These are the W/L records of the last 10 years of rookie of the years (11 players since Brand and Francis shared it in 99-00) along wiht the change in games won for their teams from the year before:
24-52 (+7) Evans (with 6 games to go)
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41-41 (-8) Rose
20-62 (-15) Durant
32-50 (+5) Roy
38-44 (-3) Paul
18-64 (--) Okafor
35-47 (+17) James
44-38 (+8) Stoudemire
23-59 (+0) Gasol
43-39 (+2) Miller
34-48 (-17)* Francis
17-65 (-4)* Brand
*extrapolated +/- because the '98-'99 season was only 50 games long due to the lockout.
It has NEVER been about W/L record, being lucky enough to be drafted onto a good team, or any of that other bunk. It has also never been about one season turnarounds in W/L as the great majority of these guys are drafted onto teams in turmoil/transition, in rebuilding stages, and the +/- has little meaning with all the personnel shifting around.
Its just an intellectually bankrupt argument, as are almost all of them. Ooh, maybe Jennings is ROY because his team is winning! Of course its not because of him, but who cares. You know how many games better Milwaulkee is right now than they were last year? +7. You know how many games better the Kings are than they were last year? +7. Give me a break.
It gets even worse when the same commentator will swing aournd and say ooh maybe its Curry! Yeah, the same Curry on a tema WORSE than the Kings, and one that has gotten 8 games WORSE this season. There is no logic, history, or consistency to their arguments. They are just thrown out there pissing in the wind style, just making crap up wholecloth as it suits them. ROY of the year has always gone to the best/most talented young player havingthe best individual year. The rest of the stuff has NEVER mattered. Nor should it. This is a celebration of the emerging talent in the NBA, not a proxy for being lucky enough to be drafted onto a better team.