“When is Amaré coming back?”

It’s the question that has been asked more often than any other this season and the answer may come sooner than later.

“I know the last time we played Portland, I had 50,” Stoudemire said with a grin when asked about his return from pre-season microfracture surgery on his left knee.

“If I wake up feeling good tomorrow, it’s possible that I play tomorrow,” Stoudemire told reporters after a fifth straight day of five-on-five play on Wednesday.

“I may show up in street clothes and rip out the Superman cape.”

Only a week ago, there was doubt about whether Stoudemire would play at all the rest of the season, but after a heart-to-heart talk with Suns Chairman Jerry Colangelo over the weekend, and a reduction in the swelling of his right knee, the All-Star big man has put aside the doubts and is convinced he will return, possibly as early as tomorrow night when the Suns host Portland at US Airways Center (7 p.m., FSN AZ).

“The way it’s feeling, it feels pretty good to where I could play 20 minutes the first and take slow steps, and that’s what I plan on doing,” he said.

Stoudemire has not seen game action since his impressive performance against the Spurs in last year’s Western Conference Finals and he is as anxious to play as his fans are to see him play.

“It’s been a long process,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming and I just can’t wait to step foot on that Phoenix logo.

“This is the first time out the whole six months that it’s been five straight days of improvement with no setback. That’s just a sign of getting healthy and being ready.”

While Stoudemire was as upbeat as he has been about since the start of his rehabilitation, he is not prepared to fully commit to putting on his familiar No. 32 against the Blazers.

“(The decision) is not quite made yet,” he admitted. “I’ve got to weigh it out and see how I feel tomorrow.

“It’s probably about 80-20.”