Hawks' Carroll on knee injury: 'If I have to do it on 1 leg, I'll hobble out there'

Facing a 2-0 series deficit and having to defend LeBron James on a bad knee isn't exactly a glamorous setting, especially for a pending free agent looking to cash in this summer.

But DeMarre Carroll isn't rattled by the task at hand, not even with a sprained left knee.

"I'm standing here," Carroll told reporters Sunday morning. "I put myself out there to help my team, whatever it takes. I know my knee is nowhere near 100 (percent). But at the end of the day if I'm out there I'm going to give it my all and hopefully my team has my back."

Carroll, who's slated to start for the Atlanta Hawks again on Sunday, noted that protecting his free agency stake isn't part of his decision-making.

"I've been getting a million calls and emails about me. 'Why am I there? This might be the biggest contract of my life,'" Carroll said of the questions surrounding him playing through injury.

"But at the end of the day this game isn't promised to you. So whenever you've got an opportunity to play basketball, a lot of people say it's bigger than money and it feels like that to me," he said.

"I cherish this game and I want to be out there fighting. And if I have to fight on one leg, I'm gonna fight on one leg. I can't let this opportunity pass me by. Eastern Conference Finals, playing against LeBron James. I don't care if I have to do it on one leg, I'll hobble out there."

Carroll has enjoyed a career-year for the Hawks, averaging 12.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 steals on a stellar 60.3 true shooting percentage during the regular season, while becoming the team's second-leading scorer during the postseason as Atlanta advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time in 45 years.

Carroll is the Hawks' best defensive option against James and has limited LeBron like few others have in individual matchups this season, but asking him to do so on one leg may be asking too much, as evidenced in Game 2.

Nevertheless, no matter how the postseason ends for Carroll and the Hawks, the 28-year-old will do just fine for himself on the open market come July.