Amar'e wishes Nash well as Suns rebuild

CLEVELAND - The Phoenix Suns took the Lakers to six games in the Western Conference finals last season, but that's a distant memory for Amar'e Stoudemire now. The Suns continued their post-Stoudemire rebuilding Saturday when they traded three players to Orlando for the expiring contract of Vince Carter and two other players.

One natural Knicks-centric question about the deal is what do the Suns do with point guard Steve Nash? Raymond Felton is playing like an All-Star, but Nash is an All-Star - and Stoudemire's former running mate in Phoenix.

"I just hope that Steve stays healthy," Stoudemire said. "He's obviously a great friend of mine, but also a great player. So I'm always wishing him the best of luck. They've got a great training staff, so he'll stay healthy."

Nash actually missed the last three quarters of Phoenix's loss in Dallas on Friday night with what was described as a stinger.

Asked if he can guess what Nash is thinking, Stoudemire said: "I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I know he wants to win. That's the ultimate goal, especially at the age of 36. The same with Grant Hill. Those guys want to win. It's going to be a tough situation for them to try to figure out, but I'm pretty sure they're going to remain professionals, continue to work hard and make the best of the season."

Stoudemire is happy in New York, but that doesn't mean he's forgotten about his success in Phoenix. "I felt our success last year was something we could've built on and could've made a run for a potential championship this year if things would've worked out," he said.

Cav nots?

The Cavs had won eight in a row against the Knicks entering last night. Probably had something to do with that LeBron guy. He's not here now.