The Suns got their first piece of bad news during their Italian trip Tuesday when Amare Stoudemire was forced to sit out the late afternoon workout, complaining of stiffness in the right knee that has given him problems on and off over the last month.

?He said he had trouble getting loose," Suns coach and general manager Mike D'Antoni said. ?He was fine for the first two days, but he couldn't go (Tuesday). Hopefully, it's a one-day thing."