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.

Things started to turn for Crowder when he came to Boston as part of the Rajon Rondo trade and began to play for Stevens. He said he’d been told to stand in the corner and space the floor in Dallas. Now he was told to be in the middle of the action — and if there was no action, make some.

“The coach wants to work with me,” Crowder said of Stevens. “He appreciates what I bring every day. He believes in me, and the city believes in me. It’s just a great feeling.”

For Stevens, as well.

The coach knows that no matter what kind of lineup he’s running, small or large, Crowder can find a way to be an asset.

“He’s a versatile player,” Stevens said. “He can probably play 2, 3 and 4 (shooting guard, small forward and power forward) for us. He had times last year when he guarded 1’s (point guards) and times when he guarded 5’s (centers).

“I’ve said this all along: the more versatile you are, the better. And unless you’re a specialist, the more positions you guard, the more valuable you are from a playing perspective.

“So he’s going to play. There’s no way he doesn’t, because of that versatility.”

Boston Herald – Comfort will not change Crowder

“How does Sully look?” “Can Marcus Smart run the offense?” “Who will start in the front-court?” “Hey, did you hear James Young added 20-pounds of… oh, you did?”

There are no shortage of story-lines at the conclusion of the first weekend of Celtics training camp. Many of those story-lines are born out of a cloud of uncertainty about what this Cs team will look like on opening night. Heck, no one really knows what this team will look like at season’s end. Personally, I could see them finishing as high as 4th in the conference and as low as 11th. There are very few knowns and plenty of unknowns.

And then there’s Jae Crowder. Presumably the throw-in of the Rondo trade, he’s the only player still remaining on the same team after that deal (although in all transparency, I have no ‘effin clue where Dwight Powell is and I don’t care to go through the depths of the internet to find out).

While it’s certainly possible that Brad Stevens entertains the notion of Evan Turner starting at the 3 with Crowder coming off the bench, it’s highly unlikely. Crowder and his freshly minted 5-year deal is here to start.

Stevens is quite effusive in his praise of Crowder, especially as it pertains to his flexibility. If this team hopes to compete for a series win or two in the playoffs, there’s no questioning that Crowder’s defense and toughness will be a factor.

So, while we eagerly await the Cs slate of pre-season games as an indicator of what Stevens’ rotation might look like, we can rest assured that Crowder will be part of it. Whether he dropped weight in the off-season or added muscle. It won’t matter.

On Page 2, some interesting stats on AB

If Bradley can become a more effective player getting to the free throw line, it would make him an extremely difficult cover.

Teams know all too well that Bradley is at his best when he catches the ball and immediately shoots without taking a dribble.

In fact, his effective field goal percentage last season was .546 when he shot without taking a single dribble. When he took one dribble, that number dropped to .476. Two dribbles saw it continue to dip, to .447. The slide continued when he took 3-6 dribbles (.431). And he was at his worst when he dribbled the ball seven or more times (.277).

The numbers might not bode well in Bradley’s favor to become an elite ball-handler, but the one thing you can count on with him is noticeable improvement when he puts his mind to improving a particular aspect of his game.

Although it has only been a couple days of practice, Bradley says he can already see the time he spent working on his game pay off.

“Being able to translate it over to practice and not me just going out and doing it in workouts … it’s translated to practice,” Bradley said. “Now it just has to translate over to games.”

CSNNE – Bradley ready to change speeds to get to the line

It’s no surprise that AB is a catch-and-shoot kind of guy (as well as a long 2s guy) but that’s a marked difference from his shooting percentage once he puts the ball on the floor.

Unless the Celtics go small late in the game, Bradley is going to continue to be squeezed in close games. Stevens will opt for Smart and IT and with a bevy of young guards on guaranteed contracts also on the roster, Bradley may end up being nothing more than a nominal starter.

We’ll have to see if Bradley’s commitment to ball handling and shot-creating pays off over the course of the pre-season.

And finally, can the Cs improve their 3-point shooting from within?

Boston’s other first-round pick, R.J. Hunter, admitted he had some butterflies heading into his first day of NBA camp on Saturday. “You dream of being in the NBA,” he said. “In your first NBA practice, you don’t want to be the deer in the headlights.” Hunter said the level of play has jumped up even further from his first taste of pro action at summer league, but he’s trying to prove to his coaches that he can make an immediate impact at this level.

ESPNBoston.com – Caution nerves ahead

Again, the sample size was just 31 games and Young’s minutes were limited most nights, but the numbers did show that the ability for him to make shots is there.

[…]

He expects things to be different this time around.

“I have a lot of confidence going into this season,” he said. “And our team is going to do really well this year. It’s not about me; it’s about getting wins.”

While that is true, Young knows that the better he performs, the better Boston’s chances become of improving on the success they enjoyed in the latter stages of last season.

CSNNE – Young ‘amped’ for second season with Celtics

R.J. Hunter or James Young. If the Celtics want to become a more dynamic offense, one of these two is going to have to be the marksman, as advertised on draft night.

Hunter and Young can shoot; that much is indisputable. The question becomes which one will play well enough on the defensive end, while also finding that elusive confidence that young shooters often lack. Young proved he could fill it from deep with the Red Claws and Hunter did it in spurts this summer in Vegas.

Hunter talks about nerves above and Young talks about confidence. Hopefully at least one of them can conquer the mental aspect of embodying the role of three-point specialist in the NBA. A successful season could depend on it.

The rest of the links:

Mass Live – Former Boston Celtic forward Gerald Wallace waived by Philadelphia 76ers | Amir Johnson: Terry Rozier stood out among Boston Celtics youngsters on opening day of training camp

Boston Herald – Celtics Notebook: Healthy Smart ready to speed things up | Johnson’s ability to fit in an important skill | Prove-it year for Rondo

CBSSports – Five NBA training camp battles to watch: Celtics, Rockets guard heavy