POLL | Which ATL professional team will be first to win a title in their sport?

[sturt]

 

 

https://fansided.com/2020/02/17/atlanta-sports-fan-saga/

 

[AHF]

Since the Braves already won a title, I think it is safe to go with them.

[AHF]

11 minutes ago, sturt said:

Um. I think you know what I mean, you Cheshire Cat you....

Which will be the first... future tense... going forward.

The Braves would still be my same guess.  They are already a playoff team and have a young core of excellent talent.  Baseball also seems to have the most variability among the 3 leagues in terms of who can win.  A few pitchers get hot and it can completely flip a playoff series.  I'd put the NFL next and the NBA as the most predictable / least variance.

[AHF]

2 minutes ago, sturt said:

About what?  The depth of true contenders in the different sports or taking a view that the Hawks or Falcons have the higher % path to a championship?

(Also let's be honest that it isn't the Falcons and we are talking purely Braves v Hawks).

[Spud2nique]

Not falling for your games BIG boy!!!!

 

[AHF]

49 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Not falling for your games BIG boy!!!!

 

She was stunning.

[NBASupes]

Braves already won and they are in the best place to win again

[Peoriabird]

3 hours ago, AHF said:

The Braves would still be my same guess.  They are already a playoff team and have a young core of excellent talent.  Baseball also seems to have the most variability among the 3 leagues in terms of who can win.  A few pitchers get hot and it can completely flip a playoff series.  I'd put the NFL next and the NBA as the most predictable / least variance.

Not going to happen with Snitger as manager

[NBASupes]

1 hour ago, sturt said:

Congrats on your win

[High5]

The Braves have no trouble making the playoffs and that's all it takes in MLB. Just get hot at the right time. Too many question marks with the Falcons to put them first and the Hawks are just trying to become a playoff team right now.

[JayBirdHawk]

Five Stripes - #ATLUD!

[Lurker]

This didn't go as you thought it would, but even with Trae showing optimism, until it's shown on the court, I would put the Braves ahead in most likely to win another. I would need to see a big leap as well and honestly probably 2 seasons similar to what the Braves have put out recently, not just 1.

I might actually say that while de Boer is manager at Atlanta United, even when Josef comes back that the Braves for now slightly edge out Atlanta United too. I'm not sure that de Boer's style is all that great.

Doesn't mean that things can't change quickly as in the last 5-6 years or so it has gone from Hawks, to Falcons (28-3, bruuhhh), to Braves in that same time period with the big 3 in the US. I might have just let on with a big reason of how there has been no big 3 title since 1995 in Atlanta though, whoops...

It helps for me that it's been several months since October however, with a lot that has gone on since then. Honestly, the cheating bust for the Astros has made that incredibly stupid 1st inning and the Nationals World Series win fade to the back of my mind. Congrats sturt, but sorry, that title and frankly most of those playoffs are the last thing that would come to my mind right now in evaluating. The Astros deserved to lose.

Edited May 9, 2020 by Lurker

[TheNorthCydeRises]

The answer has to be the Braves.  The problem in the NBA is that you pretty much need a top 5 player in the league to win a chip.  And at least a top 3 player in the conference just to get to the Finals.

I think the better question is  . . . is Trae a top 3 player in the East?  And if not, where does he rank?

[Spud2nique]

17 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

is Trae a top 3 player in the East?  And if not, where does he rank?

I’d say Trae is #2 in the East after Giannis.

1. Giannis

2. Trae

3. Embiid

 

[JayBirdHawk]

33 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

I’d say Trae is #2 in the East after Giannis.

1. Giannis

2. Trae

3. Embiid

 

I don't see why not - at least in terms of building a team around him.

[AHF]

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[Lurker]

My justification…

1.       Braves: The top young talent of the rebuild (it is not at a rebuild stage anymore, as until the COVID mess threw everything into a tizzy, I would have still favored the Braves to win another division slightly…not that a division matters as we’ve seen) is already there and performing at a high level for their age, Freeman remains a stalwart, Soroka and Fried (even if his record was inflated, he looked really good at times in 2019 and I think is a mid-rotation starter) fully emerged in 2019, the bullpen was bolstered had we not seen a bullpen kablam (there’s no telling with bullpen arms), and there is still upside that can come from improvement from the youth and from the farm. The only major question for 2020 before MLB was put on hold was probably if you could see Fried take another step or somebody else emerge for that #2 spot but it is because I’m semi-bullish on Soroka and his future. No Donaldson is a downgrade, but it really is not one that bothers me a whole lot.

2.       Hawks: I am bullish on Trae Young’s offensive abilities continuing to hold up but after you go beyond him, I honestly still need more information. I think Cam Reddish is a major key like Ronald Acuna was for the Braves. If he is able to build off his last 27 games and flash major breakout potential, then I think this team is in good shape going forward IF the front office shows that they can bring outside help. Honestly, this team could make a jump into the 6th-8th seed ballpark in 20/21 (which I thought was possible before 19/20 but I think is a lot, a LOT cloudier now), but I would still think there was quite a way to go.

3.       Falcons: There is a better than decent chance that their shot was blown in all honesty. The 2016 season had all the makings of a “get red hot then win a championship” type deal. Until the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl. The upside is still there I guess, but I am not feeling it.

This stuff sometimes feels as if it was a lifetime ago, but with my football fandom, I have been horribly unlucky recently. Honestly, both the Falcons AND Georgia had the kind of seasons (maybe more like stretch with the 2016 Falcons because they were up and down and timed the second hot streak that went into the playoffs) that are ended with winning it all by 98 out of 100 teams in back to back years. The only 2 teams that did not were the Falcons and Georgia.

I think the 2019 Braves story ended up being somewhat similar to 2010. Wonderful stretch in the middle of the year after a slow start (not sure if 2010 was similar on the slow start off the top of my head) but was too injured by the time the playoffs rolled around. It can be viewed as an excuse, but Freeman has said that he would have likely not been able to play in the NLCS. Of course, it helps that this was several months ago, because if it was very fresh (like if it were November with the Hawks looking awful as well), I would be feeling a little morose about both.

[sturt]

Appreciate the extensive explanation, @Lurker.

I've somewhat obviously been attempting to keep my remarks to a minimum. I'll just say this. In baseball, you have to have some proven upper tier starting pitching, the more you have, the more likely you can do something special. In football, you almost have to have some proven upper tier starting quarterback, the more proven, the more likely you can do something special.

Basketball, you still have to have some proven upper tier players, but the advantage is, if you're able to get that first one, there at least are some viable avenues for a team that is in the Hawks' current posture to either acquire a second and a third, or develop them. And because there are only 5 men on the floor at a time, that on its own represents a significant slice of the roster.

I'll eat crow, certainly... just provide the salt and pepper, and make it medium-well, please... but the Braves could easily plateau (not go down, but plateau) relatively soon if they don't feature some top shelf starting pitching in the near future.

I like my Hawks to be that next Atlanta champion, and I also can't help but note that Trae's actually ahead of schedule for now on his 5 year prediction noted previously.

[Spud2nique]

The Braves easily. We are going to be the best team in our division for a while. Left to right : Waters Pache Acuna jr. Add in Albies, Swanson, Riley infield coming up. Soroka and the pitching staff will blossom. I think in the NL it’s going to be a two team race for the next 5 years between the Braves and Dodgers.

In the AL, I’ll say the Yanks, Rays, Jays and Sox.
 

 

Let me put it in the Spudsterputter...   

Braves  67%
 

Hawks 31%
 

Falcons 2%

 

 

 

[Vol4ever]

1.  Braves by a longshot.

2-3 Hawks just dont have the talent. They have to get a superstar and that would change things but until then it's a huge long shot.

Falcons had their shot and blew it.  Ryan is getting older and the management team is pathetic imo.