The Celtics have until the end of this month to sign Tony Allen to a contract extension, and Paul Pierce thinks it might behoove the club to get on it.

?Yeah,? said Pierce with a smile, ?they?d better do it right now because he may be worth a whole lot more if they wait until after the season.?Perhaps the Celts should take heed. Pierce?s last advice to management was to get some good veterans.

After just a few days of training camp, the club has indeed seen enough from Allen to believe he will recover well from his left knee reconstruction. Danny Ainge acknowledged yesterday that the team needed to be sure with his health before proceeding.