We find that a small number of metrics correlate with growth and that only one of the network representations stands out in terms of correlated metrics. The most correlated metrics point to the importance of hub nodes in this network, so-called ¡°currency metabolites? Since they are responsible for interconnecting distant functional modules in the network, they are important points in the network for predicting if reaction removal affects growth. A second set of correlations in contrast is related to ¡°loner?nodes that uniquely connect important pathways and thus correspond to essential steps in metabolism.