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Allen expects Bucks to rebound

ST. FRANCIS — Malik Allen has been around the National Basketball Association for a while, so he understands what works on the court and what doesn’t.

The 30-year-old power forward thinks the Milwaukee Bucks have what it takes, if they can get key players healthy and everyone working together in coach Scott Skiles’ system.

“You have guys who are willing to learn the system and want to achieve and want to be successful,” Allen said Monday. “You don’t have any guys that are saying after practice, ’This doesn’t work. I don’t like this.’

“We have guys that want to win and want to change the perception and the culture that’s been here the last few years.”

The Bucks (7-12) have lost four in a row, including three games missed by 7-foot center Andrew Bogut because of a bone bruise to his left knee. Shooting guard Michael Redd was out for 14 consecutive games with a high right ankle sprain before playing 35 minutes off the bench in his return Saturday night against Cleveland.

Redd went through a full practice Monday at the Cousins Center and is expected back in the starting lineup against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. And it’s possible Bogut could do some light practice work today and return in time to face the Bulls at the Bradley Center.

“I’d love to play Wednesday; it’s 50-50 at the moment,’’ Bogut said. “There’s a chance.”

The Bucks clearly missed Bogut against the Cavaliers as they were outrebounded, 53-38, including 19 offensive rebounds by Cleveland. Bogut’s average of 10.9 rebounds is third-best in the league, behind only Orlando’s Dwight Howard and Golden State’s Andris Biedrins.

“We’ve been a good rebounding team for the most part, but it’s obvious when he’s out, that’s a big hole to fill,” Skiles said. “We’re talking about a double-digit rebounder, anyway, and a guy that’s capable of getting 15 or 17 in any given game.

“And he’s also got offensive ability, so it’s definitely been harder with him out.”

In Bogut’s absence, the 6-foot-10 Allen played 31 minutes against the Cavaliers and helped limit them to 42 percent shooting, which represented a positive step for the Bucks’ defense.

But Allen said he was excited about the prospect of having Bogut, Redd and Richard Jefferson on the court at the same time, which has happened rarely in the early part of the season.

“With our three main guys, we’ve got some guys who are very, very good anchors in this league,” Allen said.

“With Drew (Bogut), he’s become a big presence for us on that (defensive) end. When he locks in, he gets every ball. Offensively, he’s become an anchor for us, too. There have been games where he might not score the ball, but he’s drawing double-teams and kicking the ball out, and other guys are scoring.

“The big thing for him is just remaining confident, and knowing he can do it night in and night out. He’s so skilled; he can score right hand, left hand. He can put it on the floor. He can pass. He has a very good basketball IQ.”

Bogut already has posted three 17-rebound games this season (against San Antonio, New York and Charlotte), and he had a season-high 20 rebounds Nov. 19 at Utah.

“We are close,” Bogut said. ”We’ve just got to keep plugging away, and we’ll get there eventually.”

The Bucks are playing a rare stretch of three consecutive home games. In fact, Milwaukee is the only NBA team that has yet to play back-to-back home games, which finally will happen when they play host to the Bulls.

Skiles’ former team is coming off a 3-4 record during the annual Circus Trip, and Chicago will play Philadelphia tonight at home before traveling to Milwaukee. The addition of No. 1 overall pick Derrick Rose has brought a new energy to the Bulls.

“There’s no reason they shouldn’t be a very good team again,” Skiles said. “As the season goes on, I think they’re going to get better and better.

“They just spread the floor, and he (Rose) penetrates and kicks to people. He’s so quick and athletic, and he makes good decisions. He can go all the way to the rim himself; he can pull up and shoot and he can kick to people.”