It's the NBA offseason, another chance for Eddie House to sell himself. The Celtics are very much interested in keeping the free agent backup guard, but the fact they'd like to sign someone to a one-year contract for that slot might be problematic.
``Just feeling good about what's going on, about the deal,'' House said when asked what he was looking for in this contract. ``You know, maybe getting some years and definitely getting a raise. I think that's something that I do deserve after winning the Finals. I don't think I played bad. I think I played well given the circumstances of not playing and then coming back in. So a little bit of a raise and just some security.
``My agent and Danny (Ainge) are talking and trying to get something that everybody can feel good about. That's what's going on right now.'' House is big on security, and that likely extends to the court, where he hopes to keep getting minutes.
``Of course you want to play,'' he said. ``You don't want to go anywhere where you're sitting on the bench, especially coming off winning a championship.''
House reiterated that he wants to remain with the Celtics, but it's fairly clear the club will have other veteran options that could come in for a one-year deal and thus decrease the cost to the club on the luxury tax. The NBA reimburses teams a portion of contracts signed by veterans, making one-and-done deals attractive to clubs over the tax threshold.
In the case of the available Tyronn Lue, the fact he's a close friend of Kevin Garnett won't hurt his chances.
Garnett said he still hasn't gotten a full night's sleep since winning the championship. ``A lot of cat-napping,'' he said. ``I am the No. 1 spokesman for cat-napping.'' Soon, however, Garnett will begin to push the past season aside and focus on banner No. 18. ``Enjoy 17,'' he said. ``Enjoy that right now. Enjoy the winning part of it. Enjoy the fact that we're doing this together. Then when we lock back in, we lock back in.''
Paul Pierce soon will get back to basketball workouts after having his right knee checked.
``Probably a couple of weeks,'' he said. ``I just got my MRI on Friday, and the doctor said there was still some swelling in there and a slight strain of the meniscus. So he just said to take a couple more weeks off.'' After holding his Finals MVP trophy for most of his appearances, Pierce had something prettier last night - daughter Prianna Lee.
``The other day I was actually reading her one of the books about the championship,'' he said. ``It's fun just being a father right now and enjoying the whole experience.''
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