Celtics’ Danilo Gallinari will stay in Boston for the ACL rehab

The Boston Celtics dealt with a slew of bad news this summer. Ime Udoka’s status obviously took the cake, as that dominated the headlines for weeks, and now the Celtics will miss him for at least next season. The news of Robert Williams was also brutal, with the huge man undergoing surgery and He will miss 8-12 weeks.

But before all that, there was an announcement that Danilo Gallinari tore the anterior cruciate ligament. Boston signed him to a two-year contract at the start of the free agency, but he was injured while playing for the Italian national team at EuroBasket. At first, it was thought that it would only put him out of action for a few months, but further investigation revealed a ruptured ACL, which he will see much more often.

Boston will be willing to be without him all next season, which means their MLE is in vain (for now). However, the forward stated that he plans to remain in Boston and be with the team during the rehab process.

“I want to stay close to the team so I can stay with the team in Boston, and when they need me to go travel with the team, I definitely want to stay close to the team,” Gallinary said.

Gallinari spent the last two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, and prior to that, he played with the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks. This was his chance to seriously contend for the championship, but injury has derailed this season.

However, the 34-year-old stated that there is still a possibility that he will be back before the end of the year.

Gallinari: Take it day by day

Usually, an ACL tear marks the end of the season for a player in the NBA. However, Gallinari tore his own in the middle of summer. So while he’s unlikely to fit in for the Celtics this year, it’s not technically impossible.

When asked about the possibility, he did not give a yes or no answer.

“I just take (rehabilitation) day in and day out,” Gallinary said. “This is the best way to approach rehab and deal with an injury like this, to take it day in and day out and not really think about what is going to happen in the future. So that is the approach I took.”

Moreover, Gallinari talked about how bad the situation is, but he also needs rehabilitation. He knows this because of his previous experience.

Gallinari: “I know what to expect”

This isn’t the first time Gallinari has suffered this injury. Back in 2013, when he was with Nuggets, Galinary rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament. He said that based on his past experience, the best thing he can do now is throw himself into rehab and focus on getting better.

“The good and bad thing is that I’ve already been through this, so I know what to expect,” Gallinary said. “But it’s always difficult, especially when you come close to a situation like this, you come to play for the Celtics, ready to help the team win. It’s tough, but I can’t do anything about it. We’re here, and now we have to focus on rehab.”

Gallinari was very excited to join the Celtics this summer, but for now, all that’s left is to focus on rehab, and hope his injury progresses well.