Close. So very, very close.

Nearly four months to the day after dropping Game 7 of their first round Eastern Conference playoff series to Atlanta, 95-74, the Milwaukee Bucks prepared to get back to work at the Cousins Center.

They'll have their work cut out for them in 2010-11. After being picked to finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference last season, the team went on a tear down the stretch, finishing 46-36 and earning the fifth seed in the East, the Bucks' first post-season appearance in four years.

There will be no sneaking up on anybody this time around. That was a common theme Monday at the team's annual Media Day event.

"That's a good thing," said head coach Scott Skiles. "You have to go into each season expecting to be better.

"We want to be better; we want to be able to take the other team's best shot and still win the game."

Helping the Bucks' cause is the return of center Andrew Bogut. His absence was notable after dislocating his elbow April 3 against Phoenix. Without Bogut, the Bucks' lack of depth – especially in the low post – was painfully obvious as veteran Kurt Thomas, underachiever Dan Gadzuric (since traded) and little-used reserve Primoz Brezeic were forced to play extended minutes.

Bogut is back, and close to 100 percent. He's played in five-on-five scrimmages, done his usual workouts and has even taken contact. He has a full range of motion but does suffer from occasional soreness, attributed to spend more time over the summer rehabbing than working on his shot.

"He's in good physical shape," Skiles said. "He's running up and down the floor. It's just that he hasn't played much; he didn't shoot 400 balls a day during the summer like he usually does.

"Coming in, shooting his hook shot, working on taking contact and finishing at the rim ... when you don't do that for four months or so, you're bound to have a few things flare up from time to time."

Skiles will have to find creative ways to distribute minutes this season. The young nucleus of Bogut, Brandon Jennings, John Salmons, Carlos Delfino and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute are back, but a summer of activity added a lot of new faces, including veterans Corey Maggette, Drew Gooden and Keyon Dooling.

Skiles expects all of his new players to mesh well with his defensive-oriented system, thought expecting them to do so as seamlessly Salmons did after being acquired at the trade deadline last year is something of a tall task.

"What we always try to do is put our guys in positions where they can have success offensively," Skiles said. "Since all players are different, we try to tailor some things so each guy can have some freedom and play in the spots he likes.

"There are not a lot of mysteries around the new guys, especially the veterans. You know what Corey and Drew can do. We'll just try to play to their strengths as best we can."

Finding a way to maintain the chemistry developed of the course of last season is a top priority. That, Skiles said, will take some time.

"I don't anticipate it being a problem," Skiles said. "It's more a matter of how quickly does it form and what events take place to make it all come together. Those are things no one can predict."

Whatever the challenges, Skiles is ready to get back to work. The heightened expectations, the buzz on the streets, the upgraded roster ... that's all part of the process of improving.

"They should embrace this," Skiles said. "It's been a long time since people expected something of the Bucks."

The Bucks open the exhibition season Oct. 5 against Chicago at the Bradley Center.