3 teams, 3 questions: Quinn could be on hook as much as Dimitroff in '16

But the truth is, it also could be a make or break year for Quinn, as strange as that may sound. Consider: Dimitroff was retained by owner Arthur Blank at least in part because Quinn backed him and the two have a good working relationship. If the Falcons miss the playoffs again next season, Quinn, who currently has control of the 53-man roster, could lose some autonomy, or at worst his job. If Dimitroff is fired, the new general manager likely would come in with some power and might want to bring in his own coach. So in my view, a lot is riding on the draft and free agency for both the coach and the GM next season.

Answer: No. It makes no sense, unless the Hawks are choosing to kiss off the possibility of a long playoff run (which also doesn't make sense) or they're getting a tremendous return in a trade (which seems unlikely).

I agree with many that the Hawks look shaky right now. But to trade Teague during a relatively "off" season when he also might be laboring from a lingering ankle sprain would likely mean getting pennies on the dollar. It’s unlikely any contender seeking him would give up a player or players worth the deal for the Hawks. I’m also not comfortable with Dennis Schroeder suddenly becoming this team’s starting point guard. He's too inconsistent. I understand the argument for trading Teague or Horford at some point. But it makes far more sense to deal one or both after the season when a better deal likely could be made. Horford will be an unrestricted free agent but he can still be moved in a sign-and-trade. Teague is easily movable because of his relatively modest salary for a starting point guard ($8 million in 2016-17, the final year of his contract).

As for the playoffs, think about this: The Eastern Conference against is just north of average. Who scares you? Cleveland? Chicago? Toronto? The Hawks have problems but it’s only late January, still plenty of time to get things together.

Answer: I doubt it. Very much. You might've seen my blog the other day about USA Today ranking the Braves' starting pitching as the worst in baseball. Considering they traded their best starter from last season, Shelby Miller and their perceived best remaining starter, Julio Teheran, is coming off his worst season (4.04 ERA, after 3.20 and 2.89 the previous two years), it's hard to dispute. The Braves have a ton of kids. Logic suggests there are going to be a string of hiccups. Improving on last season's 67 wins might depend more on the bullpen putting our brush fires than anything else. The team is likely to go through a blur of relievers again over 162 games. It's always possible that general manager John Coppolella will spin a deal to bring in a dependable arm. But until that happens or there's evidence of significant improvement through the rest of the team, my default position is this team will lose 90 games again.

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