Evan Mobley losing Rookie of the Year is proof that it’s Cleveland vs. The World

The NBA Voting Committee proved they don’t watch basketball by passing on Evan Mobley for Rookie of the Year.

The Cleveland Cavaliers very own Evan Mobley lost the Rookie of the Year award by 15 points to Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors and fans are enraged. Mobley, who was clearly far more important to his team than any other rookie, got robbed. It wasn’t just the robbery of Mobley that has fans upset.

It’s the fact that one NBA Award voter didn’t even put Mobley on his ballot.

The way the NBA does their voting is you list the player you want to win, the second most deserving after him, the third most, etc. The total points are added up and whoever got the most points is your winner. It’s called ranked-choice voting and it’s the best way to go about things.

The problem is, that the most deserving players don’t always win, because some people have shown gross incompetence at their job. I’m ok with something thinking Barnes out-earned Mobley. I’m not ok with the notion that Mobley didn’t earn some form of credit for his work.

He helped turn the Cavaliers into a winning franchise and he doesn’t even get ranked on one ballot? I don’t think fans should have voting privilege or veto privilege but I do think there should be a committee that evaluates these voters, to see if they actually have a clue.

Winner or not, Evan Mobley is our Rookie of the Year

Mobley got robbed. The Cavaliers went from 22 wins to 44 wins, and while names like Lauri Markkanen and Ricky Rubio helped, a lot of the credit went to Mobley. Had Jarrett Allen not gone down with an injury over the last three weeks or so, the Cavs would’ve gotten into the playoffs.

The Raptors are a great team, and Barnes helped make them better, but this club still has the same core pieces from their 2018-2019 season, where they won 50 games. Not having Kyle Lowry and Marc Gasol isn’t hindering them, it was just waiting for some of the younger players to put it all together. It wasn’t the same situation as four straight losing seasons.

Mobley didn’t just help the Cavs get to a winning record, he helped change the culture of the Cavaliers. While Barnes is very impactful for the Raptors, I don’t hear that same conversation. Nick Nurse runs a tight ship and players have already bought in.

The impacts on a franchise just aren’t the same. Mobley and Barnes had similar numbers, so that’s why you have to look beyond that. Look at the impact a player made on the culture and those around them.

The Cavs don’t win 40 games without Mobley, the Raptors may still have a .500+ record without Barnes.