All-Star point guard Chris Paul is James' best friend in the NBA, which means he's certain to become part of the latest speculation on James' decision.
New Orleans' brilliant point guard Chris Paul (left) isn't a free agent this summer, but he became entwined in the LeBron Sweepstakes furor -- if only for his close friendship to James.(Chasing down rumors about LeBron James' basketball future could be a full-time job. Now it's my full-time job. Just call me The Rumor Monger. Every day we'll compile a list of the rumors we're hearing about James and his next contract. Just remember these are just rumors, not necessarily facts. It's going to be a long and rough ride, Cavs fans. Buckle up. -- Mary Schmitt Boyer)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here's what you need to know: All-Star point guard Chris Paul is James' best friend in the NBA.
Paul was upset when the New Orleans Hornets fired coach Byron Scott last season.
Could this have any bearing -- even down the road -- on why Scott appears to be the frontrunner for the Cavaliers' head coaching position? Perhaps.
But Paul suddenly finds himself in the middle of the James rumor mill.
There was a flurry of activity Monday night after a report from Yahoo.com reporter Adrian Wojnarowski that James associate William "Worldwide Wes" Wesley has been suggesting that trading for Paul would increase a team's chances of signing James.
As The Plain Dealer's Brian Windhorst tweeted on Tuesday, "As for latest Wes Wesley rumors, one GM to me: 'Right now Wes is talking out of six sides of his mouth.'"
Keep in mind that Paul hasn't asked to be traded and still has two years and $31.3 million left on his contract before he can opt out after the 2011-12 season. Wojnarowski said New Orleans General Manager Jeff Bower had no intention of trading Paul, but quoted an unnamed front office executive as saying that until current owner George Shinn finalizes the sale of his team to billionaire oilman Gary Chouest, there might be a chance to pry Paul away for the right price.
John Reid, who covers the Hornets for the New Orleans Times Picayune, tweeted on Monday night, "Teams have inquired about Chris Paul for the past three years and the Hornets stance has stayed the same -- not interested." He also tweeted, "I am amazed how this stuff get started: From reliable sources, the Hornets are not looking to trade Chris Paul."
On Monday, the New York Daily News quoted a Hornets official as saying, "We are not going to move Paul. He's our foundation and is not exactly 'touchable.'" Obviously, that's a convoluted way of saying he's untouchable.
Memphis owner Michael Heisley denied a report that the Grizzlies offered O.J. Mayo for Paul, and Orlando GM Otis Smith said he had not inquired about Paul.
We'll give the last word on all of this to Dave D'Alessandro of the Star-Ledger in Newark:
"Woj had it right -- it's a Worldwide Wes production, and the general reaction to it in Jersey and N'Awlins was 'yeah, whatever.' The Nets never made an offer, and the Hornets never asked. And we are reminded that we've entered a brave new world of NBA machination -- one in which an agent tries to broker a deal for a player he doesn't even represent. Chutzpah, eh? It's funny how something like that doesn't get you decertified."
• The Daily News reported that Knicks center Eddy Curry met with James in Ohio to discuss Curry's future. The two share an agent, Leon Rose, and both are friends with Wesley. Last month there were reports that James reached out to Curry about working out together in the off-season.
Isola's source told him Curry was not trying to recruit James to the Knicks. Isola writes, "In fact, Curry may have been recruiting himself to join James either in Cleveland or Chicago. Curry is entering the final year of his contract and has told close friends he'd welcome a buyout from the Knicks in order to become a free agent."
• On an unrelated topic, Isola suggested hiring Cavs assistant Chris Jent might be another way to entice James, since the two are close and work together all summer.
Wrote Isola in his blog, "I know the Knicks think Alec Baldwin and Boomer Esiason have the chops to convince LeBron to come to New York. But I'm pretty sure hiring Jent would make a more compelling argument."
• According to the New York Post, analysts told Crain's New York Business that a Knicks team featuring James would be worth as much as $150 million more than the $586 million it was valued at last year, in addition to boosting MSG Network's ratings and bringing an immediate $10 million to $20 million increase in revenue. If the Knicks start making the playoffs, the annual spike could skyrocket by as much as $50 million.
• Knicks free agent David Lee is eager for free agency to start.
Lee told the Daily News, "It's going to depend on how this whole situation shakes out, dealing first with what LeBron decides to do and what Dwyane Wade decides to do and then I think the chips will fall from there."
He also told the paper he and James could play together, saying, "It would be a great fit both on the pick and roll and being able to space the floor with the jump shot. ... I know there's a big push to get a true center, but anytime you add LeBron plus a few pieces, you've got a chance to be really successful."
• As reported in a blog item by The Plain Dealer's Reginald Fields, Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich told Fox Radio he would not join in the chorus for James to stay in Cleveland, unlike his opponent, Gov. Ted Strickland, who was featured in the famous "Please Stay LeBron" video.
Kasich told Fox News, "Look, he's a great basketball player, he's a great guy. There's a lot of great people in Ohio. ... We've lost 400,000 jobs out here and the last guy I worry about is LeBron James. You know I mean, we all hope he'll stay in Cleveland. We think we've got a great guy there that can turn everything around, but we got some serious problems."