<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Two weeks ago, Amar? Stoudemire took the court for five-on-five play for the first time since October surgery on his left knee, but he had to stop the next day because of pain and swelling in his right knee. Stoudemire returned to five-on-five action Sunday and, more important, repeated the feat Monday. It was apparent he still is stiff, but he said his right knee felt "a lot better" after his team of Suns reserves swept a series of brief games against the starters. Coach Mike D'Antoni said Stoudemire had "an extra pep in his step" compared with Sunday's outing. "It helps out a lot," Stoudemire said of a confidence boost from playing on consecutive days. "It lets me know that the healing process is going well." Stoudemire still put his odds of returning this season at 50-50, but he clearly was in a better frame of mind after a sit-down Friday with Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Jerry Colangelo and a weekend visit from his manager, Rodney Rice. He even said he is fine if he can't play at his accustomed caliber. "That's perfectly fine with me as long as I'm able to help the team any way I can to win a championship," he said. "It doesn't have to be 30 points a night. I just want to contribute as best as I can." His rehabilitation partner, Brian Grant, can understand Stoudemire's frustrations and limitations. Grant not only had the same microfracture procedure but also struggled with stiffness and soreness in the opposite knee after returning. Grant is coming off his own knee surgery, which removed calcifications and bone spurs in early December. He could play tonight at Utah. "Everyone needs to let every other thing go and let the man practice," Grant said. "When it's ready, he's going to be out there. He's not going to sit. "I've got pain right now, but it's not that pain where I'm like, 'I don't know.' I know that pain he's going through, especially when you just had major surgery on this knee and now this one's hurting. It's been your good knee all this time and now it's hurting bad. You're like, 'Man, am I going to have to have another surgery?' It messes with your mind."</div> Source
