Allgemeines » Watson played his final NBA season with Portland and grew clo

He has been cleared to play in Hamilton, and doctors are confident he will recover well, but Ross Taylor admits the experience of going into a Test match with doubts over his vision was a galling one. Taylor had received news that the pterygium on his left eye had worsened the day before he went out to bat in the previous Test.A batsman who has had his run of form - he averaged 14.83 in the Tests in India and scored only three runs in three Test innings in South Africa - may have had doubts about his game in any case; the optometrists diagnosis only added to them.When you play and miss your first couple of balls after seeing an optometrist, there are some interesting things that go through your mind, Taylor said. Finding out during the Test match was a little bit distracting mentally. Eyes are pretty important. Hopefully I can come back and get back to the form I was in a few years ago.Taylor has had the pterygium - a growth on the tissue that lines the eyelids - for five or six years, but has seen it deteriorate over the past few months. He had initially noticed it hindering his play in a Test in Brisbane last year. Having received eye drops on that occasion, he went on to score a career-best 290 in Perth. He will now require surgery to remove the pterygium, however, and a recovery period of four to six weeks will follow.The surgery involves cutting your eye, and cutting the growth, he said. Then theyll take a little bit from under the eyelid and glue it in so the growth doesnt come back.With any operation theres always a chance that things dont go as well as possible. The surgeon I talked to last night was pretty confident that the recovery time is as we had said. After four to six weeks there could be a period when it does deteriorate a little bit, but hopefully I can get it back after a little while.Taylor is confident his vision remains good enough to play the Hamilton match, though he does expect criticism of the decision should he fail.All the tests said I had very good vision - I guess the growth was just coming across. I prepared to play, even before I saw the specialists. I am looking forward to this Test. I cant say Im looking forward to the operation, given what it entails, but Im sure Ill get over it.Among the challenges Taylor will have to overcome will be swing and seam movement, given the colour of the pitch the teams will play on, and the wet forecast for the first three days. With New Zealand surfaces having become increasingly seam-friendly over the past few years, the hosts batsmen have begun to relish playing on them, Taylor said.Theres been a mindset change in the team. In the last three or four years weve always played on green seamers, or wickets that have got a little bit in it for the seam bowlers. The way the guys train - a few years ago no one would have wanted to go and bat in the green net. But now, in the green net in Hamilton - all the boys want to go and bat in that to test themselves out. Theres no use going to bat on a flat wicket when you know the balls going to do a bit out there on day one and two. Francisco Liriano Pirates Jersey . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season. Jameson Taillon Jersey . Self was acquired from the Buffalo Bandits in a trade for Alex Hill midway through last season, and made his debut in Rochester on March 16, 2013. http://www.pittsburghpiratesprostore.us/Gregory-Polanco-pirates-jersey/ . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Adam Frazier Pirates Jersey .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Barry Bonds Pirates Jersey . Batiste, who briefly signed with the Eskimos in 2006, has spent time with several NFL teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. PORTLAND, Ore. -- The scoreboard may say victory, but Damian Lillard sees work to do.Lillard scored 38 points, making key free throws in the waning seconds, and the Portland Trail Blazers held off the Phoenix Suns for a 124-121 victory on Tuesday night.After leading by 18 points early, it shouldnt have been so close at the end, Lillard said.We talk about just being able to play the way we want to play for longer spans of time, he said. Well play really well for seven minutes, and then in four minutes well give up a 15-2 run and give up everything we just worked for. We got to continue to work on that. The good thing is, were able to find a way to win games while we work on it.CJ McCollum added 33 points for the Blazers, who have won three straight.Lillard hit a 3-pointer with 6:45 left that put Portland in front 101-95. Eric Bledsoe made a free throw to pull Phoenix within 115-114 with just under a minute left, but he missed the second attempt that would have tied it and Lillard scored a layup on the other end.Bledsoe hit two free throws to again get within a point, but Lillard was fouled with 13.3 seconds left and made both to put Portland up 119-116.Devin Booker made a 3-pointer that pulled the Suns within 122-121 but Lillard again hit two free throws with 3.7 seconds left and Booker missed from some 25 feet has time ran out.Bledsoe finished with 31 points and Booker had 23.Its not tough for us to come back, we come back a lot, Suns coach Earl Watson said. Thats what we do. Our team is really close and we have a lot of belief.The Suns, who opened the season with four straight losses before winning two of their last three, were without Tyson Chandler because of personal reasons. Chandler has been in double-digit rebounds in three of the last four games.Watson started rookie Marquese Chriss, who was making his first career start. Chriss, who finished with seven points, was a first-round draft pick (eighth overall) out of Washington by the Sacramento Kings, acquired by the Suns in a draft-day trade.Portland was hurt when they lost startinng forward Al-Farouq Aminu to a left calf strain early and he did not return.dddddddddddd Aminu is averaging seven points and 7.9 rebounds this season.Aminu said after the game that he was unlikely to play on Wednesday when the Blazers visit the Clippers.McCollum hit his first six shots, including three 3-pointers, and the Blazers jumped out to a 27-12 lead. McCollum matched his career high with 37 points in Portlands 100-94 victory at Memphis on Sunday.Booker had 39 points in the Suns 119-108 loss at the Lakers on Sunday, after scoring 38 in a 112-111 overtime victory over New Orleans on Friday, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to have back-to-back games with at least 38 points.TIP-INSSuns: The Suns beat the Blazers 118-115 in overtime last week in Phoenix. The teams play four games this season.Trail Blazers: Portland made 12 of its first 13 field goal attempts. ... It was the second time in his career that McCollum has had back-to-back games with 30 or more points.MENTOR AND FRIEND: Watson played his final NBA season with Portland and grew close to Lillard. The summer before last, when the Blazers lost four starters and Lillard was the last remaining starter on the roster, Watson said the two talked and he told Lillard he needed to be a leader on and off the court. Lillard responded by organizing a team bonding trip to San Diego and the young Blazers went on to go 44-38 and advance to the second round of the playoffs.That is when you saw this young group become something else, Watson said.FAST START: Lillard has scored 262 points so far this season, the most through the first eight games of a season in franchise history. It is also the most by an NBA player since Kobe Bryant had 264 through the first eight in 2009-10.UP NEXTSuns: Host the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night.Trail Blazers: Visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. The Clippers beat the Blazers in Portland 114-106 on Oct. 27. ' ' '