Bogut was off to the best start of his four-year professional career when he came up lame after a collision with Orlando's Dwight Howard on Monday. Some other injuries Bogut had been playing with were beginning to get better, and he was having a pretty good game against Howard.

"It really is (discouraging)," said Bogut. "I mean, I carried a bunch of injuries into Orlando, and Orlando was the first game I was starting to feel pretty decent. And I thought, 'Wow, I feel good' and I was moving well and I was off to a great start against a great center - one of the best centers in the NBA.

"So it was disappointing, but that's the way it goes. That's why I wanted to stay in the game. I was playing well and I wanted to help the team more, but. . . "

Then came the play midway through the second quarter when Bogut hit the court hard after taking a charge on Howard and came up limping badly. He played the rest of the half and played the first 3 minutes of the third quarter but then finally had to shut it down for the night.

"It was killing me (initially)," said Bogut, who is bothered by a painful fluid buildup behind the knee. "But then I ran it out. At halftime, after Coach's speech, I stood up and felt something wasn't right. I tried to warm up and couldn't really do that. Then I tried to play the start of the second half and I couldn't push off my leg, and I got a couple fouls and I knew once I came out that I wasn't going back in."

Bogut does not miss many games, so it's obvious his knee injury is significant. He had an ankle injury that set him back a bit at the start of the season, and he came out of a recent Western trip a bit worse for wear, hurting his ribs in Utah and his right knee in Denver.

"But in Orlando it all started feeling good again," said Bogut.

Actually, the only time he has sat out for an extended period was at the end of his second season when, with the team going nowhere, he sat out the final 16 games with a bothersome foot.

"That's the only time I've taken off," he said. "Maybe a game here or there, but I don't like missing games and I try to get back as quickly as possible. That (16 games) was just, we had a bad record, and they just wouldn't let me play."

Bogut's current injury is a blow to the Bucks, who are trying to keep their heads above water while they navigate through a rugged early schedule. Bogut is averaging 11.4 points per game and is the team's main low-post threat. Plus, he is one of the top rebounders in the league, averaging a career-high 10.9 per game.

Coach Scott Skiles is leaving all options open in filling in for Bogut. Dan Gadzuric started at center Wednesday in Atlanta, and Francisco Elson, Malik Allen and maybe even Charlie Villanueva will be seeing some time at center.

The Bucks' style of play will change a bit without Bogut.

"Obviously, we won't go inside so much," said Skiles. "The guys have been doing a good job and Andrew has been doing a good job of getting his touches in there and having success down there, so it limits us going inside. But we'll just have to spread the floor a little bit more and get into our draw and kick game and make some shots."

As far as his return, Bogut says the injury could be "fine in three or four days or terrible in seven or eight days."

Asked if he was shooting for a three-game Western trip that opens Dec. 7 against the Los Angeles Lakers as a possible target for his return, Bogut said, "I'd like to shoot for tomorrow if I could."

PREVIEW

Bucks (7-10) vs.

Detroit Pistons (9-5).

When: 7 tonight.

Where: Palace of

Auburn Hills.

TV: FSN. Radio: AM-620.

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