Amare out after death of brother

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAKE WALES, Fla. -- A brother of New York Knicks star Amare Stoudemire died in a Florida car crash Monday after the SUV he was driving slammed into the back of a trailer.

Authorities are still investigating and awaiting test results to find out if alcohol was a factor. The Florida Highway Patrol said 35-year-old Hazell Stoudemire was not wearing a seatbelt and died at the scene.

Amare Stoudemire returned to Florida to be with his family and was to miss Monday night's game against Utah. Knicks spokesman Jonathan Supranowitz said he doesn't know how long Stoudemire will be away.

"Our thoughts and prayers and everything's with him, and whatever time he needs to take, he'll take, and then we'll get him back as soon as possible," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said after the team's morning workout in Greenburgh, N.Y.

The highway patrol report said Hazell Stoudemire's SUV struck a trailer that was being towed by a truck early Monday morning. He had been driving on a highway in the heart of Florida's citrus country.

Hazell Stoudemire, who lived in Lakeland, Fla., was one of Amare's four brothers. The Knicks' forward also has three sisters. D'Antoni said Stoudemire "cherishes his family and he does a great job of maintaining all relationships."

Jared Jeffries will replace Stoudemire in the lineup.