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He sat behind the Kentucky bench on Monday night during the NCAA Championship basketball game and I'm thinking William "Worldwide Wes" Wesley should have just dropped the charade and slid in beside coach John Calipari. The Wildcats beat Kansas 67-59. Anyone following major college basketball knows that talent rules. And anyone following the line of talent, first to Memphis, and now to Kentucky, knows that Calipari and Wesley are college basketball's sweetest couple. Oregonian

William Wesley 

After Monday's championship game, I think William Sidney Wesley is now running all of basketball. I've talked to Wesley a dozen occasions over the years. At times, he's asked me to not to quote him, not to mention him in print, not to write about the relationships he has with basketball players. "Everytime you mention me, it causes me trouble," he told me once after I'd written that he sat alongside then-prep star Kyle Singler during a NCAA Tournament game. Oregonian

William Wesley 

You understand in the end that Wesley's central mission is to get close to young, talented basketball players. And now, he's working as a consultant for Creative Artists Agency, on his way to becoming a full-blown certified NBA agent. Trail Blazers? You want to win big in free agency this summer? You'll need to get close to "Uncle Wes." Hire the guy as GM and leave nothing to chance. Oregon fans know what I'm talking about. Wesley is close friends with former Ducks assistant Kenny Payne. They met while Payne was a player at Louisville. And when Payne was hired by former coach Ernie Kent, it wasn't long until the talent followed to Eugene. Detroit-area blue-chipper Malik Hairston chose Oregon over Michigan. In fact. Hairston told me, "I've known Wes forever," after I saw the then-sophomore at Game 3 of the 2006 NBA Finals babysitting Wesley's 4-year old son in a court side seat. Oregonian

William Wesley 

Nick Friedell: Interesting visitor in Bulls' postgame locker room in both Miami and NYC: Worldwide Wes. Twitter

Chicago Bulls, William Wesley 

Sam Amick: He was, the agent says, a key power player in relationship between William Wesley and Rose that has led to much of CAA's recent growth. Twitter

William Wesley, Leon Rose, Dan Fegan, Mark Bartelstein, Henry Thomas, Lockout, Arn Tellem, Jeff Schwartz, Agents, Bill Duffy 

Ben Golliver: Portland Trail Blazers president Larry Miller sitting courtside at the Nike Hoop Summit with Worldwide Wes. Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, William Wesley, Larry Miller 

What's more, Calipari is represented by William (World Wide) Wesley, who works for Creative Artists Agency, Hollywood's most powerful entertainment agency. One of its many patrons is Chris Paul, who figures to be on the market within a matter of months. Wesley also reps Mark Warkentien, current part- time Knicks scout and former Nuggets' vice president; it's felt he'd caddy for Cal in the office. New York Post

New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Chris Paul, William Wesley, Coaching, James Dolan, John Calipari 

Nick Friedell: Unbelievable how Worldwide Wes literally know everyone. He was standing on sideline next to Noah as everyone came by to give him a hug. Twitter

Chicago Bulls, William Wesley, Joakim Noah 

Calipari, with help from his agent William Wesley, is the master of building relationships that will benefit him and his program. Worldwise Wes and his Creative Arts Agency connections give Calipari the ability to interact and build relationships with any celebrity or decision maker. HoopsWorld

William Wesley, Coaching, John Calipari 

If you're a player or coach of relevance, there's a good chance you already know Calipari or a member of his staff. Not only is he constantly introducing himself to prospects, he's also one of the most visible coaches in the country, as evidenced by his 1,132,088 followers on Twitter, blog and Coach Cal mobile network. "I met him when I was in seventh grade," said the prospect. "He couldn't recruit me or anything, but he was the nicest guy and we joked back and forth. My AAU coach had a bond with him so I really liked that too. He seems to know everyone and that helps him." HoopsWorld

William Wesley, Coaching, John Calipari 

It's the reason you see LeBron James courtside at Kentucky games and tweeting about the Wildcats in his free time. It's why Drake, another rapper, sits next to Ashley Judd at games and brings Calipari and his players on stage when he's performing in Lexington. All of Calipari's relationships are calculated and meant to give him an edge over his peers, especially when it comes to recruiting. "It definitely changes things for me," said one top prospect from the Class of 2013. "I like when guys like Drake and LeBron James come to their games. When I see a coach balling with superstars like that, it just opens my eyes. Not only is he a great coach, he's a cool guy with a lot of relationships. It's just another reason to like Coach Calipari and why Kentucky is one of my top schools." HoopsWorld

LeBron James, William Wesley, Coaching, John Calipari 

Even if that doesn't work, others theorize that it will be former Knicks president Isiah Thomas -- and not Walsh -- who will get the credit when the Knicks finally get Anthony as a free agent over the summer. Thomas still has Dolan's ear, is as power-hungry as ever and would love nothing more than being able to paint himself as the savior in New York. Even if it meant undercutting the man who saved his career in Indiana and who treated him with dignity and respect upon replacing him with the Knicks. "What'll happen is, Isiah will ride in and take credit for this due to his relationship with Carmelo, which is non-existent," a rival executive said. "It'll be, 'Donnie couldn't get it done, but thank God for Isiah and William Wesley and Carmelo!'" CBSSports.com

Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Free Agency, Trade, William Wesley, Carmelo Anthony, Isiah Thomas, Donnie Walsh, James Dolan 

Fittingly, NBA power broker William "Worldwide Wes" Wesley, who works closely with Anthony and his agent, was seated in the first spectator seat next to the Nuggets' bench. Wesley does frequent NBA games in the Midwest, but his presence was considerably noticeable this night. Denver Post

Denver Nuggets, Trade, William Wesley, Carmelo Anthony 

"I think a lot of people overexaggerate our friendship, but he's a good friend to me," Anthony said. As for a potential trade, Anthony reiterated what he said Tuesday: "I really don't know what's going on. It's three weeks from the deadline, and I can't tell what's going on." Denver Post

Denver Nuggets, Trade, William Wesley, Carmelo Anthony 

One of Anthony’s agents, William Wesley, is still working the Bulls, sources said, and New York president Donnie Walsh wisely continues to show restraint in talks with Denver. Yahoo! Sports

Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Trade, William Wesley, Carmelo Anthony, Donnie Walsh 

As happened with LeBron James’ inner-circle last summer, there’s a growing tension within Anthony’s camp over the agendas of the agents. Rose and Wesley – the famous Worldwide Wes – have pushed for the Nuggets to make a deal with the Nets. Yahoo! Sports

Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, New Jersey Nets, Trade, William Wesley, Carmelo Anthony, Leon Rose 

Wesley is a close associate of Nets minority owner, Jay-Z, and everyone believes he wants a further entrée into the lair of Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov. Within the league, they all get it: Wes wants access to Prokhorov’s empire, wants to get the coaches he reps hired in Jersey and get full access to the franchise. Yahoo! Sports

Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, New Jersey Nets, Trade, William Wesley, Carmelo Anthony, Leon Rose, Mikhail Prokhorov 

Rose is ultimately indebted to Wesley as the recruiting muscle of his agency, but has a unique affinity and loyalty to Hamilton. Hamilton is one of his longest-standing clients, and Rose wants badly to pull Hamilton away from the rebuilding Pistons and partner him with Anthony and Chauncey Billups in New Jersey. Rose – not anyone else – constructed the idea to send Hamilton to the Nets. How this all benefits Anthony remains a mystery. Yahoo! Sports

Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, New Jersey Nets, Trade, William Wesley, Carmelo Anthony, Leon Rose 

Yes, it gets Anthony his $65 million now. It makes him the centerpiece of the 2012 move into Brooklyn and all. Yet, Anthony keeps hearing Ujiri and his agents tell him: The Knicks don’t have a deal for you. The Knicks aren’t trying that hard (which isn’t true). Anthony watched all his free-agent buddies get everything they wanted over the summer – LeBron and Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Amar’e Stoudemire – and wonders: Why do I have to settle? Why do I have to become the bad guy this season? “There are so many different agendas at play in this deal,” one league official said. “But there’s no question: Leon and Wes want [the Nets] – even if it’s for different reasons.” Yahoo! Sports

Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, New Jersey Nets, Trade, William Wesley, Carmelo Anthony, Leon Rose 

The Nets need to get a commitment from Anthony that he'll sign the extension, and they received word Sunday (not the first time they've been told this) that Anthony was amenable to the deal. But did they hear that from Anthony himself? Or from his representatives, Leon Rose and William Wesley? Because at the end of the day, no matter how many people in Anthony's camp are telling him and/or pressuring him to sign off on the deal, it still comes down to whether Anthony himself says "Yes" or "No." ESPN.com

Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, New Jersey Nets, Trade, William Wesley, Carmelo Anthony, Leon Rose