The Charlotte Bobcats today acquired guard Kareem Rush from the Los Angeles Lakers, it was announced by Bobcats General Manager and Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff.  The Bobcats will send two second round draft picks to the Lakers ? the pick Charlotte received from Atlanta on August 16 and Charlotte?s own 2008 second round selection.  

?We are excited about Kareem joining our team and bringing his multiple talents to the Bobcats,? Bickerstaff said.  ?He has great size and athleticism, he can shoot the ball well with range and because of his length he can play more than one position.?

Rush, a 6-6, 215-pounder who is in his third NBA season, was the 20th overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft by Toronto and traded that night to the Lakers.  In his first two seasons, he averaged 4.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 148 games and in 14 games this season he averaged 0.9 points and 1.2 rebounds in 6.5 minutes.

During the 2003-04 season he recorded career highs in points (30), field goals made (13) and field goal attempts (22) at Sacramento on Jan. 16 and reached double-figure scoring 18 times.  

He appeared in 31 postseason games with the Lakers and averaged 3.6 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 12.2 minutes.  Rush played in all 22 playoff contests in the team?s run to the NBA Finals last season and averaged 3.7 points in 14.3 minutes.  He registered a playoff career-high 18 points on 6-7 three-point shooting on May 31 against Minnesota.