Seattle @ Minnesota +/- Numbers

The box score was posted yesterday, as was the play by play sometime after I ran numbers and posted. Here are the +/- figures for the game. Minnesota's big front line seemed to make the smaller lineups for Seattle less effective at both ends of the floor. The Storm need JB back.

By Player
Simone Edwards: +2
Tiffani Johnson: +1
Shaunzinski Gortman: -1
Iziane Castro Marques: -2
Sue Bird: -6
Betty Lennox: -7
Lauren Jackson: -8
Barbara Turner: -10
Wendy Palmer: -15

Most Effective Lineups
Gortman-Lennox-Turner-Jackson-Edwards: +4
Bird-Lennox-Castro-Edwards-Johnson: +3
Bird-Gortman-Castro-Jackson-Palmer: +2
Bird-Castro-Turner-Palmer-Edwards: +2
Bird-Castro-Turner-Jackson-Palmer: +1

Least Effective Lineups
Bird-Lennox-Turner-Jackson-Palmer: -6
Bird-Lennox-Castro-Jackson-Palmer: -5

Which Vet Will We Get?
With Tanisha Wright and Janell Burse out, AD used 15 new lineups in this game and did not play 6-8 Lindsay Taylor at all despite excellent work in the last game and a half. There has been some speculation on the message boards that AD was putting Simone and Tiffani head to head to see which veteran she will keep. Tiffani won the individual numbers battle with a solid offensive performance, but Edwards has a slight margin on overall team performance based on the numbers for the preseason.

Edwards was the more effective rebounder, passer (from an assist perspective), had a MUCH higher offensive rating, and was +11 for the preseason.

Johnson shot a better percentage and scored more points, she was better defensively securing more blocks and steals, but had a fairly poor offensive rating in her first game and ended the preseason at -8.

In other words, it can still go either way depending on what AD wants. If the REAL Tiffini Johnson is the player from the Minnesota game that she is likely the better individual player, however, Edwards is obviously better ready to step into the offense and help the team with JB injured early in the season.