Sixers Rival's New Addition Danilo Gallinari Suffers Knee Injury
New Boston Celtics forward Danilo Gallinari has been spending his offseason improving his game by playing for his home country Italy at the FIBA World Cup.
During a qualifying game on Saturday, Gallinari left the matchup due to an apparent left knee injury.
After coming off of the court, a hobbled Gallinari was assisted back to the team's locker room to get his knee checked out.
Following the game, Italy head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco feared that Gallinari's injury was severe, according to Overtimebasket.com's Cesare Milanti.
"I hope and I pray that nothing bad will come out," said Pozzecco, per Milanti. "It is an honor coaching him. I saw the pain in his eyes," he finished.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that initial exams on Gallinari's knee revealed his ACL was stable. While that was a positive sign for the veteran, he couldn't know the actual severity of his injury until he underwent an MRI.
The good news is that Gallinari's MRI didn't reveal any ACL or ligament damage. Per Charania, the Celtics veteran was diagnosed with a meniscus tear. Considering the injury was non-contact, that seems to be the best-case scenario for Gallinari.
A Tough Blow for the Celtics
The Boston Celtics bounced back after a slow start during the 2021-2022 season. After heating up in the second half of the year, the Celtics notched the second seed in the Eastern Conference and edged out the Philadelphia 76ers to top the Atlantic Division.
A first-round sweep over the Brooklyn Nets allowed the Celtics to meet with the Milwaukee Bucks in round two before they won and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the Miami Heat.
Although the Eastern Conference Finals was a tight series, the Celtics found success and made it to the 2022 NBA Finals, where their postseason success ran out as they lost to the Golden State Warriors.
The Celtics knew they were in good shape moving forward but looked to make notable additions to help them improve after an outstanding season.
The signing of Gallinari was a move praised by many. Last season, Gallinari averaged 11 points while shooting 38 percent from three with the Atlanta Hawks.
Boston acquired the veteran after the San Antonio Spurs traded for Gallinari and waived him less than two weeks later.
The Italian reserve's Celtics debut might be on hold, but all hope doesn't seem lost for this season. The Celtics will be a much better team with Gallinari coming off the bench, but they'll still be a tough opponent for the Sixers and the rest of the league as they look to defend their Conference title.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
