Sounds like Amare Stoudemire won't return this season

Too bad for Sun's playoff run and future championship dream

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0313amare0313.html

Stoudemire sounds down on returning this season
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 13, 2006 12:00 AM
PORTLAND, Ore. - When Amar?Stoudemire comes back, when Amar?Stoudemire comes back, when Amar?Stoudemire comes back . . .

It's been the favorite phrase in NBA hypotheses involving the Suns this season, but maybe the more appropriate thing to say, based on the outlook Stoudemire gave Sunday, is if Amar?Stoudemire comes back.

"It's still 50-50," Stoudemire said, sounding more discouraged than at any point of his rehabilitation process from an October microfracture procedure on his left knee.

"If I'm not ready, then I'm not ready. Right now, I'm not ready."

His shaken confidence comes from a problem in his right knee, where a fluid buildup behind the kneecap has stunted his comeback for the past two weeks.

He has considered not coming back at all this season more than ever in the past week, he said, "because every time I play ball one day, the next day I feel a lot of pain, a lot of discomfort" in the right knee.

"I figured I'd be ready by now," Stoudemire said. "My right knee is hurting more than my left. I think it's just from overcompensating - a little fluid buildup that's in there. I'm just trying to get that out and get back. Once I get the rest and the treatment, it goes away. Then I have three strong days and it comes back. I haven't played a five-on-five game yet so I haven't put it to the test."

After Phoenix's 111-101 loss to Portland, Suns head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson said Stoudemire's right knee had improved after two days of rest.

Stoudemire said he has had a "rough" time since playing full- and half-court games of three-on-three on Friday. On a scale from 1 to 10, he said he reaches a peak of eight only to go back down to a five.

"I had four real good days back to back to back to back, but after that, my right knee became real stiff and at times it's kind of rough to get around," he said.

Stoudemire said he underwent a magnetic resonance imaging test that showed only buildup and the normal wear and tear of an NBA player.

He was cleared to play by the Suns medical staff, leaving the onus on Stoudemire to decide when he feels he is able to play games.

"I'm medically cleared as far as the healing process and as far as everything healing up correctly, but as far as pain level and discomfort level in my mind, I'm not really cleared yet," said Stoudemire, who said his right knee feels tight and stiff and hurts when his leg is extended.

"If it was up to my left knee right now, I probably would've played last week."

Stoudemire said he still feels he has two weeks to a month to come back. He said he will not make a sudden day-of-game decision to return but will wait until he has four to six consecutive days of "feeling great."

For Stoudemire, that means more than just dunking and getting his vertical leap back to where it was. It means being able to stop on a dime, hit his jump shot and run without conditioning problems.