Olynyk didn't practice today, guess it's time to free Mickey

[GreenWarrior]

Olynyk is sawft. done with him.

[Celtic Fan Forever]

Zeller is the clear option.

Wrong. He's a horrible option against ATL, so calling him the 'clear' one is just plain wrong.

And a rookie Mickey is a better option how?

Look Zeller frustrates me like he does a lot of us here, but you have to play him over Mickey. He knows the plays, has the experience, and won't cost us with his inability to rotate on defense and play the p&r like Mickey would.

Do I hate Zeller sometimes? Absolutely. But he needs to get minutes before Mickey in a crucial playoff game.

Zeller doesn't cost us on defense? Are you serious? He's the worst defender on the team... and that's before you put him in this weak match up.

Rookie or not -- Mickey is a FAR better defender than Zeller, and a far better match up with the pick and pop game of Teague / Schroeder with Millsap / Horford.

This is not a defense of Mickey -- it's an indictment of Zeller. Meanwhile, I don't see this type of shock around injuries potentially forcing Hunter or Rozier into action.... The Hawks PGs and mobile bigs represent problems that only the rookies may be a reasonable duct-tape plan to utilize, given Stevens' options.

That said, I predict we'll see < 10 mins of Zeller, and they'll be awful. And that we won't see Mickey. I think Stevens' will ask JJ, Crowder and Amir to gut it out big time in this game.

I don't think you can say Mickey is a better defender at this point than Zeller. Individually maybe, shot blocking obviously. But Mickey looks lost out there, he's not ready to play NBA level defense on a playoff team right now. Zeller can be frustratingly soft out there, but he's the more knowledgeable team defender at this very moment.

[86MaxwellSmart]

Where's Glenn McDonald when you need him-?

[rondohondo]

Kelly officially out according to ESPN

I fully expect Zeller to get mins early , and to get abused if going up against Millsap and Horford .

[Dino Pitino]

Thank god Mickey wasn't in there to disrupt the offense. We might've only scored, like, 5 points instead of 7 that quarter.

[jambr380]

Thank god Mickey wasn't in there to disrupt the offense. We might've only scored, like, 5 points instead of 7 that quarter.

Come on, man - Zeller was obviously killing it! Top rim-runner in the league, I read...

[ssspence]

Mickey could had a fifth of vodka before the game and played better than anyone in the frontcourt during the first half (other than Johnson).

[Evantime34]

Zeller has been better than Sully tonight.

[Celtic Fan Forever]

Zeller has been better than Sully tonight.

I've been more valuable to this team sitting on my couch than Sully has being out there on the floor

[Evantime34]

Mickey has been freed!

[MBunge]

Thank god Mickey wasn't in there to disrupt the offense. We might've only scored, like, 5 points instead of 7 that quarter.

I don't understand AT ALL what's happened with Stevens and his rotations.  He's gone from literally trying to play everyone every game to playing nine no matter what to now throwing Hunter and Rozier out there in a playoff game but flat out refusing to give Mickey any run.

It's baffling.

Mike