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Boston Celtics forward Danilo Gallinari underwent successful surgery to repair his torn ACL on Friday.

Team physician Dr. Tony Schena performed the surgery at New England Baptist Hospital, the team announced in a statement.

No formal timetable has been determined for Gallinari's return, but he is expected to miss the entire 2022-23 season. The 6'10" forward suffered the injury last month while playing for the Italian national team in a FIBA World Cup qualifier.

The 34-year-old signed a two-year, $13.3 million contract with the Celtics this offseason. He has a player option for the 2023-24 season at $6.8 million, and it would be a surprise if he did not exercise it given his injury status.

Gallinari spent the last two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, averaging 11.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in 2021-22 campaign.

The Celtics hoped Gallinari would provide scoring stability and depth to their reserve unit, but Grant Williams will instead have to fill that role.

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams is expected to be on the shelf for the next eight-to-12 weeks.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Celtics announced the timeline Friday after Williams underwent surgery on his left knee.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski initially reported Tuesday that Williams required arthroscopic surgery on his knee. At the time, Wojnarowski noted that Williams was expected to miss four to six weeks with a return early in the 2022-23 season being likely.

Williams underwent surgery in March to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, which caused him to miss nearly one month of action. Wojnarowski referred to the latest procedure as a "cleanup."

While Williams returned for the third game of the Celtics' first-round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets last season, he missed five additional games during a postseason run that saw Boston go all the way to the NBA Finals.

The 24-year-old enjoyed a breakout campaign last season, averaging career highs across the board with 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.0 assists per game, while shooting 73.6 percent from the field.

Williams also averaged a career-high 29.6 minutes per game and started all 61 regular-season games he appeared in after almost exclusively coming off the bench in his first three seasons.

The 2018 No. 27 overall draft pick out of Texas A&M was also recognized for his defensive excellence last season, earning second-team All-Defensive honors.

Williams was a key part of a deep and talented Celtics starting lineup last season that also included Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Al Horford, all of whom are back with the team for the 2022-23 campaign.

The Celtics largely have the same roster as last season with the exception of guard Malcolm Brogdon, who was the biggest addition by far.

Boston also signed sharpshooting veteran forward Danilo Gallinari, but he may miss significant time with a torn meniscus, meaning the injuries are already starting to mount for the defending Eastern Conference champions.

Until Williams is able to return, Horford will be leaned on heavily to own the paint at both ends of the floor for Boston. It is also likely that Luke Kornet and Mfiondu Kabengele will have increased roles behind Horford.

The likeliest candidate to replace Williams in the starting lineup is Grant Williams, who thrived last season as a bench player.

Boston opens its regular season on Oct. 18 against the Philadelphia 76ers, and the eight-to-12-week recovery timeline likely means Williams will miss at least the first 17 games of the season.

While there is currently no long-term answer at head coach for the Boston Celtics, Brad Stevens has ruled out returning to the bench for the 2022-23 season.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Stevens said "absolutely not" when asked about the possibility of serving as Celtics head coach.

The Celtics announced on Thursday that Ime Udoka has been suspended for the entire 2022-23 season for violations of team policies and a decision about his future "will be made at a later date."

Joe Mazzulla, who has been an assistant coach for the Celtics since 2019, will serve as interim head coach.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Udoka's punishment stems from "an intimate relationship with a female member of the organization" that some within the Celtics became aware of in July.

"At that time, team leadership was led to believe by both parties that the relationship was consensual," wrote Charania. "But sources said that the woman recently accused Udoka of making unwanted comments toward her—leading the team to launch a set of internal interviews."

According to Charania, Udoka's suspension was decided after a meeting between Celtics governors and Stevens that lasted "several hours."

In a statement to ESPN's Malika Andrews, Udoka apologized to Celtics players, fans, the organization and his family for "letting them down." He also said he accepted the team's decision and would have no further comment on the matter.

Udoka spent nine seasons as an assistant coach before being hired as Celtics head coach. He previously worked for the San Antonio Spurs (2012-19), Philadelphia 76ers (2019-20) and Brooklyn Nets (2020-21).

Boston overcame a slow start last season to finish as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 51-31 record. The team defeated the Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since the 2009-10 season.

The Celtics lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games in the Finals.

Udoka was hired by Boston after Stevens moved into the front office as the team's president of basketball operations. The 45-year-old Stevens went 354-282 with seven playoff appearances in eight seasons as Celtics head coach.

This will mark the first head-coaching job in the NBA for Mazzulla. He went 43-17 in two seasons at Fairmont State from 2017-19.

Boston Celtics president Brad Stevens said the social-media speculation related to allegations against head coach Ime Udoka was "unfair" to women on the NBA team's staff.

The Celtics announced Thursday night that Udoka would be suspended for the 2022-23 season for "violations of team policies," but the statement didn't come until 21 hours after Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported Udoka engaged in an "improper intimate and consensual relationship" with a female staffer, leading to unfounded rumors.

"We have a lot of talented women in our organization and yesterday was really hard on them," Stevens told reporters Friday. "Nobody can control Twitter speculation, rampant bulls--t."

He added: "We have a responsibility to make sure we are there to support them."

Some members of the Boston organization knew about the relationship since July and believed it was consensual, but Charania reported the woman recently came forward to say Udoka was "making unwanted comments toward her," leading to an internal investigation.

No further information about what the probe discovered was publicly released. The Celtics' announcement stated Udoka's future with the franchise beyond this season would be decided "at a later date."

Assistant coach Joe Mazzulla is taking over the coaching staff on an interim basis.

Mazzulla was arrested in 2009 on a domestic violence charge while he was a player at West Virginia University. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct and was given a $100 fine and sentenced to 40 hours of community service.

"When I was considering hiring him as an assistant, I vetted him thoroughly," Stevens said Friday. "I believe strongly in his substantiveness as a person. He's been very open with me on how those incidents impacted him."

Mazzulla previously served as a head coach at Fairmont State from 2017 through 2019.

Other assistants on Boston's staff include Damon Stoudamire, Ben Sullivan, Aaron Miles and Tony Dobbins.

Udoka was hired by the Celtics in June 2021 after Stevens vacated the head coaching role to accept the role as president of basketball operations. He guided the C's to an appearance in the 2022 NBA Finals in his first season. They lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games.

Boston will start the new season Oct. 18 when the Philadelphia 76ers visit TD Garden.

Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka was reportedly accused of making "unwanted comments" toward a female staff member, which led to the internal investigation that resulted in his full-season suspension announced Thursday.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported some Celtics executives found out about the relationship in July and believed it was consensual, but the unnamed woman's accusation Udoka had made unwanted comments toward her led the team to investigate their relationship.

Udoka released a statement to ESPN's Malika Andrews after the suspension was announced.

"I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down," he said. "I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and I accept the team's decision. Out of respect for everyone involved, I will have no further comment."

The Celtics' announcement noted his future with the franchise beyond the 2022-23 season would be decided "at a later date."

Assistant coach Joe Mazzulla will take over the staff on an interim basis, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Udoka is a former NBA forward who switched to coaching in 2012 after his on-court retirement. He spent time as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets before getting his first head coaching opportunity with Boston.

He guided the Celtics to an appearance in the NBA Finals during his first year in charge after the team posted a 51-31 record in the regular season. The C's came up short against the Golden State Warriors in the Finals, losing in six games.

No further information about the organization's internal investigation was immediately released.

The Celtics will open the regular season Oct. 18 when they welcome the Philadelphia 76ers to TD Garden.

Ime Udoka reportedly could become a "coach of interest" for other NBA teams after he received a full-season suspension from the Boston Celtics for violations of team policies on Thursday following reports of an intimate relationship with a female staffer.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on SportsCenter the lack of certainty in the Celtics' statement about Udoka's future with the organization, which only said his status would be determined "at a later date," could lead the coach elsewhere if another opportunity arises.

"He may become a candidate or a coach of interest for other jobs that might open or might become open during the season or certainly next season," Woj said (50-second mark of video). "The final chapter of Udoka's coaching career has not been written. This is not going to be a death knell for him."

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported some people in the Celtics organization were made aware of Udoka's relationship with the unnamed staff member in July and were told it was consensual, but the woman more recently came forward to accuse the team's head coach of making "unwanted comments toward her."

Boston held a series of internal interviews before the decision to suspend Udoka for the entire 2022-23 season was made Thursday during a meeting of key franchise executives, including team ownership and president Brad Stevens, per Charania.

Udoka issued a statement to ESPN's Malika Andrews after the suspension was announced.

"I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down," he said. "I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and I accept the team's decision. Out of respect for everyone involved, I will have no further comment."

Assistant coach Joe Mazzulla will take over the staff on an interim basis, per Wojnarowski.

Udoka was hired by the Celtics in June 2021 after Stevens vacated the head coaching position to accept a role in the front office.

The 45-year-old Portland native started his coaching career as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs in 2012 after a 13-year playing career that included seven seasons in the NBA. He also spent time on the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets coaching staffs.

Udoka enjoyed a highly successful first season in Boston. He guided the team to an appearance in the 2022 NBA Finals, where it fell short against the Golden State Warriors, after posting a 51-31 record during the regular season.

He remains under contract with the Celtics amid the suspension, so the organization with have to clear him to interview with other teams if another front office expresses interest.

Boston tips off the new campaign Oct. 18 when it hosts the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden,

The Boston Celtics announced that they have suspended head coach Ime Udoka for the entire 2022-23 season for "violations of team policies." A decision regarding his future with the team past this season will be made at a later date.

pic.twitter.com/ySo5wGKrfX

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 23, 2022

"I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down," Udoka said in a statement. "I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and I accept the team's decision. Out of respect for everyone involved, I will have no further comment."

Joe Mazzulla, who has been an assistant with the Celtics since 2019, will be an interim head coach this season, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

On Wednesday evening, Wojnarowski reported Udoka was potentially in line for a significant suspension following an alleged violation of organizational guidelines:

ESPN Sources: Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka is facing possible disciplinary action – including a significant suspension – for an unspecified violation of organizational guidelines. Discussions are ongoing within the Celtics on a final determination. pic.twitter.com/1QZb0k326F

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 22, 2022

Later that night, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Udoka allegedly had a consensual relationship with a female Celtics staff member:

Celtics coach Ime Udoka had an improper intimate and consensual relationship with a female member of the team staff, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. It’s been deemed a violation of franchise’s code of conduct.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 22, 2022

According to Turner Sports' Chris Haynes, Udoka has no plans to resign from his position. That said, Wojnarowski said Thursday there's no guarantee Udoka will be back with the franchise after the 2022-23 season.

Udoka was part of a big shake-up in the Celtics' leadership structure during the 2021 offseason. Former President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge and the Celtics parted ways, and Brad Stevens was elevated from head coach to the lead front-office role.

The Celtics then hired Udoka, who served as an assistant for the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets between 2012 and 2021, as their new head coach.

Boston ended its first season under Udoka as the Eastern Conference champion. The Celtics started the year 25-25 but finished 26-6 en route to the No. 2 seed in the East playoffs. Boston swept the Brooklyn Nets in the first round before grinding out seven-game series wins over the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat. The C's took a 2-1 NBA Finals lead over the Golden State Warriors but dropped three straight to end the season.

Still, prospects remained high for the 2022-23 campaign given that all the key players who got them to the NBA Finals were returning, such as Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart. The addition of Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari brought further hope that Boston could win its first NBA title in 15 years.

However, the preseason has been a disaster for Boston. Gallinari is out for the year now with a torn ACL, and budding star center Robert Williams III will be out four to six weeks after undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee.

Now, Udoka has been suspended for the entire season. Mazzulla will inherit a team considered to be one of the NBA's top title contenders. The 34-year-old already has head coaching experience thanks to a pair of seasons leading Division II Fairmount State to a 43-17 record and an NCAA tournament berth in his second year.

Mazzulla also played collegiately at West Virginia from 2006 to 2011 and helped lead the Mountaineers to the 2010 Final Four, dropping 17 points in an Elite Eight upset win over John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and the Kentucky Wildcats. The guard finished with 700 points and 340 assists for his career.

Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka reportedly will not resign from his position while he awaits punishment from the Boston Celtics for having a consensual relationship with a female member of the organization, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.

Per multiple reports, he is potentially facing punishment and possibly a yearlong suspension.

Celtics coach Ime Udoka had an improper intimate and consensual relationship with a female member of the team staff, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. It’s been deemed a violation of franchise’s code of conduct.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 22, 2022

Ime Udoka’s job isn’t believed to be in jeopardy, but a suspension is looming and a final determination on that length could come as soon as Thursday, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/x0uWgD5URM

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 22, 2022

Assistant coach Joe Mazzulla is likely to become Boston's interim coach for the season, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/GKEiMemnFN

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 22, 2022

While the actual details of the situation are unclear, the Celtics' handling of the situation to this point has been seen as suspect by some NBA pundits:

The handling of the Ime Udoka situation has been awful. From it leaking out to the coverage to the rampant speculation and putting people’s names and reputation up while speculation is disgusting and gross. No one needs these details. These are real people in a messed up spot.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) September 22, 2022

Agreed. The initial reporting invited heightened speculation, and that's only been compounded by the team's silence. The longer this drags on, the more it appears the #Celtics and Ime Udoka are headed for a parting, not a hiatus. https://t.co/0UNqWfrJmO

— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) September 22, 2022

If somebody in the Celtics organization leaked that story about Ime Udoka, they need to be held accountable. Every woman who works there now must deal with some awful speculation. Just foul.

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 22, 2022

Udoka, 45, was entering his second season as head coach for the Celtics after leading the team to a 51-31 record and a trip to the NBA Finals, where they lost in six games to the Golden State Warriors.

Prior to joining the Celtics he spent time as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs (2012-13 to 2018-19), Philadelphia 76ers (2019-20) and Brooklyn Nets (2020-21).

He also had a seven-year career in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers (2003-04), New York Knicks (2005-06), Portland Trail Blazers (2006-07) and San Antonio Spurs (2007-08 to 2010-11).

Additionally, he spent time playing professionally overseas in Europe.

Joe Mazzulla, 34, will take over as interim head coach. He has spent the past three years as an assistant coach for the Celtics under both former head coach and current President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens and Udoka.

There reportedly are "no guarantees" regarding Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka's future status following news from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that he will likely be suspended for the entire 2022-23 season because of a violation of organizational guidelines related to a "consensual relationship with a female staff member."

Wojnarowski made the remarks on SportsCenter Thursday:

"There's not going to be any guarantees after a year of what the future might look like for Udoka," Wojnarowski said in part (2:00 mark).

Udoka, 45, just finished his first season as the Celtics' head coach after spending nine years as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets.

Boston won its first Eastern Conference title since 2010 under Udoka, who propelled the C's to a 26-6 regular-season finish en route to a second-place mark in the East standings.

Assistant coach Joe Mazzulla will "likely" take over as the team's interim head coach, per Wojnarowski.

Mazzulla, 34, joined the Celtics as an assistant in 2019 when Brad Stevens was still the head coach. Stevens has since moved into the front office to run basketball operations, but Mazzulla stayed on when Udoka came aboard.

Mazzulla was a head coach at Division II Fairmont State from 2017-19, compiling a 43-17 record and leading the team to the NCAA tournament in his second year. He was also as an assistant for the Celtics' G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws (now Celtics), in 2016-17.

The opportunity is there for Mazzulla if he is in fact named the team's head coach. Even if Udoka comes back in 2023, Mazzulla could be auditioning for another head coaching job elsewhere in the league if he does well enough in Boston this year. And if Udoka doesn't come back, then he could be in line to lead the Celtics long term.

Boston opens the season on Oct. 18 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons opened up about the back injury he sustained during the season that drew criticism from ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith.

Appearing on The Old Man and the Three podcast (starts at 46:50 mark), Simmons explained he initially had "soreness" in his back while he was working out and he went to "run up the stairs" and his "whole right side just dropped."

"As soon as I went upstairs, I laid down, and I could not move," he added.

The Nets announced on May 5 that Simmons underwent successful microdiscectomy surgery.

During the episode of First Take from the same day, Smith didn't dispute there was any injury but questioned why there was no mention of a back problem up until the moment the Nets released their statement.

Smith's main point of contention was that it seemed like Simmons was trying to protect his grievance against the Philadelphia 76ers in an attempt to recoup the nearly $20 million in salary they withheld when he didn't appear in a game for them prior to being traded.

"What I'm saying is this: You missed all these games. You get traded to Brooklyn. If you play then that messes up your case with Philly and the grievance, because then it would have been about you just not wanting to play in Philly as opposed to you really having a mental health issue that prevented you from playing period," Smith said. "So when that came into question, then we heard about the back."

Simmons had a contentious exit from the Sixers. He arrived at training camp prior to the start of last season after requesting a trade during the offseason.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Oct. 22 that Simmons told Sixers officials he didn't feel mentally ready to play in games. He refused to meet with the team's medical staff, causing frustration from the organization, per Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.

At the same time, Simmons also told the 76ers about back tightness he was experiencing. Their medical staff cleared him to participate in a team workout, but he declined because of the injury and mental readiness issues.

In February, Shelburne wrote a story in which she noted Simmons was upset Joel Embiid "seemed to blame him" for the Sixers' playoff loss to the Atlanta Hawks and "frustrated" head coach Doc Rivers didn't visit him when he was training in Los Angeles during the offseason.

After a long standoff between both sides, the 76ers traded Simmons to Brooklyn on Feb. 10. The three-time All-Star passed his physical for the deal to be made official, but was diagnosed with a herniated disc in his back on March 21.

Nets head coach Steve Nash announced on April 4 that Simmons wouldn't return for the regular season or play-in tournament. He also sat out the team's first-round playoff loss to the Boston Celtics.

Smith said last month Simmons told him personally he will be "ready to go" for the Nets at the start of the regular season.

Brooklyn opens the regular season at home on Oct. 19 against the New Orleans Pelicans.