LA Clippers injury update: Danilo Gallinari’s fractured hand

The fractured hand that Gallinari received after punching an opponent during a EuroBasket friendly back in July is reported to be just about 100% healed.

When the LA Clippers acquired Danilo Gallinari this summer via a three-way with the Denver Nuggets and Atlanta Hawks, fans rejoiced that the team had finally gotten the star small forward that LA had been yearning for the past few seasons. However, some fans were hesitant to praise the acquisition, as the Italian forward had been injury-prone for the majority of his career. In fact, Gallo has only played in 175 out of a possible 328 games the past four seasons. Gallinari was quick to prove that notion right as he fractured his hand punching an opponent during a friendly EuroBasket match between Italy and the Netherlands.

After a medical examination, it was reported that Gallinari had fractured the first metacarpal of his right hand (his shooting hand) but would not have to undergo any surgery. The initial prognosis suggested the forward’s injury would be healed in 3-4 weeks but was then extended to 4-6 weeks after more testing was done. As the prognosis predicted, it has been reported that Gallo’s hand is nearing 100% and that the small forward should be good to go for the Clippers’ upcoming training camp in Hawaii. Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reported that he had heard that Gallinari was just days away from a return to the court and that the forward should be ready to go for training camp.

While this is good news for the Clippers and their fans, the status of Blake Griffin‘s injured foot is still up in the air with training camp approaching. Earlier in the summer, Griffin said he had met with five different foot specialists and that they had believed the idea that Griffin would be fully cleared by training camp was a “realistic possibility.” For now, we’ll just have to stay tuned and wait for more information.