The Boston Celtics are in an enviable spot as the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline approaches.
They own the league's best record at 32-9. They don't have any players dealing with major injuries, and the bench production has been pretty good. There are no major weaknesses to address right now.
But it's always nice to have a little extra depth for the playoffs. So with that in mind, how should the C's approach the upcoming trade deadline? Do they even need to make a move? The team is playing so well and the chemistry appears to be fantastic.
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Eddie House gave his take on the latest Celtics Talk Podcast with host Chris Forsberg.
🔊 Celtics Talk: Five questions at the halfway mark of the season with Eddie House | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"You can make a move, but don't make a move to where what you have going right now -- you put somebody on the backburner for who you acquire, and you try to incorporate someone who hasn't been on this team," House said. "Everything is not seamless. Every trade and every person who comes to a new team, it's not a seamless transition, right?
"You're not going to feel good if someone comes in and takes your minutes. You have to act like you do, and do all the right things and play that role, but you're not feeling good deep down, because you're like, 'I've been here this whole time and look at our record.' That's the difference -- if it's not working, then we might need to tweak something, but it's working right now."
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If the Celtics do make a move, what kind of player should they target? House brought up his experience on the 2007-08 Celtics team that won the NBA Finals.
"Now, I'm not saying that if there's somebody out there who you can go get and you don't have to mortgage some of your future and disrupt chemistry, someone who can be a seamless-type guy who can come in," House said. "I'll give you a perfect example: P.J. Brown. He was a guy who came in and wasn't going to get extensive minutes, but when he came in he took some of Leon Powe's minutes and some of Glen Davis' minutes. Those guys had to stay ready. He had to stay ready.
"But because Brown was a true professional and chasing a championship, he was able to put that ego to the side. Those are the types of players I don't have a problem coming in. Same way with Sam (Cassell). Sam was coming in to win a championship. He took away some of my minutes. He had to put his ego to the side when it was my turn. I put my ego to the side when it was his turn because we were all on the same mission."
These types of veterans aren't always easy to acquire, but if used correctly, they can play a valuable role on a title contender like the Celtics.
"It's hard to find guys like that, especially if they're younger because they're trying to get paid and show their worth," House explained. "So it would probably have to be someone who's like, 'Hey man, this is within the last three or four years of my career. I'm still in very good shape and can help a team.' I could see that type of move. He's a guy you can use here and there. You lean on him in some games and some games you won't need him, and he's fine with that. I think chemistry is super important."
Also in this episode:
- Biggest storyline of the season so far
- Biggest surprise?
- Assessing Joe Mazzulla’s job in his second year
- Biggest concern going forward