ALL-STAR NOTEBOOK: NO LITTLE DEAL: STOUDEMIRE'S BACK.

Byline: RAMONA SHELBURNE

Staff Writer

LAS VEGAS -- It sounds so easy, so simple. But the term "microfracture surgery" is not nearly as benign as it seems.

Just the mention of the procedure, which involves drilling small holes into the kneecap to induce clotting, can send shivers down the spine of an NBA player -- or anyone, for that matter.

While it has been a career-saver for some -- Jason Kidd comes to mind -- the list of NBA stars who have never been the same after the procedure is long and dubious, including Chris Webber, Allen Houston and Marcus Camby, to name a few.

When promising young Phoenix Suns center Amare Stoudemire had the procedure in October 2005, many feared he would suffer the same fate. But with a stellar performance in Sunday's NBA All-Star Game (29 points, nine rebounds), Stoudemire made a loud statement that he's all the way back from the devastating procedure.

"It was a long, rough season (last year)," Stoudemire said. "It was a tough rehabilitation process coming back from twoknee surgeries. It took a lot of work and dedication.

"A lot of people didn't think I'd be here today. There were a lot of doubters out there. But I stayed focused on my goals and I reached them."

Stoudemire is averaging 19.9 points and 9.5 rebounds this season.

Celeb sightings: From the "How much would you pay to be a fly on that wall?" department: Ludacris, Prince and Dave Chappelle sat next to each other along the east sideline and seemed to be chatting it up for most of the game.

Other celebrity sightings: Paris Hilton getting booed by the Thomas & Mack Center crowd, Arnold Schwarzenegger and wife Maria Shriver chatting with Wayne Newton, Beyonce and boyfriend Jay-Z holding hands -- temporarily throwing off reporters chasing down rumors of their breakup -- and the darling of last week's Grammy awards, Christina Aguilera with a cool homage to the Andrews Sisters' inspired "Candyman" at halftime.

Viva Las Vegas: You knew there would eventually be a Wayne Newton sighting at All-Star weekend, and Mr. Las Vegas didn't disappoint with a flashy pregame set.

Newton is often called the unofficial mayor of Vegas, but the actual mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman, gave him a strong challenge in terms of grand entrances.

Goodman, Vegas' flamboyant mayor who has worked feverishly in trying to lure an NBA franchise to his city, walked the red carpet outside the Thomas & Mack Center with showgirls on each arm.

"Our natural art form here is neon," Goodman said. "This has been a neon event."

Other Vegasites who took the stage: Vegas entertainer of the year Danny Gans singing the national anthem; the acrobatic dancers from Folies Bergere performing during a timeout; former A-list diva and current Flamingo Hotel headliner Toni Braxton performing a breathy compilation of her hits during the halftime show in a skimpy sparkly silver dress; and the acrobats from Cirque du Soleil twirling around at midcourt during halftime.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire, center, turned in a stellar performance, scoring 29 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images

(2) Wayne Newton put his stamp on the weekend when he performed Sunday before the tipoff of the All-Star Game.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press