About a month ago, I posed the question — Who is William Wesley? — and now his name is surfacing in reports linking LeBron to Kentucky head coach John Calipari.
The Chicago Tribune reported Monday that according to league sources, basketball power broker William Wesley — a friend of both James and Calipari — has been quietly contacting NBA teams that have coaching vacancies and salary cap space about the possibility of bringing in James and Calipari together.
James and Calipari have become friends through their mutual friendship with Wesley, who is considered one of the most powerful men in basketball. Wesley is part of the “family” that James referred to repeatedly in his postgame comments after the Celtics knocked James’ Cleveland Cavaliers out of the playoffs. Wesley was also reportedly involved in steering Rose and Tyreke Evans to Memphis when Calipari was coaching there.
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t understand the love affair with John Calipari. He’s a terrific recruiter, but what is it about his 72-112 record with the Nets, along with his disappointing finishes in Memphis and Kentucky, that indicates he’s going to be successful in his next NBA head coaching gig?
Free agency is still a month and a half away, but if some NBA team hires Calipari, it could forebode LeBron’s arrival. And the way things look — the shadowy William Wesley will be right there in the middle of it.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
