I am much less handsome if the group picks at the Meet and Great aren't photoshopped. Ok, that came out sounding much creepier than I had planned.
Hurt fingers tanked his shooting percentage last year. Maybe you didn't notice but he didn't shoot so well tonight.
I haven't ripped my thumbnail off, but I have basically ripped the nail off of my big toe. It tore from the skin underneath the nail and was only intact at the cuticle. It hurt so bad that I could hardly walk, the nail eventually fell completely off. If the pain is anything like I experienced I think it would be a good thing to take a couple of games off and reassess.
I don't think playing with a torn thumbnail will lead to a permanent or long term injury to his hand. I think if the Trail Blazer doctors thought that it would, they wouldn't let him play.
I was holding a board once and using a cordless drill to drive in a screw, I was really pressing down hard on the drill while holding the board with the other hand. The drill slipped off screw head and landed while still turning on the thumb of the hand handing the board. The drill ripped my thumbnail off instantly. That was body jarring pain. Unbelievable how much that hurt. Hot throbbing searing pain radiating from my thumb up my arm. I just shuddered thinking about it. And it's weird how tender that skin is where the nail was, seemed like it took forever for the nail to grow back.
Those were some creepy pain stories guys, I'll spare you my toenail removal war story...just let it be known that toes and fingers have a lot of nerve endings