Locked in as the No. 2 seed in the East, the Toronto Raptors could be getting an added boost before the regular season ends with the possible return of DeMarre Carroll.
After signing a long-term deal with the Raptors in the offseason, Carroll played 23 games before having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in January. The Raptors defense has slipped without Carroll, but he has recently returned to practice, and they're hoping that Carroll can play in a few of their last regular-season games.
From the Toronto Sun's Mike Ganter:
And based on everything head coach Dwane Casey said Monday regarding Carroll, he will be given every chance to do just that.
"If his body responds and he can go, then he is going to be out there because he is by far one of our best perimeter defenders."
While there is no set timetable for a return, the most likely scenario -- and the one both Carroll and Casey seemed to be hinting at Monday -- would see Carroll ramping things up on the practice court or at shootaround over the next five days and then hopefully getting an increasing number of minutes over the final three games of the season when the Raptors will be playing non-playoff teams.
"He's coming (along)," Casey said. "I don't know what the timetable is, but he is moving well. There is no obvious swelling. Again, I am not a doctor. I will leave that up to the medical people, but he is working. ... We are not going to put a timetable on it and have an update every day."
So no timetable, but Casey has a plan of attack if all goes well.
"The last three or whatever games there are when he comes back we will use those as his test lab," Casey said.
...
Carroll is looking to be back in action as soon as possible but he knows going a million miles an hour now could prove to be less beneficial in the long run. And he recognizes the chance for another setback is there.
"It feels totally different," Carroll said of what he is feeling now compared to when he first came back and suffered that setback with all the swelling. "When I was working out before, I could feel the swelling when I was working out and now I don't feel nothing so that’s a good sign.
"We just keep pushing it and hopefully, I keep playing two-on-two, three-on-three, four-on-four and coach is ready to put me in and call my number and I'm ready to play," he said.
If Carroll is able to play in Toronto's last remaining regular-season games and be physically ready by the start of the playoffs, that would be a huge addition to the Raptors. Carroll is an excellent perimeter defender that can lock down an opponent's top scorer, a very helpful asset in a playoff series. He is also a solid offensive player, capable of knocking down 3s and was averaging 11.7 points and 4.8 rebounds before his injury.
But as Ganter points out, there is still no timetable for Carroll's return and the Raptors are just being hopeful about him coming back before the start of the playoffs. It is a promising sign that he has been practicing, though. Especially since a possible regular-season return by Carroll could give the Raptors some momentum as they head into the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the East.
