Bad News About John Collins Finger Injury

This is worse than we expected.

Just a few minutes ago, the Hawks announced that John Collins (right ring finger sprain/right foot strain) was out for tonight. It makes sense after Collins missed last night's game against the Pacers, and head coach Nate McMillan said he would be a game-time decision for tonight's game against the Trail Blazers.

Today the news got worse for the Hawks big man and his fans. First, a picture taken of Collins' hand began circulating online, and it's not pretty. Check out the tweet below, but don't say I didn't try to warn you.

That finger doesn't look anywhere close to healed. In an article written by Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, Dr. Deepak Chona, an orthopedic surgeon at Stanford University, called the injury a "boutonnière deformity." 

Later in the article, Dr. Chona said, "It’s related to a sprain but involves the structures that hold the tendons in place, so, essentially the person has trouble straightening the middle joint of the finger." 

I don't want to give away all of the article that is behind a paywall, but Dr. Chona describes the treatment for such an injury and says that the estimated recovery time ranges from four to six weeks. However, there are plenty of variables, like if Collins continues to try to play or at least takes a short, accelerated approach to recovery.

Now, much of what has transpired over the past seven days makes more sense. Like when Collins shot 0-9 against the Bucks last week. Then after Friday night's game, McMillan went out his way to praise the toughness of his No. 20.

This is a big deal not just for this season but the career of John Collins. Let's hope the Atlanta Hawks give their power forward as much time as needed to fully recover from this nasty injury. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.

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