COLUMBIA, Mo. • Not long ago DeMarre Carroll was an NBA vagabond. From February 2011 to February 2012, the first-round pick from Missouri was traded once and waived twice. He made the league’s minimum salary with the Denver Nuggets — only to appear in four games.
Waived by Denver, he landed in Utah, where Carroll began to reinvent his body, his game and his career.
The full transformation took place in Atlanta — under an assistant coach Mizzou fans know well — as Carroll spent two years becoming one of the NBA’s best two-way players.