The Toronto Raptors signed DeMarre Carroll this offseason to a big contract so that he would bring a defensive presence to the team and sure up the small forward spot which has been an issue for them in past years. The Raptors have not gotten much out of Carroll yet this season as he has dealt with a myriad of different injuries and he recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. The Raptors hope that when Carroll returns he will be fully healthy and it seems like his recovery is coming along faster than expected, according to Jessica Patton of the Toronto Sun.
Carroll has only played in 23 of the Raptors' 41 games so far this season but even that is an impressive feat as the doctor was reportedly surprised he was able to play through the inflammation going on in his knee. Even when Carroll was playing it was very obvious that he was not 100 percent as he was playing poorly and not producing as much as he had in the last two seasons with Atlanta.
It has now been two weeks since Carroll underwent the surgery and although he isn't able to do much Carroll believes he is ahead of schedule. The initial timetable for Carroll's return was reportedly 6-8 weeks after the surgery and the Raptors have remained quiet in terms of a timetable. There is still no definitive timetable for when Carroll might return but he is eager to get back and help the team.
"I just want to get back out there on the court and play at the level I know I can play at and what I should be playing at. Whenever I can get out there, I gotta just take this team to a whole other level," said Carroll.
Even though Carroll has not contributed much to the Raptors so far this season they are still 26-15 which is the second best record in the Eastern Conference. Without Carroll this team looks like one of the top contenders in the East and possibly the biggest threat to the Cleveland Cavaliers, so the hope is that when Carroll gets back they will take it to another level.
Toronto has yet to see Carroll fully healthy in a Raptors uniform but when he is fully recovered from this surgery he should make an enormous impact on the team. So far Carroll is averaging 11.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting just 39 percent from the field but when he gets back the Raptors should expect a completely different player.
