“When Dr. Kovan told me, you know, tears came to my eyes because I know this team is really important to me, and I love Michigan State, and I want to be a part of playing,” Dawson told media Thursday. “And you know it was kind of something I did to myself, and … it’s been kind of crazy, but I’m just ready to come back even stronger.”

Dawson left the meeting with media around 4:15 p.m. and was en route to surgery, where a pin would be placed to fix his fifth metacarpal — the bone in the palm attached to the pinky.

Being sidelined the estimated four to five weeks will allow Dawson to come back for the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. He stressed he will be back down the stretch to try to help the Spartans cut down nets at the end of the season.

“I’ll be ready around tournament time and I’m gonna come back,” Dawson said. “I’m gonna do whatever it takes to help this team out on the bench, in the locker room, during the game, in practice, just to see those guys do great against Michigan and from here on out.”

Dawson is no stranger to long-term injuries, being two years removed from an ACL tear he suffered his freshman year. He said through the experience of his knee injury, he knows he will be good to go in the future.

“I went through an ACL injury before and I was out for close to seven, eight months and I came back even stronger,” Dawson said. “So I’ll be out for four to five weeks and I’m gonna come back even stronger.”

Dawson also was asked who will step up in his place, a tough task considering he averages the Big Ten’s second-best 8.7 rebounds per game. Amongst many teammates, he said, it could be redshirt freshman forward Kenny Kaminski. It’s not just Dawson that has faith in Kaminski — it’s also assistant coach Dwayne Stephens, who voiced his support for the 3-point specialist.

“Coach Stephens called me and said ‘You’re in the situation now where you really got to step up, and I think you’re ready. You’ve improving on defense and you’ve improved offensively, so this is a big moment for you,’” Kaminski said.

Izzo sounds off

Understand this: If anyone says anything negative about Dawson near head coach Tom Izzo, they might want to make sure they have an ice pack around.

“If anyone rips (Dawson) … it will be me,” Izzo said after Thursday’s practice. “If any other fan rips (Dawson), on something that we have all done — every guy in this room and every fan … if one Michigan State fan rips them, give them my number.”

While sitting on the bench might not seem like the most productive way for a starter to spend his time, Izzo sees this moment as a way for Dawson to learn from a coach’s point of view.

“Payne has learned so much sitting on the bench, it’s scary,” Izzo said. “We’ve had a lot of guys playing that have been playing a lot of minutes like Keith that are a little worn out, so he will be refreshed — I don’t think that’s a positive, but it’s part of it.”

Before switching the conversation with the media to Saturday’s game against No. 21 Michigan, Izzo stressed his point of laying off Dawson on social media with an “upset dad lecturing his kids” look on his face.

“Something good is going to come out of all this, but let me reiterate … this kid did not rob any stores, he did not do any drugs, there is no alcohol involved,” Izzo said.