6.3 assists per game and made 90.2% of his free throws. A generous spirit who sponsors free basketball camps in the summer, doles out toys to underprivileged kids for Christmas and believes that "one should give without trying to get something in return," Brandon is looking forward to sharing the ball more in the Bucks' new perimeter-based, ball-movement offense. "Hopefully my assists will improve," says last year's winner of the NBA Sportsmanship Award. "If we win more games and my points go down, I think I'll have accomplished as much as scoring 19 or 20 points a game." Says second-year coach Chris Ford, "Terrell is going to make a lot of guys very happy."

One player who should be particularly pleased with Brandon's presence is Allen, who struggled last year. An athletic, long-range shooter, Allen scored just 13.4 points a game in the Bucks' dump-it-in-the-post offense. "Last year I was stuck in a rut," says Allen, who shares with Brandon the nickname Candyman. "It was frustrating because I know I can score. I'm looking forward to playing with Terrell because he knows how to get the ball to you."

Another Buck who can score but hasn't done enough of anything else to suit his critics is Glenn Robinson, the NBA's No. 1 draft pick in 1994. In three years Big Dog has done little to justify the $69 million contract he signed out of college: He may have averaged 21.1 points, but he has been a pushover on defense. Robinson is hoping the departure of Baker, around whom the Bucks' offense revolved, will make him a more productive player all around. "I'll miss Vin, but I think it's a good opportunity for me," says Robinson. "Now is the chance for me to get the ball more and become a better player."

The Bucks' defense should be as thoroughly transformed as their offense, if only because the team has acquired people willing and able to play it. Hill, a gritty rebounder with a particular taste for the defensive glass, will be joined on the front line by former Nugget Ervin Johnson, a 6'11" shot swatter who will be the Bucks' first true center since Jack Sikma departed in 1991. Former Piston Michael Curry, a tenacious defender, is now Big Dog's backup.

Ford likes the look of his refurbished Bucks, and he thinks their prospects of making the playoffs are good. "As a coach, this is the kind of team I've always hoped to put together," says Ford. "I'm optimistic about our chances

—Kelli Anderson