Evan Mobley was the 2021 Pac-12 Player of the Year, and was grabbed by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the Third Overall Pick in the following draft.

The Power Forward was a n immediate starter, averaging 15.0 Points per Game as a rookie, and earned a First Team All-Rookie Selection.  Last season, Mobley was part of a rising Cleveland squad that added Donovan Mitchell.  Mobley increased his PPG to 16.2, and led the NFL in Defensive Win Shares (4.9).  He was also named to the All-Defensive Team.

Mobley still was good in his third season (15.7 PTS and 3.2 Steals per Game) but only played 50 Games due to knee issues, but Cleveland knew they had something special.  Last season, Mobley delivered on the promise, winning the Defensive Player of the Year Awrd, with a tenth-place MVP finish.  Mobley, who was also a Second Team All-NBA Selection, increased his offense to over 18 Points per Game.  The shine on Mobley had arrived, and with a loaded roster around him, there could be a shiny ring in his future.

San Diego Padres slugger, Nelson Cruz, has announced his retirement today.

Cruz played 19 seasons in the Majors, six of which saw him make the All-Star Game, began in Milwaukee, but he broke out as a Texas Ranger, where he has his first two All-Stars, though was suspended for 50 Games in 2013 for his participating in the Biogenesis Scandal.  He signed with the Baltimore Orioles in 2014 for a year where he won his first and only Home Run Title, and followed that with four years in Seattle, where he produced two more 40-plus HR years, and won the RBI Title in 2017. 

He later plated with Minnesota for two-and-a-half seasons, again posting a 40 HR year (2019), and would finish his career with brief stops in Tampa Bay, Washington and San Diego.  Cruz belted 464 Home Runs over his career, which places him 37^th all-time.  He also has a lifetime Slugging Percentage of .813, won four Silver Sluggers and two Edgar Martinez Awards.

Cruz is eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2029, though his induction is unlikely due to his PED suspension.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Nelson Cruz the best in his post-playing career.

Six-time All-Star, Walter Davis, passed away today at the age of 69.

Davis was a First Team All-ACC player at the University of North Carolina, and won Gold at the 1976 Olympics for the United States.  Drafted ninth overall by the Phoenix Suns in 1977, Davis won the Rookie of the Year, and appeared in all of his All-Stars as a Sun.  He also played professional for Denver and Portland, and was one of the few deep threats of his day.

He accumulated 19,521 Points over his career, and had six 20-plus PPG seasons.  Davis was also twice a Second Team All-NBA selection.

Davis is ranked #13 on our Notinhalloffame.com list of those to consider for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and his #8 was retired by the Suns.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends and family of Walter Davis.

The NBA is so much different than the other Big Four Sports in North America as you can’t expect a player to rank in the Top 50 after only playing one season on an established team, but that is the game of basketball, and here we have Donovan Mitchell, who established that he was the heart of Utah’s previous success, and not Rudy Gobert.

The Cavaliers gave up a lot to get Mitchell (Collin Sexton, Lauri Markannen and five 1^st Round Picks) and though it is early, Mitchell provided Cleveland with his best year to date, a Second Team All-NBA with a 28.3 PPG.  The Shooting Guard went to his fourth All-Star Game, took Cleveland to the playoffs, and is the piece they will build around.

Time will quickly tell how that pans out, and with three great seasons under his belt, Mitchell could be the tonic that brings Cleveland their second title.