Danilo Gallinari Has ‘No Idea’ When He Will Play Again

Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari says he’s in the dark when it comes to when he’ll suit up again — the big man continues to slowly recover from surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee. Per the AP: “Can you dunk?’ one child asked the 6-foot-10 Denver Nuggets forward. ‘You know, I cannot,’ Gallinari said. Not now, anyway. Just when, well, that’s difficult for him to say. At the moment, Gallinari has ‘no idea’ when he will return to the court as he recovers from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The Italian forward is limited to rehabbing in the weight room from the injury he sustained in April. He said that while he does occasionally shoot free throws, he hasn’t really been able to run the floor. Frustrating? ‘A little bit,’ Gallinari said. ‘You always are frustrated a little bit when you can’t play.’ Off to a 2-4 start, the Nuggets sure could use Gallinari’s long-range shooting skills. He will be a big boost for first-year coach Brian Shaw once he returns to the floor. Gallinari hurt his knee against Dallas on April 4, when he planted awkwardly while going in for a layup. He’s had two surgeries on the knee. He spends around five hours a day working out under the supervision of Steve Hess, the team’s strength and conditioning coach. Gallinari was hoping he could be at full speed and possibly back in the lineup by next month, but he would rather just wait until the knee feels completely healthy, not speculate on a return date. ‘Once you feel strong, you’ve got to be able to translate everything on the court,’ Gallinari explained. ‘The mental part is going to be the most important.'”