The Toronto Raptors have firmly placed themselves in the higher echelon of the NBA and it’s been coming. They have kept themselves steady, didn’t try to be extra, just get a core, build around it and the people will come in time. They’re now 2nd in the East by a good margin and about half of it was done without their key signing DeMarre Carroll.
But Carroll is close to returning. So close that the Raptors, if the world was perfect, want Carroll to come in for the last few games to get the rust off, just in time for the Playoffs.
“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.”
“He’s coming,” 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. He went through practice today, but we will see what happens as far as a timetable goes. We are not going to put a timetable on it and have an update every day.
“The last three or whatever games there are when he comes back we will use those as his test lab,” Casey said. “No disrespect to those teams but to get some work in, get some run in, get knocked down a few times, get hit a few times and see where he stands.”
Man isn’t that just perfect. They’re going to have the defensive beast coming back just in time for the Playoffs, with a seamless transition.
I’m telling you if DeMarre Carroll is solid during the Playoffs I can see this team in the NBA Finals.
