DeMarre Carroll was back home in Birmingham, Ala., earlier this week, enjoying an overdue moment of serenity after four of the most chaotic months in his life. Only then, as he kicked back on his parents’ couch, could the former Missouri forward begin to reflect on everything that had happened to him since March.
It had started with the end of a senior season that turned out better than anyone could have imagined. He followed that up with an MVP performance in the Portsmouth Invitational and equally impressive showings in individual workouts, endured a predraft scare that coincided with the revelation of a liver condition and experienced the euphoria of hearing his name called on draft night, when the Memphis Grizzlies selected him with the 27th overall pick. Then it was right into press conferences and workouts and finally last week’s NBA summer league in Las Vegas.
“It’s crazy,” said Carroll, who was on the verge of signing a two-year contract that is expected to pay him $1,009,680 in his first season and $1,085,400 in the second with team options for the two seasons after that. “I am happy to be able to sit back and actually enjoy everything because I really haven’t even thought about me actually in the NBA and having this much money and being able to take care of my family. I’ve just been on the move so much. Many people have asked me, ‘Do I realize the accomplishments I’ve made?’ I really haven’t enjoyed it.”
He isn’t getting much of a break, though. He was scheduled to head to Memphis to meet with team officials and begin shopping for a place to live.
Carroll plans on spending the first week in August in Las Vegas, working out with dozens of other NBA players — including, he said, budding stars such as Kevin Durant and Rudy Gay — and longtime NBA assistant coach Tim Grgurich in his annual camp. Soon after comes the NBA rookie transition program. Then he said he’ll spend time working out in Memphis and then Los Angeles, make a short visit to Columbia to catch a football game and then head off to training camp, which begins in late September.
“Having this down time is key for me,” Carroll said. “It allows me to get ready for training camp and actually get back mentally strong for what’s about to take place.”
His experience in last week’s summer league should have taken some of the surprise out of what’s in store. It gave Carroll and his fellow rookies an opportunity to get a feel for the nuances of the NBA game, from the way it is officiated to the longer 3-point line and the typical rhythm of each contest.
The competition will, of course, get better as he gets into the NBA season, but Carroll showed well with his summer-league play. He averaged 12.2 points and 4.8 rebounds, shot an impressive 58.5 percent from the field and even came up with six steals to help the Grizzlies squad, which included fellow draft picks Hasheem Thabeet and Sam Young, compile a 5-0 record.
“You can put me on any team in any setting, and I’m going to do what I do and bring what I bring, and that’s energy and just being all over the place,” Carroll said. “It was pretty easy for me because, my coach told me, the type of game I play, you don’t necessarily have to run any plays, you can just throw me out there and I’m going to make plays.”
The 6-foot-8, 212-pounder is hoping his summer-league performance started to answer the question of whether he’d be able to make the switch from power forward to small forward at the professional level.
Things have not been as easy for his former frontcourt mate, Leo Lyons, who was not selected in the draft.
Seldom used by the Indiana Pacers in the Orlando Summer League earlier this month, the 6-foot-9, 244-pound forward looked to be making the most of his second chance with the Cleveland Cavaliers team in Las Vegas. He averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in his first two games before his minutes suddenly dwindled and he combined for only 11 points and eight rebounds in the final three games.
“It’s really tough in the summer leagues,” said agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, who represents Carroll and Lyons. “You’re going with new teammates, new coaches, a new system. It’s very hard for a young guy to get acclimated, especially when you’re not a team’s draft pick. I thought he did really, really well, and I’m really excited about his future.”
Lyons hasn’t given up on that future including a spot on an NBA roster. He participated in a minicamp with the Atlanta Hawks this week and Bartelstein is continuing to explore other opportunities that might be available to him.
“We’re going to talk to everybody in the NBA and see what we think are the best opportunities for him in terms of making a team,” the agent said. “We’re also talking to a number of people overseas that are real interested. Hopefully, we’ll come to a decision here over the next couple weeks.”
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