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.

The month consists of 15 games, 14 of which have already been played.

Of those 14 games, 10 were against teams with sub-.500 records. And of the four teams with a winning record, three of those games were against the same team – Washington.

But as we have seen plenty of times with the Celtics, things not going as planned is the norm for these guys.

That has indeed been the case for the Celtics this month, which they will close out on Wednesday at home against Sacramento.

A win would certainly be a great way to close out the month for Boston, but the Celtics (10-18) will certainly go into the New Year disappointed that they weren’t able to pad their win total with a few more victories.

Even if Boston beats the Kings on Wednesday, the Celtics will still finish the month with a losing record. They go into the Sacramento game with a 6-8 record this month.

CSNNE – December not going as planned for Celtics

Celtics fans can finish the Counting Crows lyric from the title of this dump and think aloud, “maybe next year will be better than the last.” Seems like wishful thinking given that the Cs won’t get a more forgiving stretch of schedule again this season. A. Sherrod Blakely postulates three different theories for Boston’s December swoon, including a trend of lethargic first quarters and overall inconsistent play from a young team. His third factor is the one that carries the most weight, though: the trade of Rajon Rondo. Blakely continues,

It wasn’t so much filling the void he left, but trying to figure out what to do with the three new guys that came to Boston in the deal was a major problem.

Celtics head coach Brad Stevens is quick to point out that doling out the minutes, especially among his bigs, has become increasingly more difficult since the trade.

“There are five guys; it’s tough,” Stevens said. “Tough situation for not only those guys, and us for balancing that and figuring out what we think is best. Every night there is going to be somebody that you can ask about (not playing their usual minutes). That is just the way that our roster is structured right now at the 4 (power forward) and 5 (center).”

I’d argue that filling the void is a vital part of “it.” The Celtics are now 1-4 without Rondo, including three games in which they’ve fallen behind by double-digits. Beyond the basketball aspect of losing a player like Rondo, the Celtics lost a rotation player with eight-plus years of experience, who spent most of his time on the offensive end of the court with the ball in his hands. The intangibles and ball-sharing have to be replaced seamlessly on the fly. Additionally, the rest of the Celtics’ veterans are left wondering when they might be next to go and Brad Stevens is left to determine rotations and line-ups that may not exist mere weeks from now. The Rondo trade precipitates the other two causes Blakely lists as key to the Celtics’ December struggles, and as the schedule begins to toughen and the trade rumors continue to swirl, it’s a pretty good bet this year won’t be better than the last (unless the ping pong ball Gods answer our prayers).

Page 2: Jae Crowder may be here a while

Of the three players acquired from the Dallas Mavericks in the Rajon Rondo swap, Crowder may be the most likely to have a future with the team. The 6-foot-7 swingman is due a $1.2 million qualifying offer after the season that’s a no-brainer for Boston to extend if he’s not a casualty of salary aggregation at the February trade deadline.

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge hinted that Boston has long had an interest in Crowder and you can easily envision former Celtics coach Doc Rivers prodding Ainge to pick the Marquette product in the 2012 draft. But Crowder was off the board at No. 34 to Cleveland. (Coincidentally, he was traded to the Cavaliers in a swap that included current teammate Tyler Zeller.)

ESPNBoston – Crowder house: Newcomer looks to distinguish himself on Cs crowded roster

While Brandon Wright is a free agent at the end of the season (if he’s even still on the team at the point) and veteran Jameer Nelson doesn’t seem to factor into the Celtics’ long-term plans, Crowder could stick around a little bit. He’ll cost the Celtics’ only $1.2 million to extend over the summer and plays the type of hard-nosed defense and gives the effort necessary to make a positive impact on a rebuilding team. Ask ten different Celtic fans who the 4-5 core players are for the team’s future and you’re bound to get 10 different combinations. Based on the money and on Danny Ainge’s penchant for the player, Crowder’s a good bet to be included.

And finally, Paul Pierce: Future coach?

As to what Pierce might like to do in his next career, it was assumed through conversations with him over the years that he would be interested in an NBA front-office position, with an eye toward one day running the basketball operation. (For example, he might be a natural successor to Ainge after some grooming in the ways of internal operations.)

But after working with some of the younger Wizards on a regular basis, he is very much enjoying the process and results of teaching.

“I’m not sure, man. I like to keep my options open,” Pierce said. “Coaching could be in my future. I think I still have a lot left to give this game. I always find myself talking to the guys. When we’re going through scouting, I’m giving out pointers. A lot of the assistants say, ‘Man, you’ve got a lot to give this game after you’re done.’ So whether it’s coaching or being a general manager, it’s something I think about.”

Boston Herald – Pierce’s future plans include visiting the Celts

Maybe I haven’t been looking hard enough, but this is the first quasi-serious mention of Paul wanting to coach when he hangs it up on the court. We’ve heard reports about Pierce’s future plans in the game, many of which center around a role in basketball operations. I don’t know if I can see Paul as a head coach in the league, but the more I picture it, seeing how his younger Wizards’ teammates have taken to him and watching him age so craftily as a player, maybe it doesn’t seem so far fetched.