I could see coaches use it as a way to try to aide a coach on thin ice. Coaches don't break rank. Every coach in the NBA privarely giggled at David Blatt. He gets fired and you'd swear Red Auerbach got fired by their statements.
So maybe you try to get a guy a COY honor to make the notion of the guy being fired a little more outlandish.
Dave Blatt had the highest winning % of any coach ever fired mid season, other coaches have reason to have a little shock and angst in their tone and comments.
Or maybe they pass the ballot down to a secretary or a GA as some have been known to do their weekly polls.
I suspect that B Smith either has some inside info or tracks the Cavs closely such that his comment, sadly, has merit.
Blatt's performance can be debated. Yes, the winning percentage is there. But shouldn't it be given the talent that he coaches (albeit guys have been injured at points)? Then again, it sure looks to me like the Cavs have been beating teams that they are better than on pure talent while having no answers and a style of offense that doesn't work against the teams that really matter. And, the offense is stagnant--LeBron not hitting from outside and Kevin Love somehow not shining, not making key/big contributions often enough in tough games.
I think there's plenty of time to fix it. But right now the Cavs are far from where they need to be, from the heart that they were in the playoffs last year.