By Stefan Swiat, Suns.com The panic button was pushed by Suns fans around the country yesterday when they heard that Amaré Stoudemire was going in for knee surgery today. But everyone can take a collective deep breath because STAT is doing just fine. The All-NBA performer underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right knee this morning, removing a small loose body that had broken off from his joint. The cause of the floating debris was attributed to the normal wear and tear of playing competitive basketball. “It was a routine procedure," General Manager Steve Kerr said. "Everything that the doctor expected to see is exactly what he saw. Amaré is coming down Thursday and starting rehab immediately. We expect to see him back on the court in two and a half to three weeks. There is no reason for concern.” For everyone keeping score at home, this was the right knee that Stoudemire had operated on today, not the left knee which caused him to undergo microfracture surgery and miss virtually the entire 2005-06 season. “The soreness came last week and that’s why he missed a couple of the informal workouts,” Kerr added. “Due to the irritation he felt, we had him take an MRI. After finding a floating particle we thought it would be better to take care of it now instead of having it possibly hamper him all season.” Dr. Thomas Carter, who performed the surgery, said that this kind of injury is common in professional athletes that have played at a high level for a long time. “Everything is stable and there is no reason he can’t get back to playing in a few weeks,” Dr. Carter said. “Players like Jason Kidd have had this kind of operation performed a few times over their careers. It is very common in high-impact athletes.” The upside to all of this is that Stoudemire has worked himself into unbelievable shape due to his offseason training and work with USA Basketball. With both his age and fitness level on his side, his recovery time should be quicker than most players. The silver lining to STAT’s absence could be that newly signed Brian Skinner will be indoctrinated into the system much faster, and Boris Diaw can receive the kind of touches he once did when Stoudemire was sidelined during the 2005-06 season. Bringing them into the fold early could provide them with the kind of confidence they need to get off on the right foot this season. "We have told Boris that we expect him to shoulder more responsibility this season," Kerr said. "And Boris is the type of player that thrives on that." It remains to be seen whether this bump in the road in October will pay dividends in the future, but one thing is for sure, it is merely a bump in the road.
