Redd's return still raises questions

It appears unlikely the Bucks will be interested in signing Redd, who has played all 11 of his pro seasons with the franchise. They signed Salmons to a five-year contract worth as much as $39 million during the past off-season, when Salmons was an unrestricted free agent.

Redd ranks fourth on the team's all-time scoring list and is just 85 points away from passing Sidney Moncrief for the third spot.

The former Ohio State guard has achieved all-star status (in 2004) and Olympic gold (in 2008 as a member of Team USA) since being chosen by the Bucks with the 43rd overall pick in the 2000 draft.

"I'm getting back into playing basketball again, getting back into a rhythm," Redd said. "The guys ask me every day, 'When are you coming back?'

"I want to play with them so bad and just contribute to this team. I can't wait to play again."

Redd said he has been encouraged by his peers, including recent talks with Phoenix Suns forward Grant Hill and Celtics guard Ray Allen, who was a mentor to Redd in his early years in Milwaukee.

"Grant Hill said, 'Young fella, be patient.' He missed three or four years of his career with the ankle (injury)," Redd said. "He said, 'You'll catch it on the back end of your career. Watch.'

"So I'll never forget those words. It's good to see the guys again around the league. It's like a fraternity."

"My thing is not to just come back and play," Redd said. "My thing is to come back and dominate and play at a high level.

"That just takes a lot of hard work. Minus the two years I've missed having the wear and tear on my body, it's not a real 11 years. It's more like seven or eight years. I'm looking long term for my career. That's why we're taking time with this."

Allen had a bit of advice for Redd when he talked to him before the teams met Sunday in Milwaukee.

"I did tell him he needed to get his body fat down, though," Allen said. "He has lost a good amount of weight and I just told him because he's like, 'Man, I'm looking at you and I'm watching you and you're the bar for me and you're 35 and you're still playing.'

"And I said, 'OK, well, what's your body fat?' And he said 10%. I said, 'Well, I'm at 4½% so you have some work to do.' "

Redd went two-on-two for the first time since his injury during the Bucks practice on Saturday, a significant step in the process.

"He looked good and moved around well," Skiles said. "He got winded, of course. It's the first time he's done anything like that.

"He's in very good shape considering everything. But that's the first time banging bodies for that period of time (about a half hour) and he took some contact and looked good.

"We'll see. Normally what you do is knock it back a notch for the next couple days and go at it again and see where it is. We have a goal later on this month (March 21). It's not written in stone or anything, but it's a goal we have."