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.

This is not to pin blame on Rondo for Boston’s overall struggles. There’s a case to be made that without Rondo’s playmaking, this team would be far worse. Others must step up in crunch time, particularly on the offensive end, to take pressure off Rondo to create offense.

Rondo simply wasn’t as aggressive Wednesday as we’ve seen him in recent outings. He needs to keep the intensity turned up regardless of the opponent.

Fourth Wall: More Needed From Rondo-Chris Forsberg

Intense and aggressive. Those are two words that do not describe the Boston Celtics during last night’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets. And it starts with your captain. The captain is there to set the tone, to lead and to show others what it takes to win. Rajon Rondo, while notching a triple-double last night, was neither intense nor aggressive when it counted. Granted, there was his tussle with Lance Stephenson, but that was more frustration than anything else. That’s what Lance Stephenson does-he tries to get under the skin of his opponents and take them out of their game. He was somewhat successful in doing so with Rondo last night. And I’m with Forsberg-this is in no way an attack on Rajon nor putting the blame on him for last night’s loss. But his fourth quarter play as of late has been less than stellar.

Rondo committed three of his team-high four turnovers over the final 3:14 of Wednesday’s game. That included getting stripped by Kemba Walker with Boston down 5, then committing both a travel and a bad-pass turnover with less than two minutes to play.

Rondo routinely has pinned the blame on himself for Boston’s fourth-quarter struggles. Seemingly accepting his role as captain, Rondo often has suggested he needs to be better in crunch time, but it simply hasn’t happened to this point.

In 143 minutes of fourth-quarter play this season, Rondo is 12-of-43 shooting (a team-worst 27.9 percent) with 30 rebounds, 42 assists and 19 turnovers. He is minus-47 in plus/minus in the fourth quarter.

And as Forsberg noted, who does Boston really have other than Rondo in crunch time? Who gets the ball when you absolutely, positively need a hoop? Anyone? Exactly. The C’s simply do not have a closer right now. They’ve “experimented” with both Rondo and Jeff Green, but we all saw the results and were not happy. Marcus Thornton has been fantastic in situations when Boston has really needed scoring. His 16 points (13 in the 4th) in last night’s loss kept the Celtics’ hopes alive late in the game, and he’s averaging 13 ppg over his last three contests. But he’s just one guy and not someone I think you can rely on every single night.

This whole issue of Rondo not being fully engaged every night is nothing new and certainly is not going to go away. Or at least I don’t believe it is at this stage of his career. He is who he is and that’s all that he is. *Popeye voice* But while the Celtics continue their rebuilding phase, it’s obviously going to be more noticeable.

After last night’s disappointing loss to the Hornets, Rondo told the Herald’s Steve Bulpett that “it started” with him:

“It started with me,” said Rondo. “I had some key turnovers in the fourth that I should be able to take better care of the ball. And Kemba Walker got a back-door play layup, so we’ve got to do better as a team, as a whole, and it starts with myself.”

I couldn’t agree more…

Page 2:  James Young takes nasty shot to shoulder in D-League

As first mentioned last night by Celtics Blog, James Young took a nasty shot to his shoulder last night during Maine’s win over Delaware. With a little over a minute left in the 3rd Q, Young was leveled by the massive frame of Delaware’s Drew Gordon while trying to catch an outlet pass. As seen in my video below, Young lay on the floor, holding his right shoulder in obvious pain. He was eventually helped off the court by a trainer and did not return to the game. He was however back on the bench later in a sweatsuit and did come out to congratulate his team after the final buzzer. His right arm appeared to be in a sling underneath his hoodie as seen in the screenshot below. More on Young as soon as we hear anything.

https://vimeo.com/114212714

Related links:

ESPN Boston: Young Injured In D-League Appearance

Last but not least: two Brooklyn Nets make NBA headlines

With his 1,800th career steal in last night’s game vs the Bulls, Kevin Garnett reached yet another NBA milestone. KG becomes the first player in NBA history to record 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 5,000 assists, 2,000 blocks & 1,800 steals. KG turned 38 last spring and is now in his 20th season in the NBA. As Big Ticket’s career winds down, I must say it’s been a pleasure to be able to watch him. I am so grateful I got to see him play in person so much during his time with the Celtics. As a basketball fan, he has been a pure joy to watch night in & night out. Man am I gonna miss him when his long journey eventually ends…

Kevin Garnett’s teammate, the Nets’ Cory Jefferson, made headlines for a totally different reason last night. Jefferson took what is possibly the sorriest three-point attempt ever. See for yourself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOEdT4JHjcg

The rest of the links:

Herald: Celtics Stung Badly Late|Celtics May Net A Home By Bruins’ New Facility|Celtics Notebook

Globe: Celtics Notebook-Smart Feeling OK After 35 Minute Stint Monday

CSNNE: Celtics Come Up Short|Late Turnovers Doom Celtics In Loss To Hornets|Stars Studs & Duds

ESPN Boston: Big Night For Big Al

MassLive: Rondo Suggests Hornet’s Stephenson Flopped

NBA.com: Nets Unload Kirilenko