Back Injury Worries Watson
Earl Watson played a season-low 14 minutes Saturday, leaving the game for good when he picked up his fourth foul with 18:37 to play. He said he would have returned but was feeling too much pain in his back.
“I could barely run,” he said. “It was a struggle to run. That’s a part of my strategy is I use my explosion and my quickness to my advantage. When I don’t have any of that, it’s very, very hard to play the game of basketball.”
Friday, Watson said he felt fine and had no plans to undergo X-rays. He even said he was swearing them off because he didn’t want to expose himself to more radiation. But after the game, he said he will have X-rays taken Monday.
“I’m very worried about my back,” said Watson, who has started 112 consecutive games. “The worst thing I’ve ever done is start every game. It’s a good and bad thing. It’s turning out to be a bad thing because of that drive to compete, that adrenaline you get from just working hard, just loving the game of basketball.
“I’ve been playing hurt my whole career. I’m not sure if too many people on this team took me seriously. . . . It’s scary. I can’t run at all. I can’t lift my leg. It’s a struggle for me to even put on my pants. That’s how serious it is. I’m not joking; nothing dramatic at all. This is the truth.”
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Arizona forward Richard Jefferson said the Wildcats have finally found patience, something that eluded them earlier this season when they dropped five of 14 games.
“The team wasn’t playing well as a whole,” he said. “Early in the season, we’d go one pass, then shoot. Or two passes, then shoot. Now, we’re being more patient.”
UP NEXT
* Thursday vs. Oregon State, Pauley Pavilion, 7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Net 2--The Bruins swept the Beavers last season and lead the series, 69-29.
