4.01.2020

House, TA Re-Up

July 22, 2008

When James Posey signed with the New Orleans Hornets last week, it looked bleak for the Big Three's supporting cast. Posey jumped ship; talks with Eddie House didn't appear to be going well; Tony Allen was an unrestricted free agent and P.J. Brown likely was retiring. All four had played an integral part in helping Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to their first NBA title.



Yesterday, however, the Celtics rebounded from the Posey signing by agreeing on two-year deals with guards House and Tony Allen, according to director of basketball operations Danny Ainge.
No one was officially disclosing financial terms, but a source said both are being paid in the mid-$2 million range. In the case of House, the money is half the mid-level exception of $5.585 million.

``It's all set, and we'll likely sign it (yesterday) or (today),'' said Mark Bartelstein, who represents both House and Posey. ``Free agency is a difficult process. Eddie wanted to go back there and Danny Ainge always wanted him back. It just came down to doing a deal that both sides could feel good about. ``We put a lot of work in, they put a lot of work in and I know they are really excited about getting Eddie back there.''

House, who was the backup point guard behind Rajon Rondo, averaged 19 minutes and 7.5 points per game in the regular season but saw his numbers and time dwindle in the postseason. ``I think he'll be the same as last year,'' Bartelstein said. ``I know people questioned him as a point guard, but he's really worked hard and put a lot of time and energy into this offseason. He definitely wants to prove he can be a point guard in this league, and I thought he did a good job of it last year.

``The Celtics had the best record in the league with him as their backup point guard, and I think he'll do a better job this year.'' Bartelstein did not have the same success with Ainge in their negotiations for Posey, who signed a four-year, $25 million deal with the Hornets.

``They each had their own careers and their own issues they had to address,'' Bartelstein said.
The Celtics did not make a qualifying offer earlier this month for Tony Allen, who became an unrestricted free agent. But when Posey opted for the Hornets, Allen came back into the picture. The four-year pro averaged 6.6 points last season, and his minutes dropped drastically in the playoffs.
Allen's agent, Mike Higgins, could not be reached for comment.

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