Just one day after officially announcing the signing of Kevin Garnett, the Celtics have added Eddie House to their roster. House may be fulfilling the veteran point guard position that the Celtics have been seeking. He is more of a shooter than Rondo, and with the two splitting minutes, could provide scoring off the bench when the Big 3 need some rest. At age 29, House brings even more experience to the team. Celtics fans love Rondo, but the young guard probably isn't ready to handle the point alone on a championship caliber team at this point in his career. The only other option at point was rookie Gabe Pruitt, who shows great potential but still hasn't proven anything in the NBA. This signing can lift a lot of weight off Rondo's shoulders.
Most importantly though, the House deal is only for one year and it doesn't seem the Celtics will be spending the kind of money they would in acquiring a player like Brevin Knight or Charlie Bell. Still, with House being more of a shooter, the C's may still be looking at other veteran point guards for the team. One name that has been brought up is Gary Payton. He may be very old at this point, but we could most likely get him for cheap, and he already has experience playing in Boston.
In other news, the Herald Reports that the C's also signed Jackie Manuel, a former UNC Tarheel and ACC defensive player of the year who has recently spent time in the development league. Manuel gives the Celtics another wing player to come off the bench and provides solid defense that the team could use.
The Celtics may still look to add another wing through free agency. Ruben Patterson, James Posey, and Matt Barnes would all be good fits, but salary issues may prevent this from happening. All will most likely be looking for big contracts and with the signings of Garnett and Allen, the Celtics don't have a ton of money to spend.
The other issue for the Celtics is their pursuit of another big man, and according to many sources included head coach Doc Rivers, veteran Dikembe Mutumbo may be in the teams sights. However, other reports have stated that Mutumbo only wants to play for Houston at this point in his career. While he is in his 40s, Mutumbo is still one of the best shot blockers in the league and could not only provide minutes off the bench, but help Kendrick Perkins grow as a player. PJ Brown is also an available free agent, but according to the Herald, would be seeking the full mid level exception of $5.6 million.
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