St. Francis — Michael Redd said he's not worried about his next contract or proving his worth to the Milwaukee Bucks or any other NBA teams.

The Bucks veteran shooting guard, returning more than 13 months after tearing up his left knee, is coming back for a simpler reason.

"Being healthy is the main thing for me," Redd said. "I think I've proven a lot in my career.

"This here for me is to leave the game in the right way. I want to leave on my terms and not being hurt.

"I've kind of phased out of proving things to everybody, proving everybody wrong. This is now just about enjoying the game of basketball, enjoying being healthy and finishing on a great note in my career."

The Bucks returned from the all-star break Monday, and Redd took part in a team practice session for the first time since last January.

He suffered torn knee ligaments during a game Jan. 10, 2010, against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center.

It was the second major injury to his left knee in 12 months, requiring a second surgery.

He also suffered torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments when he landed on teammate Luke Ridnour's foot during a January 2009 game against Sacramento at the Bradley Center.

He missed 49 games that season, was sidelined 64 games last season and 55 thus far this season.

Redd, in his 11th season with the Bucks, is in the final year of a six-year, $91 million contract he signed in the summer of 2005. The 31-year-old veteran is making $18.3 million this season.

"It's one of the happiest days in my career," Redd said as he toweled off after practice. "To be on the court again is a blessing.

"I told coach (Scott) Skiles, 'I kissed the court when I came back to the gym.' You just treasure it. I haven't played in a year and a half. Just to get back out here and play and be with the guys, it's the greatest feeling in the world."

Redd worked out after practice with shooting guard John Salmons, who signed a five-year contract with Milwaukee during the off-season.

"We've played over the last eight years against each other, and I got tired of playing against him," Redd said. "I'm glad he's on our team.

"We've had some wars. I look forward to playing with all of them (his teammates)."

Skiles and Redd declined to speculate on when the Bucks guard might be able to return to the floor.

But Redd said he had no doubt he would be able to do it as he progresses with more basketball drills. He has been working out diligently in the past months at Ohio State in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

"I'm transitioning from training and therapy to now, basketball," Redd said.

Redd said he worked out with Chris McKenzie, a physical therapist on the staff at the Ohio State Medical Center.

"It was three-hour sessions of just pounding, jumping, cutting, running, plyometrics," Redd said. "It was a lot of training and it was tough. But I'm glad I did it and I knew it would pay off for me.

"The Bucks organization was phenomenal in this whole process, letting me go home, letting me get my mind right and letting me train. That was big on my psyche, being at home and being in a place of comfort."

Bucks center Andrew Bogut said he thought Redd looked good on his first day back.

"Michael did probably the first 20 minutes," Bogut said. "He can't obviously go through a full practice at the moment. He's got to build himself up until he's comfortable and ready.

"He did the warm-up drills and looked pretty good. He's still probably two weeks away from what I hear our trainers say."

Redd said he was at 217 pounds, which was his playing weight when he was at Ohio State more than a decade ago.

"I feel stronger (than after his first comeback)," Redd said. "I've lost a lot of weight. I've been conditioning every day. But it pays off. No aches and no pains.

"I feel terrific. It's just a matter of getting used to playing basketball again."

Redd said he didn't know what he would do when he finally gets in an NBA game again.

"I'll probably kiss the court again," he said. "You really learn to treasure things when you can't do them anymore.

"And I missed the last year and a half, two years of my career, due to injury. You just appreciate it more. Once my first shot goes in, I'll be good to go."

Ilyasova ready: Bucks power forward Ersan Ilyasova missed his first game of the season against Denver on Wednesday after taking an elbow to the right eye from Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin.

But the swelling was down on Monday, and Ilyasova went through the entire practice session.

"I feel much better and my headaches are gone," Ilyasova said. "It was good for me to have the all-star break and to have time to recover."

The Bucks resume play with a home game Tuesday against Minnesota and will play the New York Knicks on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.