The 2021 Buzz Awards: The best and worst of South Florida sports this year
Recapping the best and worst, the scintillating and nauseating, of South Florida sports in 2021:
Best major personnel decisions
1). Dolphins drafting Jaylen Waddle, Jaelan Phillips and Jevon Holland. Kudos to beleaguered general manager Chris Grier for nailing Miami’s first three picks in April’s draft.
2). Heat signing Kyle Lowry, who gives them a chance — when this roster is healthy — to go deep in the playoffs, something unlikely otherwise.
3). Panthers trading for Sam Bennett in April and Sam Reinhart in July. Bennett, very good to close last season, has eight goals and six assists in 25 games this season after getting a four-year, $17.6 million deal. Reinhart (who got a three year, $19.5 million deal) has nine goals and 14 assists in 29 games this season.
4). UM luring Charleston Rambo in the transfer portal from Oklahoma. He set-single season UM records for receptions (79) and yards receiving (1,172).
5). Heat signing P.J. Tucker. Among the NBA’s top defenders and glue guys, and shooting 45 percent on threes.
Best under-the-radar personnel decisions
1). Marlins trading Yimi Garcia to Houston for outfielder Bryan De La Cruz, a revelation who hit .296, with five homers and 19 RBI in 58 games.
2). Dolphins re-signing Mack Hollins even though they had 10 receivers under contract at the time; he has four TD catches, is an ace on special teams and a team leader.
3). Heat giving a two-way deal to Caleb Martin and minimum deals to Max Strus and Gabe Vincent, who both have improved dramatically.
4). Marlins trading Alex Vesia and Kyle Hurt to the Dodgers last February for Dylan Floro, who had a 2.81 ERA and 15 saves.
5). Marlins going to the scrap heap to find hard-throwing Anthony Bender (3-2, 2.79 ERA, 75 strikeouts and 65 baserunners in 61 innings).
6). Dolphins adding Duke Johnson, who produced the team’s first 100-yard rushing game of the season against the Jets.
7). Panthers waiving Keith Yandle before the expansion draft to ensure they could keep solid defenseman Gustav Forsling and making a minor trade for Lucas Carlsson, who has been helpful.
Most regrettable personnel decisions
1). Marlins trading Starling Marte (for disappointing pitcher Jesus Luzardo) instead of offering a deal that he would have taken at the trade deadline — one well below the $78 million the Mets agreed to give him for four years.
2). Dolphins trading a 2022 third-round pick to the Giants to move up eight spots to draft Liam Eichenberg, who has permitted among the most pressures and sacks in the league.
3). Dolphins not acquiring a top running back last offseason and believing Myles Gaskin, Salvon Ahmed and newcomer Malcolm Brown would be enough.
4). Dolphins giving $10.3 million to Will Fuller, whose Dolphins career was limited to 65 offensive snaps. But this is a byproduct of bad luck, not incompetent stewardship.
5). Marlins signing Anthony Bass with the belief he would be a reliable closer. He lost the job during the first week of the season and finished with a 3-9 record.
6). Dolphins paying Ereck Flowers $6 million (with $8 million in dead money) to not play for them and dumping Kyle Van Noy instead of trying to keep him on a restructured contract.
Flowers was an asset for Washington all season, and Miami could have used him. The Dolphins’ poor linebacker play through October was among the reasons for the 1-7 start.
7). Marlins trading Adam Duvall (who hit 38 homers with an NL-leading 113 RBI) for catcher Alex Jackson, who hit .157 with 60 strikeouts in 108 at-bats. The only reason this isn’t No. 1 on the list is the fact that Duvall had a mutual option for 2022; so the Marlins likely were going to lose him anyway.
8). Dolphins squandering offensive line opportunities in free agency; everyone added (Matt Skura, DJ Fluker, Jermaine Eluemunor) was released.
Most improved players
1). Marlins’ Trevor Rogers. Blossomed into an All-Star, posting a 2.64 ERA in 25 starts.
2). Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa. Went from bottom third in quarterback performance as a rookie to middle of the pack, with a jump in passer rating from 87.1 to 94.3.
3). Heat’s Tyler Herro. Scoring average jumped from 15.1 last season to 20.6 this season.
4). Panthers’ Anthony Duclair, who evolved from a solid player to a very good one (10 goals, eight assists in 22 games this season).
5). Dolphins’ Christian Wilkins, who morphed from average NFL starter to a good one.
6). UM guard Isaiah Wong went from 7.7 points per game as a freshman to 17.1 last season and 15.8 this one.
Best players
1). Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov. Won Selke Trophy for best defensive forward in 2021, had 58 points in 50 games last season and remains among NHL’s best centers.
2). Heat’s Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler.
3). UM’s Tyler Van Dyke.
4). Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle and Xavien Howard.
5). Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara and Rogers.
6). Panthers’ Jonathan Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad.
Breakout performers
1). UM’s Van Dyke, who replaced injured D’Eriq King, threw 25 TDs and six interceptions and looked like the Canes’ best quarterback since Ken Dorsey.
2). Waddle. Just six receptions from breaking Anquan Boldin’s rookie record of 101.
3). Rogers. A legitimate No. 1 or No. 2 starter and one of the best lefties in the league.
4). Holland. Xavien Howard said he reminds him of Eric Berry, one of the NFL’s 2010 All-Decade safeties.
5). Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm. The dynamic rookie shortstop hit .248, with 18 homers, 53 RBI and 23 steals. A combination of substance and style.
6). Marlins’ Jesus Sanchez. Established himself as starter by hitting .251 with 14 homers, 36 RBI, in just 64 games. Very high ceiling.
7). Dolphins’ Phillips. He’s second among all rookies with 8.5 sacks.
8). UM’s James Williams, Leonard Taylor, Key’Shawn Smith. Key pieces to start the Mario Cristobal era.
9). Panthers’ Anton Lundell. The 12th overall pick of 2020 has six goals and seven assists.
10). Three Marlins minor-league pitchers who dominated in the minors: Max Meyer, Jake Eder, Eury Perez. Eder will miss 2022 after Tommy John surgery. All look like future rotation mainstays.
Best coaching move
Dolphins setting a record for blitzes by defensive backs and flummoxing Lamar Jackson in their Thursday night victory over Baltimore.
Biggest individual disappointments
1). Fuller. Dolphins extracted nothing from their marquee offseason pickup.
2). Dolphins’ tackle combo of Eichenberg and Jesse Davis.
Davis has allowed 56 pressures, most in the league, per Pro Football Focus. Eichenberg has permitted 55, second most. Eichenberg has relinquished nine sacks (second-most among tackles), Davis seven.
3). Duncan Robinson seeing his three-point percentage drop from 44.6 two years ago and 40.8 last season to 34.6 after signing a five-year, $90 million contract.
4). Myles Gaskin went from 10th in the league in average yards per game from scrimmage in 2020, to NFL’s worst rushing average in 2021, through mid-December.
5). Marlins’ third baseman Brian Anderson. Hit just .249 and limited to 67 games because of another injury.
6). Luzardo. Was a dud, allowing 92 baserunners in 51 innings and posting a 6.44 ERA.
7). Isan Diaz, Lewis Brinson, Monte Harrison. The three key pieces of the Christian Yelich trade all stumbled along. Brinson hit .226 and was released; Diaz hit .193 in 89 games, and he and Harrison (who spent most of the year in the minors) likely don’t have futures here.
Biggest stories
1). UM firing Manny Diaz, hiring Mario Cristobal.
2). Dolphins overcoming 1-7 start to move to move to 8-7 and the seventh seed in AFC.
3). Dolphins bypassing Deshaun Watson trade, for now, and sticking with Tagovailoa.
4). Heat signing Lowry.
5). Heat being swept by Milwaukee in first round of playoffs.
6). Panthers making playoffs for only the sixth time in their 27 seasons and losing to eventual Cup champion Tampa Bay.
7). Panthers’ coach Joel Quenneville resigning (not his decision) after an investigation into the Blackhawks’ 2010 sexual abuse case revealed he had knowledge of the situation and did nothing about it.
8). Van Dyke becoming UM’s next star.
9). Panthers starting this season with eight consecutive wins.
10). Jimmy Butler signing max extension with Heat.
11). UM dismissing athletic director Blake James, hiring Dan Radakovich.
12). Inter Miami floundering and missing the playoffs in its second year of existence.
Worst moments
1). Heat’s embarrassing sweep against the Bucks.
2). Dolphins losing in London to Jacksonville, which had lost 20 games in a row.
3). UM allowing a fourth-and-14 completion late in loss to FSU, essentially sealing the fate of James and Diaz.
4). Dolphins’ 35-0 blowout loss to Bills, a game in which Tagovailoa was sidelined for nearly a month with fractured ribs.
5). UM being drubbed by Alabama.
6). Sergei Bobrovsky allowing five goals in 25 minutes in key Game 4 loss to Lightning in playoffs.
7). Denver’s Nikola Jokic decking Heat’s Markieff Morris with a cheap shot, and yet being suspended only one game.
Petty award
To former Heat forward Maurice Harkless, who was traded to Sacramento and tweeted “LOL” after the Heat was swept in the playoffs.
Quote of the year
1. Tagovailoa, when asked if he felt wanted amid reports Miami was pursuing Deshaun Watson: “I don’t not feel wanted.”
2. Herro, in September: “Some people are sleeping on me. I’m going to wake a lot of people up.”
3. Pat Riley pulling up beside P.J. Tucker at a traffic light, pulling his window down, telling him “I love you” and then driving off.
This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 2:51 PM.
