Posted: Tuesday, September 23, 2008, 7:32 PM | 14 comments |
 

A word with Kareem Rush
options
 

I spoke with Kareem Rush this afternoon. He was flying to Philly tonight. He said he's been in and out of town the last few weeks: looking for a place and working out with the team.

He sounded excited for the season. The key point I took from what he said was that he was excited because he believed Philly could be the place where he could show -- in addition to his long-range shot -- a more well-rounded game.

Again, here we go with the University of Colorado ...

But, Rush played for Missouri and they came to town once a season. The Tigers, with head coach Quin Snyder, were darn good in those years. Rush could score. Yes, he could also shoot the heck out of the ball, but he certainly wasn't one-dimensional. In our conversation today, Rush made it clear he wants to do his job with the Sixers -- make treys -- but also believes it can be a place where his game expands.

Here's the story: (And let's keep in mind, ladies and gentlemen, this has been proofed not by a myriad of editors, but only by me.)

At the University of Missouri, Kareem Rush will tell you, he wasn’t just a shooter, he was a scorer.

Rush, 27, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, signed a free-agent contract with the 76ers on July 29.
Rush came to Philly, ostensibly, to boost the Sixers’ outside shooting credentials, which, at an NBA-worst 31.7 percent last season, left much to be desired.
Rush’s younger brother Brandon is a rookie with the Pacers, the team for which Rush played last season. Rush finished the year shooting 39.4 percent from the three.
Prior to Indiana, Rush played a season in Lithuania, 1 ½ with the Bobcats, and a little over two seasons with the Lakers. 
While Rush knows the flick of his left wrist is his “calling card,” he said he is anxious to showcase an expanded game – something he hasn’t done since college.
“I was a scorer in college,” Rush said. “Anybody who watched me knew that.”
The numbers, while not screaming versatility, echo Rush’s sentiment: As a sophomore at Missouri in 2000-01, Rush scored 549 points (21.1 average), with 207 of those coming from treys. One year later, Rush scored 712 points – in 10 more games – with 333 points from beyond the arc.
The Kansas City native was projected as a Top 10 pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, but fell to the Raptors with the 20th pick.
The Raptors immediately traded Rush’s rights to the Lakers.
“I just haven’t found the right spot yet,” Rush said. “Somewhere I can show my entire game. Coming out of the draft with the Lakers and Kobe Bryant, it was hard to break in there.”
Rush averaged 8.3 points in 21.2 minutes a game last season. When the summer began, Rush said, he wasn’t thinking about Philly.
But, gradually, Rush kept looking at the Sixers’ roster and realized it might be the place for him.
“I bring a lot more to the table, but I know my ‘3’ will be the main thing on the court,” said Rush, whose career average from the 3-point line is 36.0 percent. “Elton [Brand] will get double teamed and they need someone who can stretch the court.”
Rush spent the 2006-07 season in Lithuania, a season he began in Seattle.
“I tore my groin and was out for three months,” Rush explained. “Instead of waiting for a call up, I wanted to get overseas and was offered a great contract … I knew once I got myself healthy and into a camp it wouldn’t be a problem making an NBA roster.”
Still, Rush said his NBA career hasn’t gone exactly to plan.
“I’m still waiting for that opportunity,” Rush said. “It takes a lot to find that spot.”
Added Rush: “Philly can be that spot.” 
 
-- Kate

 

 
Posted by Kate Fagan @ 7:32 PM  Permalink | 14 comments
14
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:28 PM, 09/23/2008
    Good one Kate - I am excited about the addition of Rush - I think he will be able to spread the floor and the addition of him and Marshall will prove to be critical down the stretch.
    — hugh
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:45 AM, 09/24/2008
    okay, nice reporting on one, kate. and good tie-in w/cu...(with which i have no affilation but defend the right of others to refernce it...) have you seen him play very much (either in college or the pros)? remember some of his college games but admit haven't really focused on his nba game. do you think he is more well-rounded the korver (although not really the same sharp-shooter). is he a liability on defense (yes, i know he won't be in there as a stopper but korver was unfortunately pretty poor although not as totally brutal as sometimes suggested). can he drive at all/any real aggressive moves? if not, he'll remain a 1-dimensonal player. which may be fine and all we need from him.
    — 127sixer59
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:38 PM, 09/24/2008
    Kareem should be a solid addition to the team....he's here to pop the 3 but if he wants to show off his versatility too, more power to him....seems like a good athlete.
    — MrFancyPants
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:06 PM, 09/24/2008
    Update: Didn't think this was worth its own blog post, but I just read in the News&Observer (a paper down in North Carolina) that Shavlik Randolph will be in training camp with Portland. Randolph, a 6-foot-10 center from Duke, injured his ankle and missed most of last season with the Sixers.
    — Kfagan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:18 PM, 09/24/2008
    127sixer59 ... I only saw him play in person during college. His game then was multi-dimensional. He could slice to the hoop as well as nail the three, but what made him so effective was his mid-range game. He had a knack for a quick jab step to create space for his pull-up jumper. He was also good about driving hard into the lane and being able to stop, fade-away and hit the short jumper. He would have 22 points, quietly. Since he's been in the pros, this hasn't been his role anymore. I've read that Indiana was impressed with his defense last season, saying he was a strong 1-on-1 defender.
    — Kfagan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:27 PM, 09/24/2008
    kate: thanks for the informative observations on rush. if he can show all those traits now, he'll push green for time. stll, slashing against cu is different than here. if he actually has a good mid-range game, that would provide some versatility that we lacked last year. having some semblance of guards who defend (sorry miller) would be a positive change too. i wonder if he has all that talent/well-rounded game, however, why more teams were not pursuing him? if he breaks out here, more to the upside but probably he's a (fair-good) role player with the sixers.
    — 127sixer59
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:37 PM, 09/24/2008
    Kareem Rush is a better offensive player than Iguodala. He can shoot. So our best shooters and scorers in camp are Kareem Rush and Louis Williams. Kareem is 6'6" and that is important. He has the versatility that we need. We have a new first scoring option. He is Elton Brand. We need a consistent second scoring option in the back court to keep the double team off of Brand. It won't be Iguodala. It will be Kareem Rush or Louis Williams. Thaddeus Young is our prototypical small forward for today and tomorrow. It is time to let him do his thing. He is why we traded Kyle Korver. We let him play and he showed it was a good decision. Now he has improved and it is time to turn it over to him. He is not a yo-yo. He will benefit immeasurably from having Theo and Elton and Donyell in camp and he and Speights are going to impress a lot of people.
    — Horlet
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:29 PM, 09/24/2008
    Congrats on the victory over West Virginia, Kate!
    — JONatMVN
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:53 PM, 09/24/2008
    JONatMVN, thanks, while I didn't catch a pass against the Mountaineers, I still felt a part of the victory. 127sixer59 ... you are right, Rush has yet to prove he can be that same player in the pros, thus he wasn't a hot commodity. I think he got buried in L.A. (who wouldn't?) and then hurt in Seattle, spent a season overseas, and then came on a little bit last season for Indiana. Folks with the Pacers and supporting the Pacers seemed very happy with what he did for them last season. The truth is, though, he HAS been one-dimensional in the pros. When I spoke to him, he said he wasn't thrilled so far with his NBA career and that he felt he could offer more than what he has in the past. I'm anxious to see him during camp at Penn St. K,M ... My feeling is that the starting two-guard spot is Iguodala's to lose; same goes for Thad at the three-spot. I think you'll see Rush first off the bench, often for Thad, pushing AI to the three. When AI needs a breather, you can move Rush to the 3, get Lou some minutes at the two as well as spotting for Miller. Obviously Thad is still going to get minutes behind Brand, too. Thus concludes this epic post.
    — Kfagan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:40 PM, 09/24/2008
    horlet: nice to be optimistic about rush and young. while rush is a good addition, it will be a (pleasant) surprise if he's our #2 scoring option and starting. i do agree our roster is very flexible and there are a lot of creative things cheeks can do to put pressure on opponents/respond to what opponents are doing, including inserting young at the 4 to spot brand. kate: still wouldn't be surprised to see ai2 at the 3 and green/rush at the 2 to start the year but ultimately transition to the line-up you envision . if young is really playing at the next level already, then i'll stand corrected!
    — 127sixer59
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:54 PM, 09/25/2008
    Hey Kate, welcome to the blog and great job so far. Your posts are both informative and enthusiastic (the latter element being something that was sometimes missing last year). Regarding Rush and the 2pt/3pt aspect, my observation is that in today's NBA, swingmen who want to get good 2-point shots off need to be [a] in good shape, and thus able to run around and get free off screens (e.g., Richard Hamilton) and/or [b] physically strong and able to take a pounding (e.g., Paul Pierce among many others). A lot of players who don't want to take a pounding capitulate and hang out at the 3-point line; in my brief observations of Rush, he's seemed to be one of those players during his NBA career. Hopefully he's ready to branch out in his offensive variety. On another note, Kate, have you heard whether (and how much) Iguodala is practicing his jump shot this summer?
    — Statman
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:53 PM, 09/25/2008
    Statman, When I spoke to Andre Iguodala at the press conference announcing his new contract (so this was August) he said he has been working all summer on his jump shot. Specifically (and you mentioned in your comment being able to shoot quickly coming off, say, a down screen, or other such situations where you have a split second to square and shoot) Andre said he was working at being able to square quickly off screens -- double down screens, curl cuts, etc. -- and get his shot off quickly and accurately.
    — Kfagan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:17 PM, 09/25/2008
    Kate, you are right on about Rush as a college player (I also got to watch him while at CU)...he was a phenomenal offensive player. Hopefully he can add some offensive energy off the bench, I wouldn't count on much D though. And for those who don't know much about Kate's playing career, go check out the CU women's hoops record holders. Heck of a shooter in her own right. Go Buffs!
    — denversixerfan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:30 PM, 09/25/2008
    denversixersfan ... good to hear that Sixer faithful reside even in the wonderful state of Colorado. Thanks for the post. You're right about Rush at Missouri, wicked fun to watch. No 'D' though? Hmmmmm. I never cared for that much, either.
    — Kfagan


14 comments
About John Mitchell
John Mitchell is in his first year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.

Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.

ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI

Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.

Follow on Twitter

Advertise Here