DeMarre

Carroll

Carroll was part of the 60-win Hawks team that made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2015 and part of the starting five that won Eastern Conference Player of the Month in January of that year. He’s very familiar with Coach Bud’s philosophies and could help make up for the loss of Darvin Ham, who left to take the Lakers’ head coaching job. Carroll hasn’t played in the NBA since the Bubble, and it appears his playing days are officially over.

Carroll has been a sporadic part of the Rockets’ rotation this season. He fills a 3-and-D niche but isn’t likely to crack the playoff rotation while P.J. Tucker (34 minutes), Danuel House (27 minutes) and Jeff Green (22 minutes) are all healthy.

Hamstring injuries are easy to aggravate, so it was no surprise to see Houston play it safe with Carroll’s minutes -- coach Mike D’Antoni said before the game that he would be “very limited.” He did grab nine rebounds with two assists and zero turnovers, and some rust was to be expected, but he’s not a DFS option with minutes hovering in the 12-18 range.

Mike D’Antoni said after the scrimmage, which was the first of three that Houston will play before resuming its season, that Carroll tweaked his hamstring earlier this week. No word regarding how much time the veteran forward will miss, so consider Carroll day-to-day for the time being. His absence means even more minutes in the rotation for reserves Danuel House, Ben McLemore and Jeff Green, as all three played at least 21 minutes Friday night (House led the trio with 30).

With DeMarre Carroll (hamstring) sidelined for Houston’s exhibition opener, there was one less person for House to share minutes with on the wing. And to his credit he took advantage, shooting better than 50 percent from the field overall and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Once the season resumes, House will be worth considering as a cheap option to fill out DFS rosters.

He saw some minutes in garbage time to boost his playing time a bit. Perhaps Carroll could see more minutes with another Eric Gordon (knee) injury tonight, but he’s not to be trusted in just about any fantasy league.

He’ll be available, but there are no guarantees he’ll actually get out there. Leave him on the wire.

Carroll hasn’t been a consistent part of the rotation in Houston, so his playing status does not impact fantasy hoops.

Nine of those minutes were in garbage time, and Carroll may not his minutes trend up as he gets familiar with the offense. While he’s a great fit on this roster, the fantasy value won’t be there unless the Rockets get hit with the injury bug.

It was reported on Monday that Carroll intends to sign with the Rockets, but he will have to clear waivers in order to take that step. Feel free to leave the veteran forward on the waiver wire until he’s officially a member of the Rockets and his role is clearly defined.