Cote: Annual ‘State of Miami Sports.’ See our grades for every team | Opinion
It’s a rare South Florida triple play on Tuesday as the Miami Heat, Marlins and Florida Panthers all play the same day. I figure that’s as good a launch point as any for my (sort of) annual “State of Miami Sports” verdict that I like to do early-ish every year that I remember to do it.
I grade each of our major teams based on where they stand right now and for the near future. We identify the Big 7 teams as the Dolphins, Heat, Marlins, Panthers and Inter Miami plus Hurricanes football and men’s basketball. Teams are listed by grade, high to low, and at the end we also have grades on three teams outside the Big 7:
▪ INTER MIAMI: Grade A — This is the reigning Major League Soccer champion, with the biggest star in the world in Lionel Messi, and a newly christened stadium (finally) in Miami Freedom Park. This is the flagship of its league in a way no other South Florida team is. If all of that does not equate to a grade of excellence, we better scrap grades and find a new measurement.
Messi alone — you can’t spell Messiah without Messi — is why Inter Miami is more followed globally than any team in MLS, and why the Herons are betting picks to repeat as champion. The fact Miami and American soccer were able to land Messi continues pinch-me stuff almost three years later. And his new contract could see him playing here two more seasons after this one.
One concern: What’s post-Messi, considering he will be 39 in June though still at the top of his game. But David Beckham and the Mas family have shown the willingness to spend and ability to lure international talent, and the club’s youth academy is flourishing. Plus Messi’s future as club part-owner assures he’ll remain an Inter Miami presence and an asset in attracting top players.
▪ HURRICANES FOOTBALL: Grade A-minus — Miami Hurricanes under coach Mario Cristobal have improved each of his four seasons back at his alma mater, reached the College Football Playoff National Championship Game before falling to Indiana last season, and are positioned to remain a contender this year to win The U’s long-elusive sixth national title and first since 2001.
Built for the new age of transfer portal/NIL, Cristobal has proved a master recruiter who has won the quarterback portal three straight years with Cam Ward, Carson Beck and now Darian Mensah. Three Canes and maybe four will be first-round picks in this month’s NFL Draft, with a bounty of returning talent led by star receiver Malachi Toney.
For much of past quarte -century Canes fans spoiled by success have lamented for new greatness and asked, “When will The U be back?” The answer, finally, is now. They showed it last season in dominating Ohio State to reach the title game. But close is not raising the ultimate trophy. The minus on the ‘A’ is Cristobal’s imperative now for sustained excellence, and for the next step.
▪ FLORIDA PANTHERS: Grade B-plus — Coach Paul Maurice and GM Bill Zito have fashioned a run to three straight Stanley Cup Finals and won the past two. By itself that’s A+ material. But the current, waning season hits with a back-to-Earth thud as the Cats are eliminated from playoff contention in the brutally tough NHL East.
A big part of the stumble has been key injuries starting with star Aleksander Barkov missing the whole season. Lack of depth also plagued — a contrast from last year, when the four-line threat was huge. Cats also gave up fifth-most goals in hockey as Sergei Bobrovsky saw his goals-against balloon to 3.05 and his saves percentage fall to career-worst .878. Matthew Tkachuk and other stars are signed long-term but Bobrovsky is a pending free agent and 37, so the “Bob-by” chants in Sunrise might be waning.
With the Panthers, though, faith in a turnaround next year is not relying on your hope, but on proof: Those two still-new Stanley Cups. With better injury luck and tweaks on defense, a return to form next season is a good bet.
▪ CANES MEN’S BASKETBALL: Grade B — Due respect to departed coach Jim Larranaga, who unexpectedly led Miami to the 2023 NCAA Final Four, the infusion of youthful leadership in new coach Jai Lucas was a gust of fresh air that paid off hugely in the season that ends Monday night with the Michigan-UConn championship game.
Lucas, 37, who had been an assistant at ACC power Duke, took over a Canes program that had fallen fast to 7-24 the previous season, worst in school history. This season’s record of 26-9 marked biggest turnaround of any team in the country. The ACC rebound was 3-17 to 13-5. Lucas, with a near-entirely new roster of transfers, proved a miracle worker.
The grade here isn’t higher because Lucas must prove he’s in Coral Gables for the long-term and avoid the peak-to-valley that marked the end of Larranaga’s career. The portal has made college hoops volatile. Now let’s see if Lucas, after a great debut, can prove a master of it and be a sustained winner in a still-difficult ACC.
▪ MIAMI HEAT: Grade B-minus — Three-time all-star Bam Adebayo just had an 83-point game. Norman Powell was an All-Star this season after Tyler Herro was last year. Promising young players include Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic. Erik Spoelstra is a top-tier coach. Heat is this market’s most reliably competitive team, and there’s lots to feel good about...
...but none of it has proven good enough lately in the tough NBA East. Miami sits in 10th place, the bottom of the play-in round and as of now faces two must-win road games just to climb to the bottom of the playoffs proper. Barring a miracle this will be four straight years in the mediocrity that is play-in purgatory. It has been 13 years since Miami’s last championship, the Jimmy Butler era ended ugly, and Pat Riley has boated no whales of late unless he somehow lands Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer.
Not good enough to compete for a title, not bad enough to land a difference-making draft pick, and unable to score big in free agency. That’s a hardwood rut.
▪ MIAMI MARLINS: Grade C — The “Fightin’ Fish” are an early pleasant MLB surprise at 6-3 entering Monday night. “Fightin’ Fish” is how you market your team when you see it as scrappy, fun, a lovable underdog ... but probably not realistically competitive, yet, in an NL East where three rivals are spending triple what Miami spends on player payroll.
The good start (helped by 5-1 vs. the two worst teams on the planet) is encouraging, as is Sandy Alcantara’s first two starts. And president of baseball ops Peter Bendix is proving here as he did in Tampa an ability to acquire talent on the cheap in a prospects-reliant business model. If only Marlins could develop young bats as well as they do young arms.
The young, budget-ball Fish might be fun to watch. As a ceiling maybe they will even hang around and still be chasing a wild card into late summer. But it will be hard to grade this franchise higher as long as it is weighted by the anchor of an owner, Bruce Sherman, who won’t spend to major-league levels or even close to it.
▪ MIAMI DOLPHINS: Grade C-minus — This grade might be generous for a franchise that last won a playoff game in 2001, longest drought in the NFL. Call it praise for the needed reboot underway, and benefit of doubt on the dice-roll on a first-time pro head coach and rookie general manager in Jeff Hafley and Jon-Eric Sullivan from Green Bay.
The Tua Tagovailoa/Mike McDaniel era ultimately failed, now Dolfans are being begged for yet more patience as the onerous burden of Tagovailoa’s contract impinges on the rebuild. Offseason signing of free agent QB Malik Willis was a plus and running back De’Von Achane is great, but the roster off a 7-10 season has many holes. New regime must hit big in this month’s NFL Draft.
This is a fan base sustained on memories, on the ghosts of Shula and Marino and the last Super Bowl win a lifetime ago. For the past half century no proper new hero has arisen as owner Stephen Ross proves better at festooning his stadium with F1 races and tennis than he is at putting a great football team in it.
If our Big 7 teams was a Big 10:
Canes women’s basketball: Grade C-plus — Team improved to 18-15 (8-10 ACC) in second season under coach Tricia Cullop but program failed to reach NCAA Tournament for third straight year, going 1-1 in lesser WBIT tourney.
FIU football: Grade C-plus — Miami’s “other” team has had Mario Cristobal and Butch Davis as coaches but little luck lately. But Willie Simmons in his first year went 7-6 (three-game improvement) and reached a minor bowl, school’s first in six years.
FAU football: Grade D — Since an 11-win season in Lane Kiffin’s last year (2019), Owls have been 26-43 with a carousel of four other coaches. Latest to try, Zach Kittley, went 4-8 last season.
