Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that most insiders believe that the Portland Trail Blazers have been "merciless" in trying to lean on Chris Paul to force his way out of New Orleans. The report states that Maverick Carter and William Wesley, two of LeBron James' closest advisors, are also working hard to elbow their way into influence over Paul. "The NBA lets LeBron's friends come and go as they please in multiple team matters that don't involve them," writes Wojnarowski, "and they're never held accountable for whatever complications they create." Wojnarowski writes that even though James' representatives disputed Jalen Rose's announcement that James has all but decided to leave Cleveland, that is precisely the agenda that Wesley is pushing privately. Wesley and Rose apparently have a close relationship dating back a number of years. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AsvnHENvERNJO98FH1tKUGu8vLYF?slug=aw-chrispaul062310