Good news, Terrell: The Cavs turned around and pulled off the biggest trade the NBA has seen in years, acquiring power forward Shawn Kemp from Seattle on Sept. 25. Bad news, Terrell: To get him, they shipped you, Tyrone Hill and a future No. 1 pick to the Bucks, who in turn sent big man Vin Baker to the Sonics. The Cavs also got Milwaukee point guard Sherman Douglas in the deal.

Brandon must have really struck a chord with Cleveland general manager Wayne Embry because after the Kemp move, the Cavs then went out and swung another three-team trade that netted them Wesley Person and guard Tony Dumas from Phoenix for a first-round draft pick after the year 2000. Though Person can play both shooting guard and small forward, he is likely to spend most of his time in Cleveland in the frontcourt. (Dumas, recovering from knee surgery, was a throw-in.) Hey, Terrell, we'll make sure Cleveland writes and tells you how that superstar thing goes.

But if Brandon is gratified that the team heeded his advice, forward Danny Ferry is not. With Kemp occupying his most natural spot, power forward, Ferry was facing a switch to small forward, no easy task given his ponderous foot speed. Of course, now that Person has come to town, that's not a real concern for Ferry. Indeed, while there's a slim chance he can play his way into the starting rotation, it's much more likely that he will fill the role of shooter off the bench.

The Cavs were able to make their trades in part because they had been scaring off players all summer. Free agents Bobby Phills and Chris Mills left, giving the team plenty of room to maneuver under the salary cap and making it one of the few that could afford to shell out the money necessary to placate the Rain Man. Before the trade, the biggest move the Cavs made was to sign Atlanta swingman Henry James, one of the lower-priced players on the market.

Getting James at least made the Cavs feel wanted. A few weeks earlier, Celtics swingman Rick Fox reportedly turned down Cleveland's four-year, $20 million offer. Citing his desire to pursue acting—and apparently unaware that such celluloid classics as Slaughter of the Innocents, Light of Day, Major League and Howard the Duck were filmed in Cleveland—Fox signed with the Lakers for L.A.'s $1 million cap exception. His decision came a day after Kings forward Brian Grant, an Ohio native, inked a seven-year deal with Portland worth $63 million, an estimated $2 million less than the Cavs had offered.

With all the change in personnel, this is as good a time as any for a change in Cleveland's on-court strategy. Coach Mike Fratello says he'll finally open up the dreary offense that made last season's Cavs the second-lowest-scoring team in NBA history. "We know what we're trying to get done this year, letting the guys we have grow and develop," he says. "Part of that is to get out in the open floor and see how well we play that way and sustain it over a long period."

Fans in Cleveland—at least those who are still awake—are accustomed to that tune, and so are the players. "I heard that my first two years too," says third-year guard Bob Sura. "But I really think it's going to change. We're not going to be able to come down and overpower all these teams in the East, so we're going to have to play a different style, a little more fast-paced."

Sura may be skeptical, but he should take heart. For the first time in recent memory, the Cavaliers just might be able to pull it off. With Kemp underneath, point guard Sura driving and kicking the ball out to Person, an outstanding shooter, the Cavs figure to have their most explosive starting lineup in years. Vitaly Potapenko, a second-year center, will benefit greatly from playing beside Kemp and he should have plenty of opportunities to use his dependable jump shot when Kemp gets double teamed. Despite starting a rookie, Derek Anderson, at the 2-spot, the Cavaliers will have five potential scorers on the floor. And first-rounder Brevin Knight, a speedy point guard out of Stanford, offers some additional explosiveness off the bench. Wake up, Cleveland.

Though facing the prospect of renegotiating Kemp's contract, the Cavs will still be in relatively good shape with regard to the salary cap. If they can land one of the big names in next summer's free-agent class—Fox and Grant showed how hard that might be—they will have a formidable foundation with which to head into the future. But until then, beggars can't be choosers: Cleveland and its fans can only hope that the new-look Cavs will do a bit more to pique their interest than last year's team did.

—Mark Bechtel