<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Redd doesn't claim to have all the answers these days. He's not sure when he will be able to return from his knee injury, although it won't be tonight against the Orlando Magic at the Bradley Center. He can't fully explain what has become of the Bucks in his absence, and he's totally in the dark as to why he wasn't chosen to play in the All-Star Game. Redd, who has missed the last 15 games with a left-knee injury, practiced with the team Monday for the first time since suffering the injury in the final seconds of a loss to Cleveland on Jan. 5 and it was hoped he would be able to play against Orlando. But he was declared a no-go after practice. "He had a good practice," coach Terry Stotts said. "This was the first time he worked 5-on-5 with some contact. It was a good day but he won't play (tonight)." Redd said he would be re-evaluated today to see how his knee held up after his first practice. "It felt pretty good," Redd said. "I was real anxious to get out there and hopefully it'll work out pretty well. This was the first day of being out there. They want to see how I'll feel (today) and throughout the week . . . the soreness." Redd is at a loss to explain why he was not chosen by the coaches as an Eastern Conference all-star reserve. Maybe it was the injury, or the team's losing record at the time the selections were made. Maybe it's the old small-market syndrome rearing its ugly head again. Or, maybe the coaches just like the players who were selected better than they do Redd. After the game in which he was injured, the Bucks were 16-17. They have gone 2-13 since. The Bucks had put together a six-game winning streak just before Redd's injury and Redd, averaging a career-high 27.7 points, had been a major contributor. Redd, speaking to reporters for the first time since the all-star reserves were announced, was asked how he felt about being bypassed. "Mad," he said. "Disappointed. I don't know what it is. I don't know what else you've got to do. We were winning and playing well. I was having the best year of my career and it happens. I don't know. I can't explain it. "Last year, we were a playoff team and I still didn't make it and I was having a career year. I don't know what else you've got to do. It's frustrating but at the same time you move on. You keep playing basketball and keep doing what you're doing and good things will happen. "The guys on the (all-star) team, they deserve it. I just wish I was on there, too. I don't know what you have to do. I really am puzzled by it. I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't disappointed by it." The last month of inactivity has been difficult for Redd.</div> Source
I don't see why he shouldn't have made the team. He was really amazing this year, possibly a top 10 player before he went injured, which wasn't too long ago.
It's as simple as this: he got hurt, and he plays for the lowly Bucks. If Redd was a Knick or Laker, he'd have at least 3 All-Star games on his resume. Unfortunately, he's a guy who hasn't been able to take the Bucks on his back and lead them to prominance, and the Bucks aren't a name brand even if he did. I'm not surprised he was passed over, but I do hope that he gets to come back healthy next season and becomes a year-in, year-out participant. Say what you want, but he's among the best pure shooters in the game today, and seeing how much respect and publicity Rip Hamilton and Ray Allen get, it does feel like Mike Redd gets a consistent cold shoulder.
