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.

As expected, Celtics big man Kelly Olynyk was named to the 12-member Canadian National team that will compete this week in Mexico City in the FIBA Americas Qualifying Tournament in Mexico City.

The 7-foot Olynyk sustained a left knee injury last week that wasn’t nearly as bad as it initially looked.

Team Canada has held him out of all games since the injury, but he is expected to play in the qualifying tournament this week.

CSNNE: Olynyk ready to play for Canada in FIBA tournament

The injury didn’t look great at first, but it appears there is no structural damage and Kelly will give it a go this week.

While there is always some fear of having your players compete in these international tournaments, I think the Celtics will benefit from Olynyk continuing to face tough competition in the offseason. It’s better than standing around and watching some in-game dunk contest at a pro-am somewhere.

There’s a lot on the line for Olynyk this season. He faces getting squeezed out of a crowded rotation if he can’t play with any consistency.  And while he’s got the most diverse skill set, which plays quite well into Brad Stevens’ style, he also has a re-focused Jared Sullinger to contend with. If Sully comes into the season in shape with an improved 3-point shot, then he could cut into Olynyk’s minutes on the floor.

So a tournament like this is a great place to start displaying some new strengths to the game. I’d like to see some attempts at taking the game over when the opportunity is there. I’d like to see him start setting up defenders and making them do what he wants.

I’m sure I say this in every Olynyk post… the kid has the skills to do it. He just needs to get out there and put it all together.

Page 2: What a great time to be an okay player

The Boston Celtics have three extension-eligible players from the class of 2012 in Jared Sullinger, Tyler Zeller, and Perry Jones III, along with the necessary cap flexibility to consider hammering out deals before the Oct. 31 deadline.

For Day 10 of our Celtics Summer Forecast, we asked the 17 members of our blogger jury to put themselves in president of basketball operations Danny Ainge’s shoes and consider: Will the Celtics agree to extensions with any of those three players?

ESPN Boston: Summer forecast: Rare extensions

Ben, Mike, and KWAPT all gave answers in this isntallment. The general consensus among the panel is that no one will get extended, but, if anyone actually does it will be Zeller. Ben actually chose Zeller

It’s hard to give a per-year figure to Zeller without knowing how much playing time he’ll receive this season and how he fits into the big-man rotation. But 7-footers who can dive to the rim effectively and shoot midrange jumpers are rare and with the cap set to rise next year, $11 million won’t look as steep as it does right now.

Mike and KWAPT both said no one will get extended.

Personally, I think this is a great time to be alive if you’re an okay basketball player. That’s what these guys are right now. They’re okay (well except for maybe Perry Jones, but we’ll see if he can get there). The impending salary cap explosion is making guys like Zeller a potential 8-figure player. I like Zeller, and I think he has a place in the league, even if it’s ultimately not with Boston.

But paying him $10 million (about the average of what the panel predicted he’d get if he’s re-signed) seems kind of crazy. That’s what Zach Randolph makes.

But it’s Randolph’s own fault for not being born a few years later. If he had, he’d be signing a max extension and making $20 million a year and people would be saying things like “with the cap going up, it’s not even really THAT much.”

Yep, the increasing cap is changing everything about the NBA, and it’s making okay players very rich. I’d say being an okay player is probably the best thing you can be in the NBA right now. You don’t get bullshit superstar players have to deal with on a daily basis. You don’t have the pressure to be a 25 and 12 guy. You just have to show up and be okay, then collect part of your 8-figure salary every night.

Go buy an okay house. Drive an okay car. Live an okay life. And make f’ing great money.

That’s okay.