Thumb surgery recommended for Nets' Dinwiddie

Thumb surgery has been recommended for the Brooklyn Nets' Spencer Dinwiddie, but the guard might elect to postpone the procedure and resume playing this season. Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson confirmed the surgery diagnosis before Friday's game against the New York Knicks, according to multiple reports. Whether the surgery for torn ligaments on the right thumb takes place soon, though, has not been decided. Atkinson said doctors, Dinwiddie and his family will make the final decision.

On Thursday, Dinwiddie was trying to determine the severity of his thumb injury with specialists. He last played Wednesday, scoring 29 points in a 114-110 victory over the Orlando Magic. He was originally ruled questionable for Friday night's game and has now been ruled out of that contest, according to the Nets. Atkinson said that Dinwiddie originally injured his thumb approximately two months ago and the issue grew progressively worse.

The recovery timetable after the injury was disclosed Thursday, according to former NBA player and Fox Sports analyst Caron Butler, was four to six weeks. His timetable if he elects surgery is not known. Dinwiddie, 25, has averaged 17.2 points, 5.0 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 49 games this season. His scoring average is on pace for a career high, and the team rewarded him with a three-year, $34 million contract extension in December.

Dinwiddie, 25, was a second-round draft pick of the Detroit Pistons in 2014. --Field Level Media