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.

It seems like the league has a lot of good-to-great point guards and the number of teams that actually need help at the position is kind of small. The usual suspects get mentioned a lot (Sacramento, Detroit, New York, etc.) but are there any teams out there that might be in the Rondo market that we haven’t talked a lot about?

Houston is certainly one. But I would keep an eye on teams willing to make sign-and-trades, and willing to play point guards together. Remember, a lot of teams have really good point guards but they are more like shooting guards, and teams are more willing to try playing those combinations together, as Phoenix and Minnesota did last year and as teams like Utah and Orlando are likely to try this year. It might not work, and teams might start shying away from it. But increasingly, the shooting guard spot is not what it used to be in the Michael Jordan heyday, and teams will either have a spot-up shooter or a second point guard there.

The Thunder could be one to watch. They have pieces to shed in a sign-and-trade, and a Russell Westbrook-Rondo backcourt would be fascinating. Might not work financially, but it’s a possibility. Charlotte has young pieces to offer and they’ve been slowly building toward making that one big move that pushes them to the next level. Not sure it’s Rondo, but he would be an upgrade. Dallas has pursued pretty much any big-time free agent it can, I would assume they’d at least express interest.

CelticsBlog – High FIve with Sean Deveney of Sporting News

Thanks to Jeff and the guys CelticsBlog for providing these pieces (in an unfortunately uneventful offseason).

It’s worth noting that Deveney takes a couple of paragraphs on the prior question to share his belief that Rondo is due for a monster year (15-10-6 averages). With that, this next question becomes a little more interesting: If Rondo does have a monster year, and if Marcus Smart is playing well at shooting guard but better without Rondo on the court, what will Danny do? I’ve thought quite a bit about the Rondo situation lately and the anxiousness to see how Rondo and Smart play together is through the roof.

In an ideal situation (for me), Rondo and Bradley would thrive, Rondo and Smart would thrive, Smart and Bradley would thrive. Ainge could then re-sign Rondo at around $15mil a season, combine that with the $8mil Bradley makes and Smart’s rookie scale deal, and the backcourt would be mostly set at a sum of roughly $25mil. That’s certainly not a bad price, especially with the amount of defense those three can provide (defense wins chips, right?).

And maybe the rumors are true that Rondo wants out with Smart in, but I find that hard to believe. If Rondo is interested in being a Celtic-lifer, than I could  see him taking a slight discount in exchange for a no-trade clause. Rondo’s smart enough to understand every aspect of the game, which is why I don’t think he holds enough disdain for Ainge to demand a trade. That leaves Stevens and his roster to prove to Rondo that something good is going on here.

Page 2: A celebration of Alicia Jones, Avery’s mom

This weekend, Alicia’s family and friends will gather at the Baker Middle School track in Tacoma for what her sister, La-Sandra Jones-Owens, is calling “Operation Toasty Toes” – the first annual Light the Night memorial.

“My sister loved buying crazy novelty socks – the crazier the better – and she’d give them to my daughter, her daughter, her friends,” Jones-Owens said. “We’re asking people to find the craziest, most colorful socks in her memory, wear a pair and bring others to give to children in the community.”

The News Tribune – Grab some crazy socks and help remember Alicia Jones

Alicia Jones, Avery Bradley’s mom, passed away last year five days following a stroke in her home. This event is to both pay tribute to her generosity and to continue that spirit by providing crazy and colorful socks for children who could benefit. It’s a special gesture, and one I’m sure makes Avery proud to be her son. AB is still a very young player in the NBA and you can tell he’s somewhat shy off the court — but he’s earned so much respect regardless. The way he kept his head up last year while carrying the weight he was carrying is tremendous and was often overlooked.