Jiri Welsch was acquired during the off-season to help improve the Bucks depth at the guard and small forward positions. Welsch injured his left quad during training camp and missed all but two preseason games, in addition to the first three games of the regular season. Back at full strength, Welsch saw his first regular season action vs. Golden State on November 8 and scored five points (2-2 FG, 1-1 3FG) and one steal in six minutes off the bench.

Bucks.com caught up with Welsch on being back on the court and his goals and vision for the season:

Bucks.com: How does it feel to be back on the court?

Jiri Welsch: It feels really good. I was out for pretty much 3 weeks, which is a long time especially in the NBA. I missed a lot of games in the preseason and the first three games of the regular season. I was getting tired of doing all the treatments and rehab, so it feels good to be back on the floor.

Bucks.com: How do you feel about the season?

JW: Like everyone around here, I’m excited knowing we have a chance to achieve something. We’ve started well but we have to keep it up. Other teams will expect us to play well and prepare for that. We have to keep working to sustain that level of performance.

Bucks.com: Can the Bucks be a top team in the Central Division?

JW: We have a tough division, no doubt about it. It doesn’t really matter if we are second or fourth in our division. We need to be in the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference at the end of the regular season. That’s what matters most.

Bucks.com: After the loss to Golden State (11/8) how do you see the re-match with them next week?

JW: We definitely will need to adjust because of the way they shot the ball. They figured out a way to beat us. They exposed us a bit with our match-ups. We’ll need to be better to beat them the next game.

Bucks.com: Do you have any specific goals for the season?

JW: I’d like to win some playoff games. I’ve been in the playoffs once in my three-year career. With Boston (in the 2004 Playoffs) we were swept (by Indiana, 4-0). I would like to be in the playoffs and be competitive in the playoffs, not just a participant, but a competitor.
For me personally, I would like to be part of the rotation, part of the team and part of the success.

Bucks.com: What is it that you love about basketball?

JW: It’s a beautiful game. It allows for creativity and to show your talent. You have to be physical, yet smart. You have to have certain abilities. For me it’s the overall package. It’s the most beautiful game in the world.

Bucks.com: Have you been on a team this deep in your career?

JW: I probably have not. Take a look at our last game (vs. Golden State), for example. Dan Gadzuric was a starter for this team last year and didn’t get off the bench. We definitely have depth and that’s what you need to be a successful team in this league. Over the course of 82 games you have your ups and downs as a team. Players will get into slumps and have their own ups and downs so you need to have a deep team to be successful.

Bucks.com: Are there enough minutes to go around on this team?

JW: There are never enough minutes for everybody. Everyone would like to be on the floor to help and contribute and play well, but that’s why we have a head coach. He will be the one who makes the decisions.

Bucks.com: On facing Indiana on Saturday:

JW: They’re a very complete team. They have strong and capable players inside and solid perimeter players. They’re a competitive and balanced team. And they’re very well coached so we’ll have to be ready. It’s going to be a big challenge for us.

Bucks.com: How much difference does playing against Indiana with Ron Artest make?

JW: I love Ron Artest as a player. He brings so much to their team: his defense, offense, his energy, everything. He’s an important, big part of their team and could cause some problems for us and many teams in the league.

Bucks.com: Have you thought about what you may do career-wise after you finish playing?

JW: I think about it every now-and-then, but I hope it’s a long way down the road. I see myself playing basketball professionally, if my health is good, at least another ten years. A lot can change in ten years. Whatever I do will most likely be connected with basketball.

Bucks.com: Do you have any hobbies?

JW: I love sports. All kind of sports. During the summer I like playing tennis and beach volleyball. One of things I want to do when I get done playing is take up skiing again. I used to ski a lot when I was a kid and I loved it. Obviously I cannot do it during the winter with the season going on, plus there’s the chance of getting hurt. That wouldn’t be a good thing.

Bucks.com: What are your early impressions of the Bucks organization?

JW: I have definitely been enjoying my time here (with Milwaukee). There are good people here, good character people. I like to be around them along with my teammates. It’s been a very positive experience.

Bucks.com: Did you look up to anyone growing up?

JW: I have much respect for my family, especially my Dad who was my first coach. He’s my biggest fan. He doesn’t have much of a chance to watch our games overseas, but he looks at the box scores. We stay in touch and I’ll talk to him a lot about our games. He’s a big part of my life.

Bucks.com: Does your Dad still try and give you pointers about playing hoops?

JW: Sometimes he does. This summer I was playing for our National Team so he was watching every single game and was giving me advice on what to do.