Celtics Trade House for Robinson

The Boston Celtics bid farewell to fan favorite Eddie House on Thursday. According to the press release issued by the team, House was traded to the division rival New York Knicks in exchange for disgruntled guard Nate Robinson, who had fallen out of favor with Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni. Included in the trade for salary considerations were Bill Walker and J.R. Giddens from the Celtics, and rookie Marcus Landry from the Knicks. Both Robinson and House will be eligible for free-agency at the end of the season.

Robinson should provide the Celtics with additional depth off the bench, an asset that could become a key factor in making another championship run for an aging Celtics roster. In particular, he provides the Celtics with a much needed backup point guard for over-used Rajon Rondo. Robinson also adds another dimension to the Celtics offense, as he creates more opportunities for himself and teammates than House, who was primarily used as a spot-up three point shooter. In 30 games this season, Robinson has averaged over 13 points per game off the bench for the Knicks. Last season, despite starting only 11 games, Robinson averaged 17.2 points per game for New York.

House, a clutch contributor to the Celtics 2007-2008 championship team, has been a role player for his entire career. Since entering the league with the Miami Heat in 2000, he has started only 30 of the 643 NBA games in which he has played. Although his numbers this season have been a slight decrease from his career averages, House excited Celtics fans with his ability to shoot the basketball from anywhere on the court and the energy he displayed, especially late in games. In 50 games this season, House has averaged 7.2 points per game while shooting 38 percent from behind the arc for the Celtics.

With the trade, Robinson becomes the latest NBA slam dunk champion to wear a Celtics uniform. Robinson has won the NBA slam dunk contest three times ('06, '09, '10). Other slam dunk champions who have played for the Celtics include Dee Brown, Gerald Green and Dominique Wilkins; Wilkins won two slam dunk contests while a member of the Atlanta Hawks in 1985 and 1990.

Sources:

Boston Celtics, "Celtics acquire Nate Robinson, Marcus Landry from Knicks," NBA.com

National Basketball Association, NBA Slam-Dunk Contest Winners NBA.com

All statistics courtesy of NBA.com