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.

The team took a red-eye flight from Boston on Friday night. For rookies such as Terry Rozier and Jordan Mickey, it was their first time traveling abroad. On the plane, the players played cards and listened to music and enjoyed themselves.

“But then Pops, I mean [coach Brad Stevens], told us to turn down the music, and it just killed the buzz,” guard Evan Turner said. “It really destroyed team chemistry. Nah, I’m just kidding. But when we shut down the music we were like, ‘Guess we’ll go to sleep.’ ”

Boston Globe: Celtics begin their European adventure

“These sessions are really important to get something accomplished in practice and make sure that we continue to progress,” said Brad Stevens, who acknowledged that this trip is very different than those which he took to Europe with his Butler teams. “It’s still very much a part of our training camp, and so you’ve got all of the great things about being a tourist – seeing new things and being able to experience new things – and at the same time we’re 24 or 25 days away from our season opener. So we’ve got to have productive days in the gym.”

From the sound of it, his players are in agreement. The Celtics were excited to get back onto the court and did not appear to be worried about turning off the noise that surrounds their Global Games trip.

“It felt good having those days off,” said Marcus Smart, “but every guy here loves playing the game of basketball. We look at it more like: this is our job, this is our practice, this is what we love to do. So anytime we can get out here and throw a ball around and put it through the hoop is a good feeling.”

Celtics.com

It’s impossible to think of a Celtics trip to Italy without fondly reminiscing about the summer of 2007 and the trip that hit fast forward on the chemistry building phase of the New Big 3.

That trip was a bit different, though. These guys have to get a lot more work done in less time. But still, it will be great for guys to do things together. Some of these guys are taking their first trips overseas, and spending some down time together will be great bonding experiences for them.

As for the college/pro comparison… Stevens chimed in with this gem of a quote:

“It’s a little different for college kids — none of those guys were going to pay for the international roaming, so our cell phones didn’t work,” said Stevens. “So, literally, we get on the bus, and it’s like they’re air texting and not knowing what to do. But by the end of the trip, you’re talking, you’re yukking it up, you’re playing board games. You’re just doing things to pass the time because you’ve been on a bus the whole time. And we won’t be on a bus quite that much and these guys probably will be able to afford the international data.”

That’s such a Brad quote. Yukking it up and board games? Get outta here you wild man.

The Celtics obviously have a lot to figure out. We’ll probably see some interesting combinations over the next few days as Stevens tries to figure out just how to use all this depth (which is the short way of saying all these guys with about equal talent levels).

There aren’t many guys in camp who know their place on the team. Isaiah Thomas is one of maybe only a couple who are secure in their roles. And he’s ready to get out there and play

Isaiah Thomas: “I’m itching to play somebody else. I’m tired of beating up on my teammates.”

— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) October 4, 2015

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsI’ll repeat myself from yesterday… I’m thoroughly enjoying the Isaiah Thomas experience right now, and I like where this is going. Related links: CSNNE: Scal: Great time to just focus on basketball

And Finally….

… They used to sing songs for Scal in Italy

Drop everything! Watch @Scalabrine explain how the Italian fans used to sing his name during his Italy playing days: http://t.co/9lKyKZCaeh

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 4, 2015

“Red head man with beer in hand” is a great song title. So I’m issuing a challenge to any of you who are musically inclined….

Write the Scalabrine song, and send us the video. I’ll figure out some kind of Celtics prize if you give us a great one. 

Remember… the title is “Red Head Man With Beer In Hand”… that has to be your hook, there has to be a full verse, and it has to somehow be about Scal. 

Let’s see what you’ve got. 

The rest of the links:

Globe: Jerebko has found a home with Celtics (Sunday notes)  |  Herald: Elder Sullinger sets example for son by shedding weight  |  Milano mirrors Celtics might  |  MassLive: Perry Jones expects to play in opener | The compelling story of how Kelly Olynyk and the Celtics made it to Italy for a preseason game (photos)

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