With not much left to do in the regular season — get to 50 wins for the first time in franchise history and develop a rhythm going into the playoffs — there is one thing the Toronto Raptors should seriously consider.

Which is to decide it’s best for everyone concerned to shut down injured forward DeMarre Carroll for the rest of the season.

It would be a bold move, and a pre-emptive one, but one that is necessary when all things are considered.

Carroll has not played since Jan. 3 and he had knee surgery on Jan. 6 — a surprise operation there was no hint of even a day before. He hasn’t played since and hasn’t even been through a full five-on-five practice.

To expect him to come back and contribute immediately is both folly and wishful thinking. He’s played in just 23 of 70 games and battled plantar fasciitis even before the knee issues popped up necessitating the surgery. To imagine he’d get fully healthy and in game shape in the 16 days left in the regular season defies logic.

With just 10 games left in the season, the Raptors have to wonder what they’ll be getting if Carroll suddenly appears in uniform again and whether it’s worth the disruption it might cause.

Conditioning would be an issue, as there are at most five days left in the season for full practice. And with the paramount concern of not wearing down the players too much, the chance of any of them being held at full speed and with full five-on-five contact is remote at best. The chance of getting Carroll back to full speed is remote indeed.

But it would be a blow, no doubt. Carroll and his four-year, $60 million (U.S.) free agent contract were the centrepiece of general manager Masai Ujiri’s summer makeover to turn the Raptors into a defence-oriented team better prepared for the post-season.

But is half a Carroll worth the disruption his return would cause? Even when he was playing, there were nights when his transition into the rotation was far from seamless; trying to fit him in when the stakes are so large would seem counter-productive.

It would mean relying more on rookie Norman Powell, and it’s impossible to guess how a first-year player will handle the post-season cauldron, but Powell seems impervious to pressure and stress and could provide precisely the role-playing support necessary.

Besides, a rookie who has been playing and fitting in could very well give the Raptors more than a veteran coming back after months of inactivity.

The whole handling of the Carroll issue has been odd and runs counter to the way the franchise has historically acted.

He is the elephant in the room and something of a ghost, seen but not seen, barely spoken of.

Questions about his progress and possible return are rebuffed with non-answers like “when there’s an update, we’ll update you” and Carroll hasn’t spoken publicly in over a month.

With most of each team practice closed to the media, all that anyone has seen Carroll do is go through individual workouts, and team sources say that’s been the extent of his on-court work.

There is no indication anything nefarious is going on, no whispers of physical setbacks. But it has been almost three months since he’s played any real basketball, and with each passing day, suspicion grows something is just not right.

With so many different factions involved — team management, its medical staff, the player, his agent, the coaching staff — there are inherent conflicting interests. It’s never a simple process with any player in the NBA, and Carroll is no different than a handful of others whose injuries and recovery seem clouded in secrecy and confusion.

Coming out this week and announcing Carroll is finished does two very important, inter-connected things:

One, it clears up the one distracting roster situation that exists when the entire focus should be on getting ready for the playoffs.

Secondly, it sends a clear message to rookie Powell he better be ready for a major post-season role.

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It’s not like the Raptors should totally give up on Carroll, as he could be a valuable piece in the future.

But this season? Right now?

It’s time to cut bait and get on with job at hand with the players at their disposal.