Kareem Rush

From Hoopedia

Kareem Lamar Rush (born October 30, 1980 in Kansas City, Missouri) is an American professional basketball player positioned at shooting guard currently under contract with the Indiana Pacers.

Rush entered the 2002 NBA Draft after his junior season at Missouri and was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 20th pick overall, despite being labeled as a late lottery pick prior to the pre-draft camp. The Raptors immediately traded his rights to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played in a backup role to Kobe Bryant over two full seasons. However, he demonstrated his scoring and three-point shooting abilities near the end of the season, and as a result became a more frequently used reserve player under Phil Jackson. In the 2004 Western Conference Finals series-clinching game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Rush hit 6 of 7 three pointers en route to 18 points, several of which were from clutch shots. He was traded by the Lakers to the Charlotte Bobcats only 14 games into the 2004-05 season in exchange for two second-round draft picks. In Charlotte, his playing time was somewhat reduced because of the plethora of shooting guards on the roster. In the 2005 off-season, he was re-signed by the Bobcats to a minimum-salary deal.

Despite averaging a solid 10.3 points per game in a somewhat diminishing role, the Bobcats waived him on April 1, precipitated by his decreased playing time as the season progressed, along with Raymond Felton's offensive surge. With Matt Carroll proving to be a more accurate three-point shooting specialist, there was no need for Rush.

During the 2005-06 offseason, Rush signed with the Seattle SuperSonics but was made expendable due to a slow recovery from a groin injury, and was waived to make room for a replacement for two front court players who had sustained injuries.

On July 3, 2007, the Indiana Pacers signed Kareem Rush citing their need for a shooter.