That DeMarre Carroll wasn’t in for the last possession in Saturday’s game against the Washington Wizards was stunning. DeMarre Carroll is the Hawks best defender. He is known by the nickname “Junkyard Dog”. He has been asked to guard Lebron James and Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard and has done so willingly. And yet he took himself out of a tied playoff game on the last possession.
Post-game he said, “Coach did put me in but I didn’t feel comfortable at the time.” He alluded to a physical reason but didn’t say exactly what it was and as explanations go, it sounded, at best, bizarre.
Carroll is forever preaching defense is what matters most. Defense is how games are won or lost. And yet, it is defense that he decided to back away from.
There is something so ironic and a little insulting about a player who proudly wears the Junkyard Dog nickname but whose behavior in one of the most important moments of his season is just the opposite. It feels as if the joke is on us.
Offense is about your legs and your rhythm and timing. Defense is about effort and will and desire. It answers a question about your heart. Was DeMarre Carroll sub-consciously making a point?
Carroll later admitted he should have been in the game. So what about his physical discomfort? Did it suddenly disappear? Was it some 3 minute virus? This was the most important moment in the Hawks season and history. The Hawks have never won a second round series. All the Hawks needed from Carroll was 14 seconds. 14 seconds.
Carroll is a free agent come June 30th. Playoff success in a contract year translates into dollars and for a low contract player like Carroll- he makes $2.5 million- this summer can amount to a big raise. Note to the money doesn’t matter crowd stuck in the romance of sports and not the business of sports: getting paid always matters.
If Pierce had scored on Carroll and the Vine and Instagram of that shot circled the world, would that have changed what people thought about Carroll?
Carroll has had a tremendous playoffs so far and is the poster child for what happens when you work your ass off but as someone recently pointed out, if DeMarre Carroll is your best player, you’ll never make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Taking himself out of the equation was the same thing as saying 100% of Dennis Schroder on defense is better than 60% of DeMarre Carroll on defense.
This is the truth: DeMarre Carroll’s teammates needed him. His coached wanted him. Both, he let down.
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Look back on all of the playoff heroics over the years, of the great players who limped and stumbled and willed themselves into moments, think of Willis Reed and his leg, think of Michael Jordan’s flu game, think of Kobe Bryant’s jammed up knee. Think of Lebron James on Sunday. He said, “I couldn’t let my teammates down.”
Mar 27, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll (5) reacts to his three-point attempt in the fourth quarter of their game against the Miami Heat at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 99-86. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
We think we know what great really is. We define it in specific terms of a last shot or a winning play. We like to say the playoffs are where you get your fame. But all it really comes down to is perseverance when the stakes are high and the body is battered but the mind is still fighting a desperate war. That’s when you know you have a special player.
Judge that against DeMarre Carroll taking himself out of a game when 14 seconds meant everything and changed everything.
Today, Carroll backtracked.
"“To clarify what went on last night, me and Coach discussed the situation and we discussed the sub and we felt like that was the best group at the time. I hadn’t played for a quarter and a half. That’s what we felt.”"
Carroll was careful to use the word “we” as if this ultimately was not his blame to carry, that there is a coach and the coach has the final word. Except Carroll said himself, the coach put him in and he took himself out. So, obviously the coach’s word is not final.
For his part, Budenholzer reminded everyone that his coaching style is collaborative, that he measures and assesses the situation and no one would object to that. Except when there are 14 seconds left and the other team has Paul Pierce and DeMarre Carroll has the physical size and gifts to make Pierce miss the shot.
Why would Budenholzer not demand Carroll for 14 seconds. If DeMarre told him he was uncomfortable because he hadn’t played much in the second half, all Budenholzer had to say was, I need you. I need you. The Hawks need you.
This is our season.