The flaw in that argument
NEOs (all of them) are in a Solar orbit and not exactly the same as Earth's solar orbit.
The closest NEO will take months to reach and get back from and the time it will take will considerably increase the spacecraft's mass, making the Moon much more easily accessible.
The point is: the Moon leaves a choice about how long and how much a Moonbound spacecraft can accomplish. That freedom is far narrower once we leave the Earth-Moon system for NEOs.