Kareem Rush seen from Pacers fans

(BRING THE OLD SIXERS UNIFORMS BACK ! S4G CAMPAIGN – SIGN HERE)

Few hours before Sixers introduced Kareem Rush, I emailed Tom from Indy Cornrows, the fine Pacers blog, asking him some questions about the newest Sixer. 

Indy Cornrows had previously reported about Rush heading to Philly and at the end of the season published this review about the journeyman veteran swingman.

But I wanted to know Tom’s opinion about Rush’s possible role AS A SIXER, and he was so kind to tell me his thoughts:

S4G (strong italian accent…): do you think that you will miss Kareem Rush?

IC: When Kareem has that hair-trigger stroke going, I will miss him dearly. Kareem joined the Pacers roster last year with no guarantees so he had to earn every minute he played. Unfortunately, those minutes were pretty sporadic, but there was a time when he played a key role, even starting several games, and not because of his shot but because he was the best perimeter defender. As the season wore on a hip injury bothered him and he wasn’t quite the same player. Once the injury kicked his minutes and play were pretty inconsistent. But overall he was a pleasant surprise and I was real happy to see him sign with Philly. Once his brother Brandon was picked up by the Pacers, there was no room for Kareem, but he earned another contract with his play last year.

Which are his best skills, that you think Sixers fans will appreciate?

First of all, it’s really fun when Kareem is stroking it from 3-land. While his shot was a little more inconstent than I expected, it remains a thing of beauty. Plus, when he forces defenders to play him tight on the perimeter he has the ability to get to the hole and draw fouls. Assuming he’s healthy, I think Sixers fans will love his defensive effort. Mo Cheeks should be pleased with the effort he’ll get from Kareem.

Which are his weaknesses, that we’ll see exposed? 

Kareem’s most glaring weakness was inconsistency. Usually he had to play a few minutes before we knew if he’d have the shot going and the rest of the game to go along with it. I do blame some of that on the way he was used. If his role is better defined it may breed more consistent results

You see him doing well in Philly, given the team and the role he will be asked to play, or struggling and getting booed around December?

I can’t see Kareem getting booed if he has a solid role on the roster. He’s always a threat that must be accounted for on the court regardless of whether the shot is falling or not. He’s proven he can contribute on the defensive end when healthy, so assuming Mo Cheeks can provide some stable minutes and the right motivation, Kareem could be a key role player for the Sixers. Despite the appearance from the attached image (see the pic Tom sent me), Kareem is no Magic Johnson so adjust your expectations accordingly. He can shoot it, play solid defense and become real pesky for opponents if he’s the third or fourth scoring option on the floor.

I think/hope after reading this all Sixers fans will feel better.

Thanks Tom for taking the time to cooperate with Sixers4guidos. If Alex and Frank from Brew Hoop will bother answering my questions, I’ll have an identical post about Ivey up soon.