Player Profile: Eddie House

June 17, 9:49 PMHartford Pro Sports ExaminerMark Rawden

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AP Photo/Elise Amendola: Thanks for the support, Eddie.  You'd be wise to come back for one more season.

Eddie House arrived in Beantown with one intention: to win a championship. He signed with the Cs after the arrivals of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, and although the money was nice, House signed with the Celtics with that previously stated goal on his mind.

The Celtics got him for three reasons: he is a journeyman veteran who has won a ring, making him yet another steady hand in the face of adversity; his outside shooting, which Boston lacked from the guard spot (other than Ray Allen of course) and from the bench; and because he could provide much needed depth behind both Rajon Rondo and, to a lesser extent, Ray Allen.

House may be a point guard, but talent-wise, he’s an undersized shooting guard. He can hit a shot from anywhere on the court: off the dribble, off screens, and even on fast breaks. Yet at the same time, he is not a good defender and has very poor ball handling skills. He counteracts both deficiencies with his unmatched drive and hustle, which works often times, but not enough in the NBA.

In both of his season with the Celtics, Boston had to sign a veteran point guard to bring the ball up and support Rondo, as the Cs did not feel confident in House’s ability to beat playoff defenses. That’s a problem, meaning that Boston had to carry four point guards (with Gabe Pruitt being the fourth) each of the last two seasons.

While I love House’s shot, hustle, and team-first attitude, I wonder if he is more of a detriment to the team than he is an asset. Then I think about his clutch shooting against the Lakers in Game 4 of last year’s Finals and unconscious performance against the Magic in Game 2 of their series in this year’s playoffs and I’m sucked back in. I can’t quit you, Eddie.

House has played for nine different teams in his career, and the traits that I’ve outlined above indicate why. He’s so enticing until he’s finally on your team, and then you realize why the other eight eventually got rid of him or let him go. He’s never been a starter in this league, but he’s still had enough opportunities to fix the issues with his game in order to score that big break. Alas, either through failure to try or simply through failure, the holes remain.

Contractually, House is signed for a reasonable 2.8 mill, and then his deal is done. However, this final year is a player’s option, meaning that House can take his money and come off the Celtics bench one more time, or he can opt out with bigger piles of money bags dancing in his head. In regards to re-signing him after next season, or even signing him to an extension during the season, the Celtics need to be cautious. He’ll be 31 next year, and he can’t rely on his physical characteristics to keep his career going. If he shows signs of fatigue and a downturn, then it’s definitely time to let him walk. If he repeats his performance from this year, then you have to give him another look, depending on who is available in the draft and in free agency. This past season, House shot 45% from the field and averaged his typical 8 points and 1 assist over 18 minutes.

He clearly needs someone else to be the main distributor, and the ball movement and offensive efficiency basically take a dive when he replaces Rondo in the game. If he decides to opt out, it would be a mistake on his part. In today’s market, nearly $3 mill for an undersized backup point guard is a huge price tag.

Verdict: Be prepared for House to stay, and I’m torn as to whether I want him to come back or not. If he does come back, and he has a career year in 2009-2010, and there are no younger, more ideal options out there (like a Courtney Lee 2.0, perhaps), then consider resigning him for one year. That’s a lot of “ands.” Otherwise, let this year ride out, and thank him for the memories when the season ends.

And if he decides to opt out? Dahntay Jones (if they can convince him to take a backup role) or Quinton Ross could be nice options if the Cs get lucky. They provide the size that Tony Allen is supposed to provide, without the immense headaches. And they would officially patch up the hole that the Cs have at backup two guard, allowing Boston to focus on bringing in a cheap PG or using Gabe Pruitt in that role (not ideal either, but a cheap idea if they can't figure something else out).