Can The Cavs Finally Jam?

Actually, no. Wilkins thinks the Cavaliers are a little strange, and he continues to be surprised at the utter lack of attention Cleveland gets. But he is otherwise appreciative of his surroundings. "I'm such a high-energy person that I need a place and time to slow down. Here I don't feel that pressure to shoot the outside shot, to play at superhigh speed. I can play my game. Maybe that lack of attention and pressure is a good thing."

Wilkins can still sound out of place, as he does when he boasts that he gives "this team a little more flair." But, bright suit aside, he's looking more and more like he belongs with the Cavs. Certainly he has adapted his game to Cleveland's needs: He has stopped standing around outside and has begun driving to the basket. As he has adjusted, everyone else has adjusted to him, as well. And he does give the Cavaliers more flair.

The rest of the Cav starters, after six years together and with nothing much to show for it, seem to understand that Wilkins is necessary even if he doesn't know his way around a high-performance engine. "We were lacking that slashing, athletic player," says Price, "the one who could take it to the hole and dunk it. Gerald gives us more flexibility, can make us smaller and quicker up front. Or he can play a big guard."

Specifically Wilkins lets Cleveland match up with Chicago better. Now he and Ehlo can share time guarding Jordan. This, by the way, is no longer just theory. The Cavs have split four games with the Bulls this season and can hardly wait for the playoffs, as if their destiny is at hand.

There is a school of' thought in Cleveland that the Cavs had better not wait much longer. They are all still in their prime but are entering a period when they can no longer expect to get better, only older. "We're at the point," says Ehlo, "where maybe it's time to step it up."

And if it takes a guy in a bright-yellow suit? Maybe the Cavs have been country long enough. Bright-yellow suits for everybody.