Raptors, Carroll

DeMarre Carroll

Some fans may even forget that Carroll was a Nugget due to his short stint. While mostly just riding the bench, Carroll made four appearances in the white and blue, averaging 3.0 points in 5.4 minutes.

After being waved by the Rockets in April of 2011, Carroll was invited to the Nuggets training camp the following year. He was with the team only a few months before being waved.

Through his tenure, Carroll played at the power forward position. He later found success as a small forward as he began to earn his minutes and become a starter in Utah and later Atlanta.

This last offseason Carroll signed a four-year, $60 million dollar deal with the Raptors. While a knee injury caused him to miss most of this year, he has been healthy for the playoffs. In fact, over the past two seasons, Carroll has been the best defender against LeBron James in the entire league. While James had the upper hand earlier in the series, Carroll had his best defensive performance in Game 3.

Verdict: No one in Denver could have foreseen what kind of player Carroll became. If the Nuggets had decided to try playing him at the three, the team possibly could have struck gold.