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

The competition for roster spots is staunch. Colangelo wanted it that way when he took over USA Basketball following the team’s embarrassing bronze-medal performance in 2004. Colangelo wanted seasoned, established veterans vying for spots. He wanted rising players competing for spots, and he wanted promising youngsters willing to participate in the program with hopes of cracking future rosters.

All of that has occurred. The quandary Team USA faces is making the transition from the veteran players — Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard,Chris Paul — to recently established stars such as Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Paul George, James Harden, andKevin Durant. Then trying to fit the right talent into 12 slots.

There are also intriguing players to consider such as Kawhi Leonard, DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Drummond, Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook, andDeAndre Jordan.

Instead of the sense of entitlement that started with the creation and subsequent invincibility of the Dream Team, Colangelo wanted players to consider playing for Team USA an honor and career achievement. And inviting more and more players to camps and workouts has helped create that mentality.

Boston Globe – Sunday Basketball Notes: Who will make USA basketball’s 12-man olympic roster?

Chris Forsberg’s summer forecast series has bloggers like yours truly making predictions for the upcoming Celtics season. Since we’re already in a prophetic mood here at Red’s Army, I figured it’d be fun to broaden the scope and scale of our predictions to a time far away on a grander stage: The 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Why Tokyo? Well, you don’t see Gary Washburn listing any Celtics on Jerry Colangelo’s radar for Rio. That’s a LOADED list – especially if Lebron and some of the other Olympic vets choose to give it a go in Rio. Five years from now, however, it’s a good bet that the first five names listed above will be watching the Olympics from the comfort of their own mansions. It wouldn’t be too surprising to see younger stars like Kevin Durant also take a pass in 2020. So, of all the Celtics on the current roster, who has the best shot of donning the red, white and blue in Tokyo?

The safe money is on Marcus Smart. Colangelo and Coach K (who probably won’t be coaching the team in 2020) have their eyes on Smart from his time on the Select Team in 2014. Often times, those last few Olympic spots go to specialists: Tayshaun Prince and Michael Redd had spots in 08 for defense and three-point shooting respectively. In 2012, it was Tyson Chandler, a not-yet-superstar James Harden and Andre Iguodala. If Smart, who will be 26 when Tokyo rolls around, continues his progression as a shut-down perimeter defender, he should get looks from Team USA for his defense alone.

The point guard position is flush with talent, however, much of it home-grown. If not Smart, then who? That player probably isn’t on the roster right now. Unless RJ Hunter becomes a shooter on par with Kyle Korver or Redd, I don’t see a current Celtic other than Smart who draws even a whiff of attention on an Olympic level.

On page 2, Big Baby is still looking for a job

Remeber when Big Baby shared a post-game press conference with Nate Robinson after an NBA Finals game? Five years later, and Glen Davis still doesn’t have a home on an NBA roster as the calendar turns to September. Gary Washburn points out:

Still available on the free agent market is Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who played a useful role with the Clippers last season but has become more of an energy player in recent years than a scorer. Four months shy of his 30th birthday, Davis still appears to have some years left in his game.

The Mavs and Clippers apparently have some interest, but after an underwhelming season in Los Angeles, where he couldn’t even get 10-minutes per game in the post-season for a team with no bench, it’s no surprise that teams aren’t lining up.