Q: I really didn't know before the trade that you and Shaq were so tight. How close are you guys?
A: Me and Shaq are definitely close. He's a good friend. Shaq is definitely a positive for me and positive for us. Me growing up watching Shaq, I never thought I'd be on the same team with him. But now I am and now it's time to gel as a group and learn from each other.
Q: The day or two before the trade was completed, were you calling Shaq to encourage him to push the deal through or was he calling you?
A: I reached out to Shaq. It wasn't a long conversation or anything. It was just to say, "We're ready for you."
Q: At his first press conference, Shaq announced that a big part of his role with the Suns was overseeing the "Amare Stoudemire Project." How much will having a mentor like him advance your game?
A: I wouldn't say I need a mentor. I think I'm already a pretty good player. I think what he's saying is [that] he's going to be a positive influence on me. A mentor? Nah. I don't need a mentor at all. What he's saying is that he's a player who's won championships and he's going to teach a young player how to win championships as well. I think he just wants me to reach my full potential, just like I do.
Q: I remember you telling me once that you'd prefer it if we called you a "point center" as opposed to a straight-up center. Is it safe to say you love how this trade moves you back to power forward?
A: It's my natural position. I've been playing out of position for a long time. So where [switching back to power forward] helps us, me being such a versatile player, it allows me to roam and take advantage of certain matchups and play my style of ball. I feel great [physically] and I feel like I'm getting stronger and stronger.
Q: But reviews of the trade have been mostly negative. How much of that stuff do you hear?
A: Doesn't matter what everybody else thinks. People say things. We understand what it takes to win and we know what we have here. We just have to stay together as a group and let everybody else talk.