Spurs' Elliott Begins Rehab.

Sean Elliott is able to walk on a treadmill and is waiting for doctors to clear him to run.

"Nothing too strenuous, is what I've been told," he said Friday. "I'm sticking to that."

And the San Antonio Spurs forward, who had a kidney transplant Aug. 16, is also sticking to his plan for a possible return to the NBA champions.

A comeback after a kidney transplant would be unprecedented in professional sports, but that doesn't worry Elliott. He has recovered from knee injuries in the NBA and was told after a high school knee injury he would never play again.

"It doesn't bother me at all," the 31-year-old forward said. "I don't think about. I think if somebody can do it, I can do it."

Elliott, a 10-year veteran who helped San Antonio to its first NBA title in June, received the kidney from his brother, Noel.

Elliott had a condition called focal segmental glomerular sclerosis, which prevents the kidneys from properly filtering waste from the blood. Without the transplant, he was weeks away from needing dialysis.

Elliott wants to put his comeback on the fast track. The longer he is away from basketball, he says, the harder it would be.

"To be honest with you and myself, I would rather do it this year than sit out a year and then try to come back," he said.

Doctors had said it would be about six weeks after the transplant before he could run or do strenuous activity.

"I'm pretty much champing at the bit now to do a little bit more," he said. "It's the hardest part, just laying around half the time. People say, 'Get off your feet.' Well, I've been off my feet for long enough. It's time to start getting better and strengthening my body back up."

In the meantime, Elliott plans to work as a commentator for Spurs broadcasts and travel with the team.

"I feel great, I really do. I feel really good. Considering I'm a month out of the initial surgery, I'm feeling a lot better than I thought I would at this time, that's for sure," Elliott said.

He said some medications have made him ill but doctors plan to reduce the dosages.

If he does return, he would have to shield the new kidney with a protective device in the pelvic area.

"That's the immediate concern, making sure that you don't get hit. Then the other concern is you have protection and you're afraid to go out there and play or you're afraid that you're going to get hit," he said.

"You've got to get past that mental part," he added. "If I can get past all that, then I'll try to play."

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