Atlanta Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll will miss Thursday’s game in London due to birth of child

Jan 6, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Joe Johnson (7) controls the ball against Atlanta Hawks small forward DeMarre Carroll (5) during the first quarter of a game at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Early on Tuesday afternoon, the Atlanta Hawks published an official release stating that starting small forward DeMarre Carroll would miss the London game against Brooklyn as a result of “personal reasons”. While that sounds ominous (and brought immediate fear to my mind, in total honesty), the stated reason certainly was clarified just a few moments later.

DeMarre did not travel with the team to England based on the fact that his daughter was being born back in the States, and that is a more than worthwhile reason to stay put. The Hawks will certainly miss Carroll, especially on the defensive end, against players like Joe Johnson and Paul Pierce, but we want to congratulate DeMarre on the addition to his family.

In his stead, we very well could see the Hawks debut of James Nunnally, who was called up from the D-League less than a week ago, and it remains to be seen who will get the starting nod (Mike Scott? Lou Williams?) in place of Carroll. The game is more than 24 hours away, but we’ll be here with all of your coverage throughout the festivities. Stay tuned.