When Equipment Manager Jay Gaspar laid out the Suns’ jerseys for Thursday night’s contest against the Nuggets, the No. 1 jersey made its first official appearance into the locker room this preseason. That's right. Amaré Stoudemire was finally back on the court – and it seemed like never left.

The All-NBA center was recognized for earning First-Team All-NBA honors before the game, and then made his first steps towards regaining that same form in his first outing. Overall, STAT supplied a very solid performance, hitting 4-of-5 from the floor and posting 10 points. The big man also corralled six rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes.

“There was a little rust, but I was able to do what I wanted to do out there,” the big man stated. “I got a little winded, but that’s to be expected. I just pushed through it.”

Stoudemire showed a little anxiousness early by turning the ball over three times in the first quarter. But once he found his rhythm, he seemed to settle down and work his way back into the flow of the offense.

Playing well didn't seem to satisfy the 6-10 superstar though. Stoudemire tried to shmooze Head Coach Mike D’Antoni into letting him play some more late in the second half, but D’Antoni wasn’t having any of it.

“Doc said I could let him play two more minutes,” D’Antoni said. “But he was already resting, I just asked him not to play two the more minutes.”

Denver’s Kenyon Martin, who missed all but two games last season, tested both himself and Stoudemire by playing a little bit physical down low. But STAT wasn't bothered in the least.

“I want that,” Stoudemire said. “A little contact never hurt anybody.”

Rookies Shining

Head Coach Mike D’Antoni might have the reputation for not playing more than eight players. He might also have the reputation for not playing rookies. But there are two first-year players that are trying to make him reconsider both of those habits.

D.J. Strawberry showed that his father, baseball legend Darryl Strawberry, is not the only person in his family who digs the long ball. Strawberry nailed a game-winning 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds left in the game to propel the Suns a 116-113 victory.

When asked if he was used to hitting those kinds of pressure shots, Strawberry responded humbly, “No, I’m usually the one passing.”

It capped off a 14-point, three-assist night that saw him connect on 6-of-9 shots. More importantly, for his role within the Suns’ system, he was 2-of-4 from downtown.

“D.J. has a little swagger,” D’Antoni said. “He has a chance to come up.”

In fact, the quality that stands out most about the Maryland rookie is his energy. Whether it is his defensive effort, the pressure his drives put on the opposing team or his willingness to take charges (he took another one Thursday), Strawberry makes his presence felt.

While Strawberry is demonstrating his late-game heroics, fellow rookie Alando Tucker continues to create opportunities for himself with his solid play.

A game removed from a 14-point, fourth-quarter outburst, Tucker was it again, collecting 12 points and six rebounds in 17 minutes. The most impressive aspect to Tucker's game Thursday was his ability to exploit his mismatch in the post when his perimeter shot wasn’t falling.

After showing his outside touch against the Bobcats, the rookie guard displayed a nice back-to-the-basket game that helped earn him Player of the Year honors in the Big 10 a year ago.

“They knew I had a smaller guy on me and I just made a read,” Tucker said. “Depending on who I am playing against, I have to read how I can take advantage of the situation.”

The rookie out of Wisconsin has performed admirably in limited minutes.

“The toughest thing about playing in the NBA is waiting, waiting, waiting and then trying to stay loose on the sideline,” the swingman stated. “Then once I get into the game I have to try to pick it up to full pace because of the style that we play.”

Whether Strawberry or Tucker end up fixtures in the rotation or not, they have proved this preseason that they will be ready if called upon.

A Man With Two Countries

The Suns locker room may not be the United Nations, but it is quite unique in the amount of diversity it possesses. Their star point guard is Canadian, their super sixth man is Brazilian, their former Most Improved Player is French, their two-guard was born in the Virgin Islands and Eric Piatkowski, the “Polish Rifle,” was born in Ohio.

Ok, so maybe Ohio doesn’t count as a foreign country, but New Zealand certainly does. Sean Marks, an eight-year NBA veteran from New Zealand, earned his US citizenship Wednesday after living in America for almost 13 years. Marks had to pass a naturalization test in order to become a full-fledged US citizen. Now, for the first time in his life, he can actually vote.

“When I left New Zealand, I was too young to vote,” Marks said. “So this will be my first time my little voice will be heard.”

Despite being married to an American wife and having two American kids, the 6-10 center still didn’t have an American passport.

“Now I can stand in the same line as my family at the airport,” Marks said jokingly. “I didn’t have to give up my New Zealand passport either.”

Marks had to prove that he was still married, resided in the United States, was employed in this country and hadn’t been in jail. He assured the State Department that he had most of those covered.

Lastly, he was required to take a written test where had to answer a small set of questions from a manual that was given to him a week in advance. Some of the civics questions included naming how many stars were on the flag and the name of the national anthem.

However, as the exam progressed, the questions became a little trickier. How many members are in House of Representatives and what the original 13 colonies were questions that might stump more than a few college graduates in the US.

But in the end, the University of California at Berkeley graduate persevered and now feels a real sense of relief that he’s finally an American.

“I am really grateful for everything that the US has given me,” Marks said. “Now I feel like I belong.”

Injury List

Center Brian Skinner turned his ankle in the second half when an unidentified Nugget player landed on him. Skinner said that he is going to try to play tomorrow, but is going to see how the ankle feels.

Guard Leandro Barbosa is sticking to the plan that has him sitting out of Friday’s game in Vancouver. Barbosa is still nursing bruised ribs.

Quote of the Night

Suns Head Coach Mike D'Antoni on leaving out the starters in the fourth quarter despite it being a close game.

"We are playing tomorrow in Vancouver and in the second game of a back-to-back with no one in the arena. I didn’t want any zombies to show up."

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