<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Bucks' Smith appears set to return from injury By CHARLES F. GARDNER cgardner@journalsentinel.com Veteran forward Joe Smith, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Dec. 6, could return to the lineup if he receives clearance from the Bucks' doctors and training staff. On Friday, the 6-foot-10 Smith went through his first full-scale practice since having surgery, and after the session he was optimistic about getting some playing time against Memphis. "It feels good to me, but I've been like that for the last two weeks," said Smith, who has missed 37 games this season. "I was able to give it a good test today." If Smith were to return tonight, it would come at an opportune time for the Bucks (23-22), who have lost four of their last six games, including road defeats this week against New Orleans / Oklahoma City and Houston. The Bucks were 7-10 in January, their first losing month of the season. "My injury has been frustrating enough, but then when you see the team struggle the way it has . . . it kind of makes me feel there's something I could do to help us win," Smith said. "At first it was pretty easy, because we were winning games. We expected the month of January to be tough, but not like that." Smith played in eight games before undergoing surgery for persistent knee pain that bothered him from the start of training camp in October. His absence led the Bucks to insert rookie Andrew Bogut at the power forward position, and Bogut has performed well in tandem with veteran center Jamaal Magloire. If Stotts has all three big men healthy, he will be able to tinker with matchups during the second half of the season. "How the rotation works itself out, I don't know," Stotts said. "Joe brings a defensive element, and he's a (threat to) pick-and-pop for 18 feet, so he can help us out there. "His ability to make an open shot and space the court will help our post-up game and help our pick-and-roll game." Smith said he expected to be used sparingly at first. "My leg is still kind of weak," he said. "I've not been able to keep up with strengthening because of the swelling. Now it depends on how it reacts to what we did today." Smith said he didn't want to wait too long before testing his knee, because he wants to develop on-court chemistry with his teammates. "We definitely could make a run and maybe do different things with matchups," he said, referring to a power trio involving Magloire, Bogut and himself. "The timing is right, because we're about to head down the stretch where things really get crucial. There's a pack of (Eastern Conference) teams within range of each other. That's why I feel this would be a good time for me to come back and try to get in the swing of things, before it's too late." Entering play Friday, the Bucks were fifth in the conference chase but in a virtual tie with Philadelphia and just one-half game ahead of seventh-place Indiana and 1? games in front of eighth-place Washington. Guard Michael Redd, who sat out the team's 86-84 loss in Houston on Wednesday because of back spasms, is expected to return to the starting lineup tonight. Redd took part in practice Friday. "He iced and rested, and I don't think it's going to be a chronic problem," Stotts said of the team's leading scorer. Rookie honors: Bogut was named the Eastern Conference rookie of the month for January, after averaging 10.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.35 blocked shots in 31.6 minutes per game. The 7-foot Bogut led all rookies in rebounds and blocked shots during the month, and ranked third in scoring and shooting (55.4%). Bogut leads all NBA rookies in rebounds (7.8) and shooting (53.3%), and ranks second in minutes played (29.2) and sixth in scoring (9.4). Earlier this week, Bogut was named as one of 19 players to play in the Rookie Challenge game on Feb. 17 during the NBA's all-star weekend in Houston. Bogut will be honored on Feb. 18 in Salt Lake City when his college jersey No. 4 is retired by the University of Utah before the Utes' game against Air Force at the Huntsman Center. Tights all around: Several Bucks players have opted to wear tights during games, including Redd, Smith, Bogut and point guard Mo Williams. On Friday, all the Bucks coaches showed up for practice wearing the black leggings. "They wanted to show us how ridiculous we look sometimes," Redd said. Seriously, Redd said he planned to continue the fashion trend, a look also sported by Kobe Bryant and Nick Van Exel, among others. "They help me out," Redd said. "For my knees, it keeps them warm and keeps your kneecaps in place. A lot of guys in the NBA have tendinitis, and I'm no different, so that's why I wear them." </div> Source
