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.

When training camp opens on Friday, the Celtics president of basketball operations will roll out a lineup that is certainly improved thanks to the additions of former All-Star David Lee and Amir Johnson.

But no other professional sport depends on star quality as much as this one, and Ainge is no closer to landing a major name than he was before the gears started clicking in 2007. He’s actually further away. At least then he had Pierce and Rajon Rondo, a quiet rookie who few outside the organization had handicapped.

[…] Stevens, on the other hand, has to once again configure a winning rotation of solid role players. MaybeMarcus Smart has a breakout year. Maybe Isaiah Thomas can score big on a consistent level in the weaker conference.

Maybe you can get by with simple depth.

“That can also be a challenge, because sometimes guys want bigger roles than you have for them,” said Ainge.

Herald: Celtics hope depth is enough

This is a nice follow-up to yesterday’s Dump, where Celtics President Rich Gotham kind of dismissed the idea of hotly pursuing a superstar.

There is no doubt the Celtics need one eventually. Like Mark Murphy said, NBA basketball, perhaps more than any other sport, relies on superstar talent to win. So the lack of one makes winning difficult and being a championship contender almost impossible.

But that last line is also interesting from Ainge, and it shows a little more of the challenge to coaching a team like the Celtics… and just how important Brad Stevens is to this entire equation.

A lack of a star can create a void that needs to be filled, but the people who want to fill it aren’t capable of playing that role. When a team needs a go-to playmaker when nothing else is working, and the person trying to step up and make those plays isn’t really the right guy to do that, then the results can be pretty bad. Not only will the basketball suffer, but the players around that guy will start to get upset.

It’s like an example I’ve used a few times before… the phalanx in the movie 300.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR1l01cZQV0]

If this team can play together as a single unit, then the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. That’s where Brad Stevens comes in (and where he’s excelled so far).

It’s up to Stevens to continue to get the full buy-in from this team as guys go into contract years or play for a trade somewhere else. To say Brad is Brad and expect this to happen dismisses the personal agendas all players have. Isaiah Thomas wants to be a starter. Jared Sullinger wants to prove he’s fit. Marcus Smart wants to be a scoring point guard. And so on…

Stevens has to manage egos just like any other coach. In some ways, his job is tougher because some of his guys haven’t earned whatever egos they might have. It’s not all sunshine and roses behind the scenes. Stevens doesn’t just show up to work, wave his hand like Obi Wan and say “this is not the role you’re looking for.” He has to manage each individual player a specific way.

I do have full confidence in him to do that, though. And I have confidence that this team is full of guys who will stick together. but just because they did last year is no guarantee they will this year. Priorities change. New players bring new influences and the dynamic changes.

We’ll see how this season goes, but the longer the natural hierarchy of a basketball team goes unfilled, the more the risk that someone will try to fill it and break that phalanx.

Page 2: Another NBA player shockingly discovers that eating shitty foods was a bad idea

Charlotte Hornets star Al Jefferson has always used his size to his advantage, but as players age (especially big men), size can become an issue.

[…] For Jefferson, who weighed in around 290 last season, shedding weight meant cutting out a staple, per an interview with the Charlotte Observer: Fried chicken. Not unlike a smoker who can’t watch someone else puffing on a cigarette, Jefferson needed to remove all temptation.

“Every Popeye’s commercial I see, I have to turn the TV off,” Jefferson told the Observer. “…(I’ve lost) 20-plus (pounds). One thing about losing weight: It becomes a lot easier once you become disciplined about what you’re eating. Cutting out the sugar and the starch. Taking care of your body. Once I got into a routine it became pretty easy. And I knew what I was doing it for – to take some of the weight off my knees and getting my body into better shape than last year.”

MassLive

I’ve written about this before, and I’ll probably bring it up again the next time this happens.

This message needs to be sent loudly to all NBA players: Your body is how you make money. Your youth and metabolism is no excuse to eat shitty food simply because you can burn it off. Good fuel in means you can run longer, recover faster, and play better.

It’s mind-blowing to me how many players eat so poorly.

Finally…

Happy Birthday, Red Auerbach.

I personally feel like I owe Red so much because without him, who knows if I would have loved basketball, or the Celtics, the way I do. Thanks, Red, for building the greatest franchise in sports. We miss ya.

As a little birthday gift to all of you, here’s Red teaching you how to shoot a basketball.. with some help from Larry Bird and friends

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzI5O3OWvdk]

The rest of the links:

Globe: Sunday notes… Haywood’s great memories, and movement on a CBA  |  CSNNE: Who could be most improved Celtics?  |  ESPN Boston: Report: Pressey will look to compete for roster spot.. again  |  CBS: What role will rookies play for Celtics?