St. FRANCIS, Wis. (AP) Michael Redd was named the Eastern Conference player of the month Monday, and the Milwaukee Bucks are hoping he'll get an even bigger honor Tuesday when the All-Star reserves are announced.

The fourth-year pro is the primary reason for Milwaukee's surprising success following a tumultuous summer that included a front-office shake-up and a roster overhaul. But does half a season of success merit All-Star consideration?

``Absolutely. I'm hoping that there's a lot of other coaches in the Eastern Conference that feel the same way that we do,'' Bucks general manager Larry Harris said. ``He is one of the main reasons that we have a winning record today. He's in the top 10 in scoring. He's played the most minutes of anybody on our team. He's a quiet leader. He's the hardest worker on our team.''

All-Star weekend is Feb. 13-15 in Los Angeles.

The Bucks began the week tied for fourth place in the East at 26-21 thanks in large part to Redd, who is averaging 22.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.67 blocks _ all career bests _ in his first season as a full-time starter.

He was a sixth man the last two years, and often only a long-range shooter with so many plays designed for stars Ray Allen, Sam Cassell, Glenn Robinson or Gary Payton. This season, Redd has shown he's equally adept at taking the ball to the basket.

In January, Redd had a pair of career-high 40-point games, averaged 22.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and two assists while leading Milwaukee to an 11-5 record.

Coach Terry Porter, already miffed that T.J. Ford didn't get picked to play in the rookie game, said Redd deserves All-Star status as much as any other shooting guard in the East.

Redd would love to get named to the All-Star team but insists he won't be too disappointed if he isn't.

``Basketball is what I love to do, but it's not who I am,'' he said. ``Everybody would love to play in the All-Star game. That's a great, great honor. But if I worry about it too much, that will affect my game.''

Minnesota's Kevin Garnett was named player of the month in the Western Conference.