Joe Alexander was finally set to return to practice on Thursday.

Alexander's injury situation this season prompted the Bucks not to renew his contract, a rare move regarding a lottery pick.

"It doesn't bother me to the point where I'm going to let it set me back," Alexander said of the team's failure to pick up his $2.76 million option. "It bothers me . . .

"It's going to naturally come up in my mind, but I think the best thing for me is to put it out of my mind. I don't think I'll be able to play to the best of my ability if I'm thinking about it."

Alexander has been sidelined with a hamstring injury.

"That's been really tough to stay mentally strong through this," he said. "The best way I've coped with it is to just take it step-by-step and look at each part of the rehab as a challenge. When you're not on the court, you're not being challenged.

"If you look at the rehab as a challenge, that can ease some of your mental tension."

Alexander is eager to contribute something positive to the Bucks and show he belongs in the league.

"It will mean everything to me," he said of the initial step of practicing against his teammates. "It's being in the NBA again. I felt like I haven't played in so long and even when I did play I haven't really established myself at all.

"I'm really looking forward to playing again."