Amare Stoudemire

Amare: It's going to be great when everything gets to jelling. It's more me adjusting to them and being able to their style of play. I've been out for a while and the game has changed a little bit. I've just got to touch it up a bit.

Amare: I'm never surprised at the healing process. It's all God-given. If the mind can conceive it, you can achieve it.

Amare: It's pretty much the same thing. The trainers are the builders and you want to build it better than it was.

Amare: I'm real close. I may catch you by surprise one of these days.

Amare: If it feels good, then it's possible that I'll play.

Amare: Once you see it up close and personal, it is pretty rough to take. It just isn't a certain area.

Amare: It helps out a lot. It lets me know that the healing process is going well.

Amare: I haven't felt any pressure. I want to be out there when I'm healthy and they want the same thing. It's in everyone's best interest. I hope we're all on the same page with that, and I think we are. I missed the game for family reasons. I needed to be somewhere else.

Amare: I think it will get better. Hopefully, I'll feel better (today).

Amare: I've thought about (not coming back this season) more this week than I have. Every time I play hard, the next day there is a lot of pain and discomfort. If this was my left knee, I probably would have played (by now). But my right knee is hurting more than my left, and I didn't count on that.

Amare: I tell you what, man, it's been a long process. It's been a long time coming. I just can't wait to set foot back on that Phoenix logo.

Amare: If it feels good, then it's possible that I'll play [Thursday]. The way it's feeling, it feels pretty good. I feel like I'm real close.

Amare: I felt really good with the one-on-ones and it's not going to change anything if I skip some steps, so I might as well get in five-on-five practices. My main thing is to make sure I'm healthy. Personally, I feel pretty good. I'm not choosing this on behalf of anyone else's injury.

Amare: It started out a little stiff, which is normal, but it felt great out there getting up and down and jumping and shooting as though I was never injured. I'll tell you what: I really believe I'm coming back more explosive because of the correctional exercises the trainers have me doing and just the way I go about working out.

Amare: I'm pretty fatigued. Overall, I feel pretty good. There's still a little discomfort. I'm just seeing what it takes to get back to 100 percent.

Amare: It's getting close. My thing is still being patient and making sure the work I do, I do 100 percent and do it perfectly so I can get a perfect healing. Once I start feeling less pain and less discomfort, I'll get more anxious to want to play, but I'm not going to push myself.

Amare: He is the Matrix. Any lob you throw to him, he's going to throw it down. He's blocking shots. He's defending. He's scoring the ball. I don't think you can ask for too much more from Shawn.

Amare: Anytime I get the chance to play for the USA, I'm in for it. You can count me in.

Amare: Once I get back to the motion of jogging and running, we're getting close. My thing is I just want to make sure I'm not feeling any pain regardless of what the MRI says. It's still up to me on how I feel and the pain tolerance.

Amare: I used to play Bulls versus Blazers on Sega Genesis when I was growing up, but now the games are so realistic and now you can see know why.

Amare: I ask daily. I'm asking questions every workout, every set. Is everything on schedule? Is everything where it's supposed to be?

Amare: 50 wins means a lot. It is not always easy to get 50 wins.

Amare: It's hard sitting back and watching these guys.

Amare: I have to be 100 percent, no doubt. But I'm itching to get out there. I can't wait to play with this team and see how much better we can be with myself in the equation. If everything keeps moving at this pace and there are no setbacks, I should be out there before long.

Amare: Both options are out there. Rehab is going great, but it just depends on how I feel. I really want to win a championship, and we're very close with the team we have. But health is the most important thing right now to me.

Amare: It felt like it was just me and the rim.

Amare: Not really. Every game I feel I have to play 100 percent, regardless of whether it's Yao Ming, Tim Duncan or Kevin Garnett.

Amare: The chemistry on and off court is really helping us a lot. And we also got a floor general like Steve Nash who's going to keep everybody involved. That's always a positive for any team, when you've got a point guard like him.

Amare: Kobe came out and played great basketball all around. I'd give him an A-plus.

Amare: It's not over, man. I still feel we can win the ring. I'm going to bounce back stronger than ever.

Amare: It's just a matter of being an NBA superstar. You can love it or hate it. You get a lot of things that come with it: magazine covers, cover of a video game, mega-deals, fancy cars, expensive clothes, jewelry. You've got everything at your disposal.

Amare: We're getting the ring this year. I'm carrying my load and anybody else's that needs me to.

Amare: I'm ready to go. I'm really trying to win a championship this year. That's what I'm striving for. There are a lot of new guys and there have been some huge changes, but I think it's all for the best to help this team become a champion.

Amare: As far as understanding the game of baskedball, opening up and just worryng on different skills on the offensive end and being more focused on defense.

Amare: What I've achieved now is something that I always figured I would as a kid. I've had that type of determination since I was a youngcter playing around the playgrounds, getting dirty after school.

Amare: We have guys that can score and still put up the same amount of points we put up last year, and also defend a lot better.

Amare: As far as understanding the game of basketball, opening up and just working on different skills on the offensive end and being more focused on defense.

Amare: The fans are just a pleasure to be around... When I'm out in public, they greet me with open arms. Also the organization has been great from the beginning. I think it's only right that I stay here and continue what I started.

Amare: I've just been working on my game the whole summer to try to take us to the top. This has been a $100 million summer for me, so I'm very proud of that. I'm just looking forward to bringing the championship home right here in Phoenix.

Amare: What I've achieved now is something that I always figured I would as a kid. I've had that type of determination since I was a youngster playing around the playgrounds, getting dirty after school.

Amare: It's been over a $100 million summer for me.

Amare: Technology is something. They're taking pictures of every angle of my head, then they use the computers to mash the pictures together. That's me, that's my head in the game... It's crazy.

Amare: That kind of scared me a little bit... I'm known for my powerful dunks, but I've never done anything like that before. It was kind of like one of those old Shaq moves where he yanked the backboard all the way down. It didn't quite come all the way down, but I was surprised I broke it like that. I've never broken a backboard before, let alone an entire basket. I'm only 6-10, 250. Guys who destroy backboards are 7-3, 360. I'm a slim, powerful dunker. It wasn't my intent, but it sure felt good.

Amare: It hit me personally because I've been in that type of situation when I was a kid (living in a number of different homes in Florida), when I really didn't have a household to go to. When I see those families and kids down there, I see myself.

Amare: It's a chance to play with Duncan.