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.

Break time was short for members of the Celtics brass, who are just two weeks removed from being eliminated from the NBA playoffs and now are here preparing for what could be a critical draft in the team’s hopes for a continued resurgence.

The NBA Draft Combine officially kicks off Thursday, giving the Celtics a significant opportunity to interview draft prospects to garner initial impressions. Boston has the 16th, 28th, 33d, and 45th picks in the June 25 draft and could add to its depth with astute choices.

What the Celtics’ surprising 40-42 season did was earn them a playoff berth and push them into them middle of the first round of the draft, making any selection a bit murky. The Celtics will have to target a handful of choices at 16, and then perhaps take the best player available at 28.

[…]

Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky — This rim protector would be the Celtics faithful’s first choice. He played three years in college, is a defense-first player, and is brimming with athleticism. But he may not last until pick No. 16. He is projected to go in the top 10 or 12 picks, but team president Danny Ainge perhaps could package 16 and 28 to trade up if Cauley-Stein is the player they want most.

Boston Globe – NBA Draft Combine important as Celtics try to continue their rise (Note: image above is from Adam Himmelsbach Twitter account)

Although the NBA Playoffs are still ongoing, the Celtics were eliminated a couple of weeks ago, so their offseason begins now.  The first part of the process is attending the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago and observing several prospects performing random skill tests, some 5-on-5 action and most importantly: interviews.  It’s kind of odd that teams submit characteristics of the type of players that they’d like to interview, while the NBA will then assign them a group of players they can interview.  The Combine is not a be-all, end-all portion of the rebuild process, but it can prove to be a useful tool.  In the above piece, Gary Washburn touches on what can be expected, and also mentions how Danny Ainge could trade up to acquire someone like, say, Willie Cauley-Stein.

John already touched upon this in yesterday’s dump, but let me just add this:  no, this isn’t happening.  Or should I more accurately say, it’s highly unlikely to happen.  Look, this is the unfortunate side effect of the temporary high known as “making the playoffs as a 7th seed only to get blasted by Cleveland and thus losing out on a higher selection.” When the C’s went on that unexpected run to end the season, it’s one of those things that’s fun at the time, but in the big picture, not the best thing.  Teams are not going to take the 16th and 28th picks for say, the 5th or 10th picks.

Ainge still has options, and as he (and everyone else in management) has said, it’s all about being in the game and having a chance to make moves when the opportunity arrives.  Without attaching something significant (like Marcus Smart) to the low picks this year, one of those options likely won’t be combining picks to trade up.

Page 2: Brad Stevens can relate to the young players

Though the Celtics coach, asked if he enjoys his role as an observer this week, is strictly in Chicago as an adviser, that old college clout remains. He still knows many of these impending draftees as well as the team’s basketball operations staff, and is thus a great resource.

Louisville guard Terry Rozier interviewed with the Celtics yesterday, and was immediately struck by Stevens’ youth. There’s a coach, Rozier figured, who can really identify with young players.

“I like Brad Stevens. It was my first time meeting him, but he looks like one of us he’s so young,” said Rozier. “It’s a good thing because he understands what a young guy can go through, and how they relate. I don’t care who I play for, an old guy or a young guy, but a young guy can understand a little more because he’s from a younger generation.”

Boston Herald – Brad Stevens holds clout with rookies

Since Coach Stevens isn’t too far removed from his college days, he can still relate well to players that age.  At least that’s how these guys feel, and that’s important because it makes them feel more comfortable and perhaps more eager to play here.  Stevens has proven that he can relate to players of all ages and status, although we have yet to see how he would deal with superstars (other than Rondo, who at the time was not a super star). Either way, it’s always a good thing to know that players have nothing but positive things to say about the coach of your team.

The rest of the links:

ESPN – Danny Ainge: ‘We want to stay in the game’

Boston Globe – Oliver Hanlan says it was it was time for him to leave BC | NBA draft combine features 5-on-5 action Thursday | Celtics making the rounds at NBA Scouting Combine

Boston Herald – Celtics Notebook: Celtics do a lot of talking these days | Celtics’ flexibility is envied at NBA draft camp

CSNNE – 2015 NBA Draft will provide depth, versatility for teams | R.J. Hunter ‘wouldn’t mind’ being drafted by Boston Celtics | Celtics busy interviewing players at pre-draft combine

MassLive – Stanley Johnson, RJ Hunter agree: Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens a selling point

Celtics.com – NBA Draft Combine: Day 1 Takeaways

The Courier-Jounral – Louisville’s Terry Rozier welcomes NBA combine pressure

The Sabre.com – Virginia’s Justin Anderson shines at NBA Combine