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It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Danilo Gallinari. When he first suffered his non-contact knee injury during the EuroBasket tournament, it was first diagnosed as a meniscus tear on August 28. Then it was confirmed on September 2 that Gallinari had torn his ACL, which was the same ACL he had torn nine years prior. Outside of a social media post reflecting on the confirmed ACL tear, Gallinari has not spoken much about what’s happened.
That was until September 8, when he spoke with the television channel Sky Sports about the injury. While acknowledging how hard it’s been, Gallinari made it clear that he will come back stronger than he was before.
“It is not an easy moment, but I have had many. I have already experienced this injury years ago, I know what awaits me. It is an opportunity to improve and come back stronger than before.”
Not only that, but Gallinari also mentioned that he expects to get surgery to repair the ACL “in a week or ten days.”
Since Gallinari told this to Sky Sports on September 8, he could get the surgery any time between September 15 to September 18. When he does, Gallinari’s timetable for his return to the Boston Celtics will become more clear.
Gallinari ‘Determined’ to Play This Season
After Shams Charania confirmed that Gallinari had torn his ACL, he provided a timeline for when Gallinari could come back.
This could mean Gallinari could be back before the playoffs start, or it could mean he’s out for the entire season. Because he tore his ACL almost two months before the season starts, that gives him a slight chance that he may come back late this upcoming season. On September 2, Boston Herald’s Steve Hewitt reported that Gallinari’s goal is to come back to play in the 2022-23 season.
“The typical recovery timeline for a torn ACL is six to 12 months, but Gallinari is reportedly determined to try to return at some point late in this season.”
The last time Gallinari tore his ACL, he not only missed the remainder of the 2012-13 season, but he missed the entirety of the 2013-14 season as well.
Celtics ‘Not Expected to Have Interest’ in Carmelo Anthony
After Gallinari’s torn ACL was confirmed, rumors circulated that the Celtics may bring in Carmelo Anthony as his replacement. Anthony proved he could still score last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, as he averaged 13.3 points on 44.1 percent shooting from the field and 37.5 percent from three.
Although Anthony could potentially replace the scoring Gallinari was expected to provide, Brian Robb of MassLive reported on September 9 that the Celtics are not interested in bringing in Anthony.
“The Carmelo Anthony buzz was a hot topic this week after the rumors started swirling about the Celtics’ interest in him last week. However, multiple league sources tell MassLive that the Celtics are not expected to have interest in bringing in the veteran for a signing ahead of training camp. That’s not to say the team is done shaping the roster ahead of the preseason, but Anthony isn’t a priority at this point at names that could be brought in.”
Robb went on to praise Anthony for his transition into being a role player these last three seasons but highlighted Anthony’s defensive shortcomings getting in the way of the teams he played for.
“Anthony did a respectable job turning into more of a role player during the last two seasons in LA and Portland, but there’s a reason the Lakers (and everyone else) haven’t brought in at this point. He’s 38 years old, and his teams have been at the bottom of the league in defensive rating for the last three years with him playing big minutes.”
In the last three seasons, Anthony has averaged 32.8, 24.5, and 26 minutes per game. If the Celtics were to bring him in, it wouldn’t be likely that he’d play that many minutes for them.
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Danilo Gallinari Sends Strong Message to Celtics Fans Amid Devastating Injury