Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

“I love the situation,” said Bayless who will become a free agent this summer. “I love the opportunity. I told Brad (Stevens, Boston’s head coach) and I told Danny (Ainge, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations) since I’ve been here, I really want to make this my home for a while. Hopefully I’ll be able to do it.”

Bayless certainly looked comfortable on Monday, scoring 15 of his 17 points off the bench in the fourth quarter of Boston’s 104-92 loss to Houston.

Would l like to find a home? Of course,” he said. “I would love to be here for the rest of my career if I could and find some stability.”

Maybe it’s only been a few games since Bayless landed in Boston, but it’s hard not to already like and appreciate what he’s doing. Certainly on the court at least, where he’s shown us a little of that “Celtic Killer” label earned in years past. Off the court, he’s been saying the kind of things one would want to hear from a new player; speaking of improvement and being a part of the future. It might be easier to get on board with is comments after the 17-point output against Houston, but his game is still labeled as streaky, and much remains to be seen when Rondo returns and Crawford slips to the bench.

Still, the signs so far have been good. Bayless is a young but well-traveled player. He’s got playoff experience, and a knack for catching fire at a good time. You can’t blame him for wanting a place to call home. It’s good to see him start to find some solid footing here.

Just a little devil’s advocate here: Courtney Lee scored a team-high 24 points last night, in a 90-87 win over Oklahoma City. Would you reverse the trade if you could?

CSNNE – Bayless: I really want to make this my home

Page 2: Jordan Crawford’s ready to come off the bench (or get traded, see update)

Rajon Rondo will be back in the starting lineup very soon – as early as Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers – which means Crawford will go back to the bench. “I just take on a new role,” said Crawford, the Celtics’ leader in assists. “I still want to provide for the team any way I can. You knew it was coming. Just accept it and try to play better basketball.”

“It was good to show what I could do, for the time that I got,” Crawford said. “I just want to stay consistent when Rondo comes back. That’s a big player that we need. We need that wisdom he (has), leadership, another playmaker to make it easy on me and get easier shots for me and other players on the team. It’s great to have him.”

A lot of point-guard talk in today’s Morning Dump, but with Rondo’s returned almost certainly set for Friday, things are about to change. We’ve all served witness to Jordan Crawford’s season: a strong start, early peak, and a slow decent back down. Watching Jordan’s game is kind of like watching Last Comic Standing. When he’s good, he’s funny and good; when he’s bad, it’s just grimacing. Hopefully a “less is more” approach will suit Crawford well. He’s still got a canon and good court vision, just needs to hold on to the consistency we saw early this year.

With the new point-guard depth chart of Rondo, Crawford, Bayless, we might get some interesting lineups. The NBA has seen a similar approach in Phoenix, where before Eric Gordon’s injury, the Suns would pair him with Goran Dragic — creating a dual point-guard backcourt. It was surprisingly effective, and although we probably shouldn’t expect that level of success, it’s nice to know there are ways to go about it. In Brad we trust.

Update: stepped into work this morning and saw this Peter Vecsey tweet.

With Rondo about 2B activated, Celtics are close 2 dealing Jordan Crawford. BK, Clips, Suns, Rockets, Warriors are interested

— Peter Vecsey (@PeterVecsey1) January 15, 2014

 

Well, this might solve the new backup at point-guard. The suns could use a filler for Bledsoe, and the Clippers could use someone in place of injured Chris Paul. Could it be a deal involving Crawford and Bass for Asik? The Rockets don’t really need a point-guard, but Crawford can split minutes at shooting-guard, handling the ball often like James Harden. I’m not sure what Vecsey’s source is exactly, but this rumor seems to be getting some attention.

Related Links – Boston Celtics trade rumors

CSNNE – Crawford ready for new role upon Rondo’s return

The rest of the links: 

ESPN Boston – Celtics ready for Rajon Rondo | Bogans excused from C’s indefinitely | Green full-go after shoulder injury

Boston Herald  – Gerald Wallace’s body, pride bruised on bench | Courtney Lee helps lead Grizzles over Thunder

MassLive  – Jared Sullinger relentlessley optimistic | Keith Bogans excused from Boston Celtics