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METAIRIE, La. Clay Harbor Jersey . -- Saints coach Sean Payton says newly acquired safety Jairus Byrd has undergone surgery to address a nagging problem with a disc in his back and is expected to be fully recovered by the start of training camp. The procedure is preventing Byrd from participating in voluntary off-season practices, which were opened to media for the first time on Thursday. Payton says the procedure wasnt necessary and that Byrd could have played with his condition, but that the club and player both agreed that taking care of it now "would prevent any issues in the fall." Byrd, signed as a free agent this off-season, has gone to three Pro Bowls in his five NFL seasons, all with Buffalo. He has 22 interceptions, 11 forced fumbles and three sacks in his career. Josh Scobee Jersey . Ramirez signed a minor league deal with the Cubs on Sunday and will be a player-coach at Triple-A Iowa after he gets some at-bats in extended spring training at the teams facility in Mesa, Arizona. The 41-year-old Ramirez is a . Allen Hurns Jersey . -- The Erie Otters won their eighth straight game with a four-goal outburst in the third en route to an 8-4 win over the Sarnia Sting in Ontario Hockey League play Saturday. CLEVELAND -- Sitting in the last chair on Indianas bench, David West stared straight ahead, unable to look at the court. As the final seconds ticked off the clock on another disheartening loss, West seemed dazed. The Pacers promising season is unraveling Dion Waiters scored 19 points, Luol Deng added 15 and the Cleveland Cavaliers kept their playoff push going with a 90-76 win Sunday over the skidding Pacers, who are losing their grip on the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Tristan Thompson had 16 rebounds as the Cavs snapped a nine-game losing streak against Indiana. Cleveland came in three games behind slumping, idle Atlanta for the conferences final playoff spot. With seven games left -- six against teams with losing records -- the Cavs still have a chance. The Pacers, meanwhile, are falling apart. They lost their fifth straight road game and now lead Miami by one game for the Easts top record and home-court advantage throughout the post-season. Since beating the Heat at home last week, Indiana has lost to Washington and Cleveland. "Were losing games at an alarming rate to teams that are inferior to us," said West, who picked up a technical four in the fourth quarter. "We cant figure out a way to perform better. Weve done what you do. Weve had team meetings. Weve had players-only meetings. Weve had players and the coaches (meetings). Were kind of looking for answers right now, and things dont get any easier." Paul George scored 15 and West 14 for Indiana, which fell behind by 21 in the fourth quarter. Once thought to be a lock to make the conference finals, the Pacers are in disarray as they enter the final weeks of the regular season. "Were lost right now," guard Lance Stephenson said. "We just have to play through it." Indianas offence lacks rhythm, and other than their win over the Heat, the Pacers arent showing the same intensity or energy that has made them one of the NBAs top teams. "Were all frustrated," coach Frank Vogel said. "I think were playing against ourselves. Its a level of play that were trying to reach that were not close to where we need to be." The Pacers trailed the Cavs by 13 at halftime, and after pulling within six in the third, Indiana let the Cavs goo on a 14-5 run, capped by Jarrett Jacks 3-pointer that made it 69-54. Josh Evans Jersey. . Indiana never got close enough to threaten the Cavs in the fourth, and Vogel pulled West and his other starters for the final 1:20 -- a surprising sign of surrender. Midway through the quarter, West was assessed the technical and a flagrant-1 after a mix-up with spunky Cavs rookie guard Matthew Dellavedova and Cleveland centre Spencer Hawes. Theres still time to get things fixed, but the Pacers have lost nine of 15 since March 4 and it wont get any easier with San Antonio coming in for a visit on Monday. The Spurs have won 17 straight. "Weve got to get to playing better," West said. "Weve got eight games left. Its going to get real. We dont want to be disappointed in April and May. Weve got to figure something out. Everybody, individually, all of us have to look at ourselves and figure out what we can do to right this ship." The Cavs, on the other hand, are peaking at the right time. They won for the fourth time in five games despite playing without All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who missed his eighth straight with an injured biceps. Irving could be back this week, when the Cavs, who are 14-12 since Feb. 5, are at Orlando before a showdown on Friday against the Hawks, who have lost six in a row. "Our guys just keep fighting," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. Cleveland played the second half without centre Anderson Varejao, who strained his right shoulder. The Cavs said their leading rebounder will be re-evaluated Monday. The Pacers, who shot just 37 per cent, lacked any offensive cohesion and left Cleveland searching for answers. "A lot of our guys are out of rhythm right now," Vogel said. "Weve got to figure it out." NOTES: The Pacers have scored less than 80 points in four of their past five games. ... Irving was scheduled to be re-evaluated Sunday by team physician Dr. Richard Parker. Its not yet known when, or if, Irving will play again. ... Clevelands schedule couldnt be better over the next seven games for its playoff drive. The Cavs will play just one team -- Brooklyn -- with a winning record and thats in the season finale. ... George is shooting just 31 per cent (40 of 130) in his last eight games. wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
