Julian Wright grimaced in pain as he tried to get through a grueling workout with the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.

He was sweating right through his gray Bucks T-shirt, and he was being pushed hard by workout partner Jovan Stefanov, a physical 6-foot-9 forward from the University of Illinois-Chicago.

"I was hoping I was able to get back in the swing of things much faster from the conditioning standpoint," said Wright, who delayed his workout two days after spraining an ankle in a session with the Boston Celtics on Monday.

"That was a hell of a start: jump rope, basketball handling; it was really good. You have to be ready from the beginning, and you better come hydrated and well-rested."

"He's a 3 man (small forward), and you could play him at some 4 (power forward)," said Dave Babcock, the Bucks' director of player personnel. "Maybe you could play him at some 2 (shooting guard)."