Sam Hall
07-04-2007, 08:00 AM
Star news services
Kareem Rush’s shooting skills in the Lithuanian league have earned him another shot in the NBA.
The former Pembroke Hill and Missouri star signed with the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday. Terms were not announced.
Rush was the Baltic League Final Four MVP last season. He was Toronto’s first-round draft pick in 2002, but the Raptors traded him to the Lakers. Rush also has played for Charlotte and Seattle. He is a career 35 percent three-point shooter in four NBA seasons.
“He’s a great shooter,” Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said. “We think he’s at the perfect stage in his career to make a step forward. He’s got a chance to be a very good player.”
Rush, a 6-foot-6 guard, helped the Lakers reach the NBA finals in 2003-04. He averaged a career-best 10.1 points per game for Charlotte in 2005-06 and scored a career-high 35 points against the Pacers on Nov. 16, 2005.
Walsh wouldn’t promise that Rush would make the team.
“He certainly showed our coaches and management on our team that he can play,” Walsh said. “He’s got a very good chance to make the team.”
The Pacers on Tuesday also signed Stephen Graham and Andre Owens. All three will participate in the team’s rookie-free-agent camp starting Thursday.
Owens is a former Indiana prep star who played one season at Indiana before transferring to Houston. Owens, a 6-foot-4 guard, played last season with Anaheim in the D-League, averaging 16.6 points.
Graham, who played for Oklahoma State, is a 6-6 forward who has been with Portland, Cleveland, Chicago and Houston. Last season, he averaged 18 points and 4.9 rebounds per game and was a D-League All-Star.
Kareem Rush’s shooting skills in the Lithuanian league have earned him another shot in the NBA.
The former Pembroke Hill and Missouri star signed with the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday. Terms were not announced.
Rush was the Baltic League Final Four MVP last season. He was Toronto’s first-round draft pick in 2002, but the Raptors traded him to the Lakers. Rush also has played for Charlotte and Seattle. He is a career 35 percent three-point shooter in four NBA seasons.
“He’s a great shooter,” Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said. “We think he’s at the perfect stage in his career to make a step forward. He’s got a chance to be a very good player.”
Rush, a 6-foot-6 guard, helped the Lakers reach the NBA finals in 2003-04. He averaged a career-best 10.1 points per game for Charlotte in 2005-06 and scored a career-high 35 points against the Pacers on Nov. 16, 2005.
Walsh wouldn’t promise that Rush would make the team.
“He certainly showed our coaches and management on our team that he can play,” Walsh said. “He’s got a very good chance to make the team.”
The Pacers on Tuesday also signed Stephen Graham and Andre Owens. All three will participate in the team’s rookie-free-agent camp starting Thursday.
Owens is a former Indiana prep star who played one season at Indiana before transferring to Houston. Owens, a 6-foot-4 guard, played last season with Anaheim in the D-League, averaging 16.6 points.
Graham, who played for Oklahoma State, is a 6-6 forward who has been with Portland, Cleveland, Chicago and Houston. Last season, he averaged 18 points and 4.9 rebounds per game and was a D-League All-Star.