FanPost

MN vs NJ Roster

John Doe wrote the following in a separate FanPost and I agree with his analysis with the exception of Beasley < Murphy:

Talking about improvement and actually doing it are two different things. For all the press they got, the fact remains that they were a worse team than us last year, their top rookie will be a lot less productive than ours, and their other additions were worse than the Wolves’, though Murphy makes this closer than it was.

15 wins > 11 wins
Johnson > Favors (for 2010-11, this is all but certain)
Beasley < Murphy but
Webster > Outlaw
Ridnour > Farmar
Tolliver > Petro
Pekovic > Morrow (harder to make this comparison, but I think he’ll have a greater impact)

New Jersey has a weaker schedule, a possible Harris return to form, and the hope that the loss of Al Jefferson hurts us a lot more than we think, but I just don’t see them passing us. Both teams will be better, but the Wolves by more.

I think the NJ hype comes from the improvements made with more well known names, not necessarily better players. Additionally, there is some excitement about what Mikhail Prokhorov can do to the franchise vs. the negative media attention that Kahn has generated for the Wolves (right, wrong, or indifferent).

First question - which roster is better in 2010? I am sure I will miss a player here and if so please correct me. I am going to assume Flynn will be playing by Dec and Telfair is out. Also assuming that Beasley splits time between SF and PF, Webster plays SG, and Wes play only SF.

Harris/Farmar >> Flynn/Ridnour

Morrow/Ross/James = Webster/Brewer/Ellington

Williams/Outlaw/James < Wes/Beasley/Hayward

Murphy/Favors/May < Love/Beasley/Pek/Tolliver

Lopez/Petro > Darko/Pek

To me the teams pretty even for 2010. Both teams still have some defensive liabilities - NJ at the 2, 3, 4 - MN at the 1 and 4.

Second question - which roster has more potential for the future? Without guessing about what each does in FA and the draft, can we look at the talent and potential each club has gathered? MN gets a huge assumption that Rubio will eventually join the team.

Harris/Farmar < Rubio/Flynn/Ridnour

Morrow/Ross/James = Webster/Brewer/Ellington

Williams/Outlaw/James << Wes/Beasley/Hayward

Murphy/Favors/May = Love/Beasley/Pek/Tolliver

Lopez/Petro > Darko/Pek

Without any additions I think MN roster has more potential. Rubio swings the hope for a talented PG toward MN - Harris is great, but Rubio's ceiling is much, much higher. Not crazy about the SG on either team - Morrow is a shooter - but that is it - a shooter; Webster has some potential but he hasn't shown it yet. Wes and Beasley have much more upside than Williams/James. Favors has a huge potential and I don't see that overshadowing Love, Beasley, and Pek's combined potential splitting time at that position, but I wouldn't argue against giving either NJ or MN the nod at PF. Lopez is good and has room to grow.