FanHouse Amare

PHOENIX -- The last time Amar'e Stoudemire took the court against a meaningful opponent, he scored 42 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a regular season game that took place over seven months ago. After undergoing multiple procedures to repair a partially detached retina in his right eye, Stoudemire made his return to competitive basketball in the Suns' preseason opener against Partizan Belgrade.

At times, Stoudemire showed flashes of what we're used to seeing from someone who was a starter on the Western conference All-Star team last season, and finished with 12 points and five rebounds in just 17 minutes of action. But both he and his head coach, Alvin Gentry, know that he's still a long way from being all the way back.

When a trade goes down like Wednesday's five-player deal between the Suns and the Bobcats, it has ramifications beyond those of the players involved simply changing zip codes. The teams have to make the adjustment of bringing the new players into their family unit, and the players that remain need to come to grips with the fact that people they trusted on the court and befriended off of it are no longer a part of the family.

It seems that no one realizes this more than Steve Nash.

Nash will tell you himself that he was pretty stunned by the news of the trade, as Raja Bell was his best friend on the team, and left town without a proper goodbye. (Bell texted Nash from the airport, as he didn't want to wake him from his pregame nap.) Nash admitted after Wednesday night's game against the Lakers that he was "emotionally drained," and his 2-of-12 shooting backed up that assertion.

The surprise of the loss of a close friend being shipped out of town without warning likely makes one think about what else might be in the pipeline as far as changes are concerned.