Okay, so Portland isn’t exactly a litmus test for knee worthiness or indeed any other kind of worthiness. And yes, Amaré may be a little stiff tomorrow morning. And yes Coach Mike is probably correct when he says Amaré has some “dog days” ahead of him along the comeback trail. And yes, etc., etc., etc.

But even if you stacked caveats all the way to the rafters in the US Airways Center, the Big Guy’s return to active duty last night still has to be considered a stunning success.

This is not to suggest Amaré was instantly his old self in his first game back by any means, although there were flashes of that form. But in the process of coming within a rebound of a double double in less than 20 minutes he showed enough to demonstrate that he would be a huge help even if didn’t get a lick better between now and the start of the playoffs.

And of course he figures to get a lot of licks better.

In fact, Coach Mike said he was surprised at how much Amaré has improved in just the last three days. And frankly, if I were Dallas or San Antonio I would be worried. Very worried.

Amare started and played some five minutes in each period. And while you don’t want to read too much into any of the numbers in this game let the record show that when he left at the end of his first period shift the Suns were up six, when he came back to start his second shift they were up one, and when he finished his second shift they were up 14.

His trademark explosiveness is not there yet, but there was every indication it’s only a matter of time and confidence before it comes back. And the bottom line is the Suns have 15 games to get him ready for the playoffs, and some six or seven weeks to get him ready for an anticipated showdown against one of the Texas powerhouses in the Western Conference Finals.

And the success the Suns enjoyed in Amaré’s absence provided them with a large enough cushion in their quest for a second straight Division title that the Big Guy’s comeback can proceed pressure free.

Translation: The Suns now lead the second place Clippers by seven games with 15 to play, and the magic number for mathematically clinching what is already a foregone conclusion is down to 9.

There has been speculation all along that: A--- The Suns and Amaré both might be better off if he didn’t come back this year. B. That if he did come back there was no way he could be 100 per cent by playoff time. C. Even if he was the Suns would have to take a remedial course in chemistry to work such a big cog comfortably into the smoothest running offensive machine in the NBA.

But off last night none of the above seems operative. And the part about the difficulty of working him back in never made much sense anyway when you consider how adaptable and unselfish these Suns are.

The bottom line: Even 50 percent of Amaré significantly raises this team’s talent level, size, and depth, and correspondingly increases its chances of running the table in the West.