Danilo Gallinari Really Will Be Out For The Season

No athlete ever wants to succumb to an injury. Something like this can completely derail a person's career, and there's not much they can do about it. Unfortunately, the risk of injury is something that comes with the territory, as Danilo Gallinari has been forced to remember recently.

When news first emerged of Gallinari damaging his knee, the outlook was pretty positive. It seemed almost certain that the newly-signed Celtics forward would be back on the court by 2023 at the latest. However, it seems the information about his injury was misleading, with further examination revealing a torn ACL. With that playing havoc on the sports star, it looks like Danilo Gallinari really will be out for the season.

Danilo Gallinari injured himself during a world cup qualification for Italy

Most fans of Danilo Gallinari might associate the man with US basketball, but he started his career in the Italian league. A native of the European country, he still plays for them occasionally, like during the recent World Cup qualifications. He was playing for Italy against Georgia on August 27 when his injury problems began. It seems he picked up a non-contact knee problem during the game, which was initially reported to be a torn meniscus. It wasn't ideal, given it would put him out of action for a few months, and he'd only been signed to the Boston Celtics on July 12. However, there was hope that with plenty of rest, Danilo would be back on the court by Thanksgiving, so it wasn't too much of a disaster. Unfortunately, things soon changed.

Gallinari's ACL injury is the second in his career and comes at quite an influential time

Initial exams after the injury suggested that his ACL was stable, so the injury wasn't as bad as it could have been. However, that was before an MRI revealed that the ligament was torn, and not for the first time, either. In April 2013, Danila Gallinari had to stop playing after sustaining the same injury. He ended up missing the rest of the season and the season that followed, a move that could have really hurt his career if he wasn't such a star player. Unfortunately, Gallinari was a fair bit younger back then. He's now 34, which is considered to be around the average age that basketball players retire. Without a good recovery, there's a chance it won't just be this season that the forward misses out on.

With plenty of rest, Danilo Gallinari can still come back fighting

Of course, fans shouldn't start sweating about Danilo Gallinari retiring yet. The injury has only just happened, and judging by his statement to "work tirelessly" to return to the court, he's not currently thinking of bowing out. With any luck, he'll be back by the end of the season, or at least the start of the next. The reported $13.3 million contract that he signed with the Boston Celtics was for two years. So, he has the potential to make up for this year's injury in the next season. Gallinari will have to be prepared to rest if he hopes to achieve that, though. It can be difficult for someone who spends so much time being active to just sit around and not push themselves too hard. If this ACL injury is gonna heal, though, recuperation is vital.

It's a great shame to hear that Danilo Gallinari really will be out for the season, especially as he hasn't had a chance to make his mark with the Celtics. Hopefully, though, his injury will recover as quickly as possible so he can return to the court sooner than anticipated and remind everyone of what he's got,