His nickname at Missouri was the Junkyard Dog. DeMarre Carroll was the guy who wasn’t afraid to scrap and fight for rebounds and loose balls under the basket. He would throw his body around and mix it up with the Big 12’s best. That reputation and work ethic has earned Carroll high grades from NBA scouts and executives, but now questions of his health may hurt his chances of going in the first round of the NBA .
Steve Walentik, who covers Missouri basketball for the Columbia Daily Tribune wrote in his Sunday column that Carroll has impressed several NBA teams with his individual workouts. Carroll spoke with Walentik and told him, “Everybody tells me I’m a lock for the second round, but now people say they’re going to pick me up in the first round. I’ve got GMs saying that a winning team needs a guy like me to come off the bench. I feel like I can sneak in the first round.”
Then there were some questions that came up about Carroll’s health on the website draftexpress.com , that reported that Carroll “may need a liver transplant in the near or long-term future.”
That report is being scaled back by Carroll’s agent, Mark Bartelstein. In a follow up to his story on Sunday, Walentik spoke with Bartelstein who said there is some misinformation and the story is being blown out of proportion.
Apparently, it’s been an issue that Carroll has been aware of and while at Missouri was being treated and observed by Dr. Jeffrey S. Crippin at Washington University in St. Louis. According to Bartelstein, further treatment may or may not be needed after Carroll’s playing days are well over.
Read more on Steve Walentik’s follow up story , from the Columbia Daily Tribune article.