Some of the sweetest things in the entire world, even though it's not very seemly, are the few times in life when you get to say, "I told you so."

My mother taught me never to say "I told you so." She said it was bad manners. And my mother was probably right except for one thing. She forgot how sweet it is to be able to say it. And that rare time has come for me, today.

The Milwaukee Bucks are a much, much better basketball team without Michael Redd.

There! I told you so!

When Redd sadly went down with an injured knee in January they were 15-19 and wobbling through the early stages of dismissal in the NBA season.

Without him, they are winning just about twice as often as they lose. If they played at that pace for an entire season, they would be in the middle of a 50-win season.

Back in December I wrote a column about how I thought the Bucks were a better team without Redd. This was almost a month before he wrecked his knee. That column drew comments from the usual suspects, many of whom called me crazy and used that column as another piece of evidence in their belief that I was part of a conspiracy to destroy Western Civilization.

Well, to all those guys and girls who wrote in then and who write in week after week trying to crush my spirit and my job, "I TOLD YOU SO!"

I used to have a recurring nightmare. The Bucks are on the court and Redd gets the ball on the wing. He bends over from the waist, holding the ball low. The other four players clear out and begin to stand around. Redd fakes a couple of times and then tries to drive to the hoop or puts up a 3-pointer. I wake up in a cold sweat. But that nightmare has come to an end.

Turn up those reading glasses and look at the reams of paper (some places still use paper) and the miles of cyberspace that are being used to chronicle the buzz of the Bucks. Big places like Yahoo! Sports and Sports Illustrated. Commentators on ESPN. As Dick Vitale might say, "People are talking, BAAAAAYBEEEE!"

There are lots of reasons for this thundering turnaround. Brandon Jennings has speed, toughness and attitude. Andrew Bogut is a nightly force at center, both on offense and defense, and is finally turning into a No. 1 draft pick. John Salmons and Jerry Stackhouse have been amazing additions. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Luke Ridenour and Charlie Bell are great off the bench. Ersan Ilyasova, Kurt Thomas and Carlos Delfino bring a variety of strengths to the team.

But if you are looking for a reason why this team is playing this well, look no further than our candidate for Coach of the Year, Scott Skiles.

This team has bought into what Skiles is selling. Play tough defense, play after play, from the opening tip to the final buzzer. Always be tough on defense. Move the ball and your bodies around on offense. Keep moving it until somebody has an opening.

What the Bucks are doing is the exact opposite of the attitude that some people have about the NBA, that the players only work hard at the end of games and in the playoffs. Of course, there have been occasional nights when things haven't worked out. But the Bucks have now turned into a basketball team that we can be proud of. They are fun to watch, and our fun is rewarded with lots more wins than losses.

Is it just a coincidence that the Bucks have gotten so much better without Redd? I think not.

I Told You So! Again.