[Dark Horse]

PHX fans, fasten y'r seat belts!

Amare Stoudemire could return Thursday

Associated Press
Wed, Mar 22, 2006

PHOENIX -- Less than six months after undergoing knee surgery, Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire said Wednesday there`s an 80 percent chance he`ll return to the lineup against Portland Thursday night.

Stoudemire seemed upbeat after participating in five-on-five drills with teammates for the third time in four days. He said he would decide whether to play in the morning.

"If it feels good, then it`s possible that I`ll play (Thursday)," said Stoudemire, who is in his fourth NBA season. "The way it`s feeling, it feels pretty good. I feel like I`m real close."

The 6-foot-10 Stoudemire led the Suns in scoring with 26.0 points per game last year. On March 5, was named to the USA Basketball Men`s Senior National Team Program.

Oddsmakers have Phoenix listed as a 16-point favorite for this game. The total is set at 213.

[bigboydan]

just back in time for the suns playoff run. although, i still feel they will fall short of winning the NBA championship again this year.

[Dark Horse]

Will be hard to get by the Spurs.
Good team, but down the stretch of important close games sadly turns to the flop by Ginobili and Horry. One or two possessions can decide a game and series, so I can't wait for players to get called for a foul for flopping.

[Illusion]

I doubt he has an immediate impact on the Suns. It will take some time to get into the system.

[onlooker]

He made a instant impact last season when he returned from a long lay off due to injury. It surprised me how fast he made a impact last year. I thought it would take him a few weeks to get into game shape. But it didnt.

[adriano]

I am thinking about the Portland game tomorrow. Should we hammer the Suns? They are locked in the 3rd position now and i think maybe that's why they cooled off last two weeks losing to Por and Utah, 3-4 SU last 7(the other two L to SA, one without Nash). And if Amare makes a comeback in this game, will he help for a 30-pt blowout or it will mess up the chemistry?

[Dark Horse]

I doubt that he'll play big minutes. Can't wait for his first thunderdunk.

Fitting in won't be a problem. Tim Thomas hadn't played since November and went off for 20 or so points in his first game with the Suns. Reason? Floor general Nash.

[adriano]

Me can't wait either. 2 feet above the ring , hell yeah.

Yes, small minutes of course, will be better to wait some more time imo, be at 100%.
DH do you think of backing Phx? Anybody?

[Jay Edgar]

Wouldn't surprise me if he has a huge impact in the first game -- amps himself and everyone beyond belief -- then tails off a bit before he really gets into the swing of things.

The people who are (were) saying he should just shut it down because he can't contribute at this late date?

Insane.

[Dark Horse]

DH do you think of backing Phx?

Portland did beat PHX recently, so there may be something there, but 16 points? That's gambling, not betting.

[adriano]

i know that's gambling, but this is not a regular game, you have the first and last offenses here, a 20 ppg difference.

what i am more interested is what will Phx do till the end of the regular season, will they cool down a bit, concentrate on resting Nash and Marion, and integrating Amare back or continue to fire on all cylinders. Most probably the first scenario, so we should be careful from now on, not falling for games like the Utah one. I expect their producitvity to lower to around 100 ppg till the end of regular season.

[bostonceltics13]

After being out so long, Amare will not be in game shape. Remember Shaq after his toe and abdominal. He was back with enough time to play himself into shape for the playoffs....and lets be honest here, Amare is a bit more athletically gifted then O'Neal. Short stretches of brilliance upon his return in limited minutes but by playoff time, he should be around 80-90% which better than just about anything else PHX has. Cautious, don't over bet the Suns just because Amare will be playing 20-25 minutes, especially at 16.5.