The State Of Miami Sports: Grades for all our biggest pro & college teams, top to bottom | Opinion
.JPG "Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra smiles next to guard Kyle Lowry (7) as the Heat led the Phoenix Suns during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022, in Phoenix.")
One team is in sudden flux with an unforeseen coaching change. One is chasing a championship and another might be. One has new life after major changes. One is the comeback story nobody’s talking about. Two others are still searching for the elusive map to victory.
This is our sort-of annual New Year’s State Of Miami Sports, in which we grade each of our Big Seven teams based on where they are right now and the short-term, but also put in the context of the broader, bigger picture.
We identify the Big Seven as the Miami Dolphins, Heat and Marlins, Florida Panthers, Inter Miami soccer and Miami Hurricanes football and men’s basketball.
Sorry if we left your favorite team out. But not that sorry).
Our grade ranking is high to low, best to worst:
▪ MIAMI HEAT: Overall grade: A -- South Florida’s best-in-show franchise wins, competes and contends steady as sunrise, guided by excellent ownership, a Hall of Fame president in Pat Riley and one of the NBA’s elite coaches, Erik Spoelstra.
Heat was only two games off the Eastern lead at midseason (41 games), despite its two top stars missing so many games injured with Bam Adebayo out 23 games and Jimmy Butler 18.
We can only only imagine the potential of this team healthy. Kyle Lowry has been a successful addition, Tyler Herro continues his ascent, and how on Earth does this club keep unearthing guys like Max Strus and Omer Yurtseven?
Full strength, a run at a fourth franchise championship is not out of play.
▪ FLORIDA PANTHERS: Overall grade: B-plus -- Nearing midseason the Cats are the NHL’s second highest- scoring team and battling for the overall points lead. The franchise’s second Stanley Cup Final and first-ever championship is well in play.
Shockingly, Florida lost future Hall of Fame coach Joel Quenneville to a decade-old Chicago scandal and forced resignation with the team off to a perfect 7-0-0, but has weathered what could have been a season derailing storm under interim coach Andrew Brunette.
Jonathan Huberdeau this week made his second NHL All-Star team, and Aleksansder Barkov still could, and should. Panthers have seven players with double-digit goals on a deep, expertly blended roster.
▪ HURRICANES FOOTBALL: Overall grade: B -- Mario Cristobal! Hiring the Miami native and former Cane away from Oregon was a huge, bold stroke that has infused sudden optimism and been a boon to recruiting. Exciting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke back for at least another season doesn’t hurt.
The 21-15 mark in three years under Manny Diaz was OK, but not where this high-aiming program wants to be. The U has lost 10 of its past 11 bowl games. Teased us and toyed with but not seen a return to glory days that ebbed around 2003.
Now comes Cristobal, and to an Atlantic Coast Conference that feels wide open with Clemson taking a step back. Still, in ESPN’s first 2022 rankings, the three ACC teams seen are North Carolina State (8th), Cemson (11th) and Wake Forest (14th). No UM.
I think Cristobal will be great here. Like, College Football Playoff great. But when it comes to UM, this has become the show-me state.
▪ HURRICANES MEN’S BASKETBALL: Overall grade: B-minus -- A year ago felt like rock-bottom. The 10-17 record and 4-15 ACC mark were Miami’s worst since 1994. Coach Jim Larranaga was being assigned the GHPHB bin: Game Has Passed Him, with fans calling for a change.
Well, who’d have believed the 72-year-old coach would be the comeback, but Larranaga’s Canes are today 13-4 and atop the ACC. They just upset No. 2 Duke and are now getting poll votes and just outside the Top 25.
But March Madness will define the season. UM and Larranaga must end the three-year drought of NCAA Tournament appearances and then advance past the first round for the first time since 2016.
▪ MIAMI DOLPHINS: Overall grade: C-plus -- Erratic owner Stephen Ross stunned the NFL by firing coach Brian Flores this week after consecutive winning seasons totaling a 19-14 record.
Can the leadership of Ross and retained general manager Chris Grier be counted on to find the right replacement? And two years in fans still wonder exactly what they have in quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, or whether the team is plotting for his replacement, too.
The Fins have lots of young talent and potential, a situation that should be attractive to many coaches.
But this is a cub that has not won a playoff game since 2000, has been to the postseason only three times since and not for five years. Ross’ failed 13 years as majority owner instills little faith.
▪ MIAMI MARLINS: Overall grade: C -- The Derek Jeter group has been in place beginning with the 2018 season. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season the Marlins eked over .500, snuck into the expanded playoffs and even won a series.
The trailblazing hiring of general manager Kim Ng was inspired, and the ground-up rebuilding of the farm system was needed. The roster is pretty well stocked on the starting pitching side led by Sandy Alcantara.
Much good has happened.
Still, the Fish have lost 98, 105 and last year 95 games in the three full seasons under the Jeter brand. And there wasn’t a lot of big spending for marquee bats this offseason before the lockout put it on indefinite pause.
Miami is pegged no better than fourth of five in the NL East for 2022, with World Series odds tied for 23rd best of 30 teams. The grand rebuild must begin to show itself.
▪ INTER MIAMI: Overall grade: D -- The Major League Soccer expansion franchise David Beckham fought so long and hard to realize was born into a pandemic and has appeared snake-bit approaching its Year 3.
Despite the imprimatur of the golden Beckham brand, Miami has not succeeded, finishing 10th of 14 Eastern team each of its first two seasons.
The bottom line has been harsh, winning only 19 of 58 matches while tying eight and losing 31. The teams have been near the bottom in goal scoring and largely been bereft of star power. Beckham already is on his second head coach and second sporting director (GM), with a retooling underway based on youth and speed.
And overarching everything: A third straight season in Fort Lauderdale as fans wonder if the propsoed new stadium near Miami airport ever will really happen.
With Inter Miami Beckham has failed thus far in a way seldom associated with his name. The area remains ripe for soccer, but it’s also a market that demands a winning product.
How’d we do on our grades?
This story was originally published January 14, 2022 at 4:05 PM.
