Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski wrote that James, his confidante Maverick Carter and power-broker Wes Wesley are tugging Paul in the wrong direction, harming a reputation that was once admirable.
LeBron James (left) with Chris Paul (right) at the University of Akron's Rhodes Arena on July 5, three days before James left the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat. Cleveland, Ohio -- LeBron James had every right to go to whatever team could fit him in as a free agent signing.
It's become cliche, but remains true, that the biggest complaint with James' move from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat was the way he conducted it. Those particulars have been well-documented, and when combined with James' questionable effort in some 2010 playoff games and also his dismissive treatment of most people over the years, his image has become quite tarnished.
Still, James and his real "Team," composed of associates such as adviser Maverick Carter and NBA back-channels operator William "Worldwide Wes" Wesley, aren't satisfied with the orchestration of James' union with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.
They want to dictate some of the other significant movement among players, coaches and executives around the league.
Now, one of James' "friends" -- largely an exclusive group of superstars in whatever field -- is unhappy. Star point guard Chris Paul is pouting about being only two years through a four-year, $68 million contract with the New Orleans Hornets. He wants to be traded to a team that has players that he feels -- and James and Co. feel -- approach him in magnitude.
Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo! Sports has been spot-on about James' priorities -- beginning with himself -- through the free agency process. Wojnarowski wrote that James and his crew are now in the process of spoiling Paul's reputation by encouraging, and even trying to facilitate, Paul's desired departure from New Orleans.
Wojnarowski wrote:
Bad enough that LeBron James damaged his own standing in the sport this summer, he wants to take down Chris Paul with him too.
James, his business manager Maverick Carter and powerbroker William Wesley have far too much influence over Paul’s career, and they’re running it right out of the sunshine and into darkness. They’re using Paul as a commodity to elevate their clout, to show how they can take a player with no contractual leverage and muscle him out of New Orleans.
What they don’t care about – and maybe don’t understand – is that Paul built such a beautiful, unique relationship with the city of New Orleans. He’s been so truly invested there, a beacon and ambassador in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Yet, the James gang see these bonds as disposable and they’re convincing Paul of it, too.
Wesley and James' agent, Leon Rose, are connected to Creative Artists Agency (CAA), which Wojnarowksi refers to. James this week tweeted -- probably for public consumption, since he and Paul can directly contact each other at any time -- Paul that Paul should "Do what's best for You and your family."
Wojnarowksi wrote his opinion:
What’s best for Paul’s family is best for everyone’s family in the NBA. It needs James to restrict the polluting onto others of his own warped value system. James plays for the Miami Heat, but somehow he wants control of transactions elsewhere, too. He wants the building of these so-called super teams to protect his own legacy, to make it look like he isn’t the only superstar searching for the easy way to championships.
Wesley has been running around for months trying to orchestrate a trade for Paul, and the packages he proposes are beyond comical. He doesn’t even know half the names of players on the rosters. CAA should take a long look in the mirror, and ask itself what kind of outfit it’s turned into with Wes running basketball operations.
Wojnarowski recently wrote a column detailing how Team USA was put off by James' behavior within the team in the past.
Now, in this latest column, Wojnarowski writes:
In Paul’s earliest days with Team USA, officials preferred Deron Williams to him because they believed Williams was far more his own man. No one liked the way Paul was so eager to follow James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade. These changes haven’t come overnight with Paul, but over time. James, Carter and Wesley embarked on a long, orchestrated campaign to work Paul over, unfasten him from past loyalties and trusts, and transform him into a creation of their own.
And he’s let them, for no other reason than it seems Chris Paul believes this is somehow the path that will convince people that he belongs with the sport’s biggest stars. He could’ve stayed true to himself and elevated his standing, and now they’re dragging him down with them. Everyone else embraced Paul for an All-American image, for a wholesomeness, and it feels like he’s rejected it all now.
Chris Paul doesn’t need LeBron and Maverick and Wes. They need him. For their operation, Paul represents credibility. He’s always been better than this, and he needs to be again. As much as ever, the NBA needs Chris Paul to be true to his upbringing and character. Commitment always mattered to him, and it still should with the Hornets.