Tony Allen Undergoes Successful Ankle Surgery

The Boston Celtics have announced that shooting guard Tony Allen underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle. Along with the arthroscopic procedure, Allen had a posterior tibial tendon repaired.

The surgeries took place today at the New England Baptist Hospital. They were performed by team physician Dr. Brian McKeon and assisted by Dr. Mark Slovenkai and Jason Rand, PAC.

A full recovery is expected with return by training camp this fall.

What this means for Allen is unknown as far as Celtics fans are be concerned.

Will he finally have a solid 2009-2010 season and be the player the Celtics thought they had when they drafted him?

Will he return to the player that showed signs of brilliance during the 2006-2007 season before tearing his ACL?

Or will he be the player of the last two seasons, who continually battled various injuries and was buried at the end of the Celtics bench?

Allen clearly has the God-given talent and all the athletic ability in the world to contribute to the Celtics. However, when it comes to Allen, it's not those things that are holding him back.

It's his mental toughness and his work ethic.

If he can get those two major things on track, along with his athletic talent and capability to be a solid on-the-ball defender and a nice scoring option, Allen may actually have a good season next year.

If he doesn't, then he will be much of what he's been so far—a disappointment.