Milwaukee guard T.J. Ford remains confident that he will soon be back in the NBA after being sidelined since Feburary after a serious injury.

"I will play in the NBA again," Ford said. "There's no doubt in my mind. That's not even a question."

Ford, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, has not been able to do anything since his spinal injury caused by a fall against the Minnesota Timberwolves.  A starter for 55 games prior to his injury, the Bucks have no timetable for his return.

"That's great," coach Terry Porter said when asked about Ford's vow to return. "The doctors, I think, have said that he's coming back but they don't know a timetable. That's the big thing. Each process, he has to get permission to do more and more things. He's only pushing as far as the doctors have told him he can push."

"We're moving. But we just may be moving slower than I think everyone wants us to."

The Bucks suffered a setback Friday when one of their candidates at the center position, 6-foot-11 Zendon Hamilton, underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove loose cartilage in his right knee.

Hamilton, who suffered the injury Tuesday night in the Bucks' exhibition game at Dallas, is expected to be out for six weeks.

That leaves the Bucks' center spot in the hands of 20-year-old Zaza Pachulia, third-year pro Dan Gadzuric and 7-foot-1 Daniel Santiago. Gadzuric started 30 games in his rookie season, and Santiago started 28 games last season.

"I wouldn't use the word 'devastating,'" Harris said of the news regarding Hamilton, who underwent surgery performed by team doctor John Heinrich at the Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin.

"We still have three guys, and it means a better opportunity for Gadzuric, Santiago or Pachulia. But it's disappointing for Zendon, because he was playing so well. I really felt he had put a stamp on this team, that he was going to be a contributor."

Hamilton, who played in 45 games with the Philadelphia 76ers last season, was signed by the Bucks as a free agent Aug. 5. He pulled down 10 rebounds last week in an exhibition game at Denver, then picked up seven points and seven rebounds in 12 minutes as the Bucks beat Dallas, 107-105, on Tuesday.

Last year Mike James played for the Detroit Pistons, one of the best defensive teams over the last couple of years.  Coach Terry Porter is hoping James' pit bull mentality inspires his fellow Milwaukee Bucks.

"That's how I've always played defense, aggressive," James said. "And I'm going to continue to be aggressive on the defensive end."

"One day in Detroit they just started calling Lindsey Hunter and I the pit bulls and the name just stuck with us," James said. "The players started calling us pit bulls because the way we used to defend.

"Every time we used to go in the game, Rasheed Wallace used to act like he was taking the dog chain off us. As if to say, 'It's time for you to sic 'em all now.' So it stuck with us. And then the crowd got with it and they started making pit bull signs."

The Bucks made positive strides defensively last season, their first under Porter, but more of the same is necessary this season, also.

During the 2002-'03 season, the Bucks were one of the worst defensive teams in the league, giving up 99.3 points per game (25th in the league) and allowing opponents to shoot 45.8% (27th).

Last season, the Bucks were still far from a great defensive team, yet did show improvement as they yielded 97.0 points per game (21st) and a 45.2% defensive field-goal percentage (23rd).

"I will play in the NBA again," vowed T.J. Ford of the Milwaukee Bucks, who is in the second year of a four-year contract. "There's no doubt in my mind. That's not even a question."

The last time Ford suited up was that February night when Minnesota's Mark Madsen knocked him to the floor. He was carried off on a stretcher and missed the final 26 games of his rookie season. He averaged 7.1 points and 6.5 assists per game.

It wasn't Ford's first such scare. In spring 2003, he fell during a pickup game and temporarily lost feeling in his limbs. He had a similar episode in high school.

"This was a serious accident and a serious injury," Ford said. "The biggest thing is to make sure I'm healthy, so that we know that won't happen again.

"I want to be bigger off the court than I am on the court," the 6-1 Ford said. As for his future on the court, Ford is trying to tune out the whispers.

"It's just a long process. I think I'm going to make it through it. It's just a matter of when."

Michael Redd will be an unrestricted free-agent at season's end, permitting any team in the league to sign him to a contract.

For the first time since before they trashed the budget in the unsuccessful run at the 2001 NBA title, the Bucks will be in good salary-cap shape for 2005. They will have money to spend in the free-agent market and would be able to afford Redd should he choose Milwaukee as a relatively permanent career destination.

Fortunately, the Bucks might not have a lot of competition for Redd's services. Not many teams would be below the cap to the point where they could pay something close to a maximum salary, depending on Redd's accomplishments this season. But even if Redd decided to move on, the Bucks would still have sizable cap room to fill the shooting guard spot.

In such a scenario, Ray Allen's return would not be a distinct possibility. Also a free agent at the end of the season, Allen has made it reasonably clear that he doesn't intend to re-sign with Seattle. Those who have had semi-recent conversations with Allen say he still misses Milwaukee, plus the major roadblock for a possible homecoming, George Karl, has been removed.  

Redd is well aware of the options that will be presented to him on July 1st.  He knows he could be a Buck for life, gone by February or playing elsewhere next season. In any case, he also knows he's going to make a lot more than the $3 million he'll earn this year.

"But when you start talking contracts and money, that's when the fun leaves," Redd said Monday. "I just want to have fun this year."

With the regular season still a few weeks away, it is becoming increasingly clear that Michael Redd will opt out of his contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Milwaukee matched an offer sheet that Redd had signed with the Mavericks when the shooting guard was a restricted free-agent.  

Redd will be one of the most highly sought after free-agents of a class that will likely include Ray Allen and perhaps Tracy McGrady as well.

McGrady has yet to sign a contract extension with the Houston Rockets, as both parties would like to see exactly how he and Yao Ming play with one another before they commit to a long-term relationship.

Michael Redd is without a doubt the Bucks franchise player, but how long he'll remain in Milwaukee is unclear.

Under ideal circumstances, the Bucks already would have their gifted guard under contract for years to come. But since the Bucks signed Redd to a four-year $12 million deal on Oct. 14, 2002, league rules prohibit the Bucks from offering Redd a contract extension until Oct. 14, 2005.

As such, there aren't any guarantees Redd will return to the Bucks after this season, especially since the interest in him by other teams is likely to be very enthusiastic.

What's more, while Redd says he enjoys playing for the Bucks, he didn't give any indication he will remain with the team beyond this season.

"I can't really say right now, but I can tell you the fans here have been great," Redd said. "I kind of grew up here. I was drafted here. But it's a business, and when the times comes to make a decision, I'll deal with it."

Asked if he would re-sign with the Bucks if the Bucks offered as much money, or more than any other team, Redd said, "I can't say that right now, either. A lot of things go into negotiations. Right now, it would be hard to make an assessment on that.

"I have training camp to worry about now and I'm getting ready for the season. I have too many other things on my mind.

"The one thing with me is that I've been in this situation before, a couple years ago, and I focused on basketball and not on the other stuff and everything turned out fine. Basketball will reward you if you play hard and play well.'' When the Bucks re-signed Redd two years ago, only one other team showed any appreciable interest in him. That was the Dallas Mavericks, who offered Redd a four-year $12 million deal. The Bucks, however, matched the Mavericks' offer and retained Redd.

But this time around, the Bucks can't match any offer. It means they'll have to give Redd an offer he can't refuse, one that undoubtedly will be more than twice the amount he is making annually now.

Larry Harris, the Bucks' general manager, said the team is positioned to adequately compensate Redd and will make every effort to keep him in the fold.

"I have talked to Michael directly and have told him how valuable he is to our team and how valuable of a piece he is to our franchise," Harris said. "I would love to have Michael signed. If I could have signed him by now, I would have. We want to keep Michael Redd, that's for sure."

The Milwaukee Bucks signed former Hamton University guard Tommy Adams to an undisclosed contract yesterday.

Adams has played overseas in China and for the CBA Yakima Sun Kings.