Danilo Gallinari unlikely to return this season, plans to play for Italy this summer

Danilo Gallinari shed some light on what many around the league presumed to be true for the last month, that the 27-year-old would likely miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury he originally suffered back on February 26th.

In an interview with his hometown paper, La Gazetta dello Sport, Gallinari revealed that he may not return this season, especially with the playoffs out of reach.

“La mia stagione potrebbe essere finita,” Gallinari said. Which roughly translates to, “my season might be over.”

Gallinari also added that he won’t need surgery to repair the two torn ligaments in his right ankle, but would have entertained a comeback if the Nuggets were contenders for the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

Gallo finishes the year having played in just 53 games, six less than he played last year and 18 less than he played during his 2012-13 campaign. The swingman missed six games in December with a sprained left ankle and managed to stay healthy until his right ankle gave out in late February.

The 34.7 minutes Gallinari logged per game this year were a career high and allowed him to average a career-best 19.5 points per game and 8.2 free-throw attempts per game.

Gallinari playing that many minutes was a topic on my mind all season, especially with his injury history. It was something that was concerning, given the fact that Gallo routinely wore down in the second halves of games and only averaged 2.5 points in fourth quarters this season, per NBA.com. There were also many instances where Gallinari was visibly limping throughout extended stretches in fourth quarters in the middle of the season.

Fatigue and durability, like they have been throughout his career, definitely effected the eight-year vet this season, and are likely to remain with him throughout his career. Coach Michael Malone was also cognizant back in December that maybe he was playing Gallo too many minutes.

“Is it ideal playing [Gallinari] that heavy of minutes? Obviously not. Good thing is this week we don’t play again until Friday. We sat him out of practice yesterday to give him rest. [With] so many bodies banged up, [it] forces [us] to play him some more minutes than I’d like. So yes, there is a concern, but right now we have limited bodies and we’re probably playing him a little bit too much. But that’s what I feel like I have to do right now.”

Summer Session

Gallinari also reveled to Gazetta that he once again plans to play for the Italian National team this summer. Italy needs to win the Olympic qualifying tournament which takes place July 4-9 in Turin, Italy if they want a spot in the Olympic games in Rio which begin Aug. 5th. Greece figures to be their biggest threat in the six team qualifying field.

Besides the increased miles put on his body and the fact his team missed out on assuring a spot in the Olympic field, last Summer was a success for Gallinari. He averaged 17.9 points per game throughout EuroBasket 2015 and showcased an attacking mentality that would carry over to this season.

General Manager Tim Connelly went on record prior to this season that he fully supports his players representing their countries abroad and I doubt Gallo will face any resistance from Nuggets brass this time around either.

“For me, it’s not [a concern] any time a guy wants to compete,” said Connelly. “I think it’s a good thing. Gallinari in the friendlies leading up to the European championships was the highest rated guy and his play so far in the first couple of games for the Italian team has clearly illustrated he’s not just back, but he’s better than ever.

“Certainly there’s a risk of injury any time you step on the court, but I don’t want to ever stop guys from competing or representing their country.”

It will undoubtably be fun to watch Gallinari in action with Italy. He obviously cherishes the camaraderie he has with his fellow Italians and seems committed to playing throughout the summer. I just hope the added minutes don’t slow him down next season, if he’s still on the roster.

I’ve stressed over the past few months that between a draft where the Nuggets are likely to have two or three first round picks, a bevy of trade assets on moveable contracts, and at least $30 million in cap room, this offseason is the most important one to “get right” in years.

It’s going to be an extremely eventful summer for the Nuggets and Gallinari, buckle up and enjoy the ride.