Clippers G and NBPA President CHRIS PAUL prefers to "move in silence, without much fanfare, without losing sight of the goals in front of him," allowing him to lead "one of the more drama-free" CBA negotiations in recent history, according to Michael Lee of THE VERTICAL. Dedicating himself to "advancing the agenda of his fellow players required a sacrifice that was felt largely by those closest to Paul." He "wasn’t some helicopter leader who delegated responsibilities to others who lacked the demands he faced as one of the superstar faces of his franchise, a visible product endorser, AAU program director and burgeoning entrepreneur." Paul was "fully engaged, calling up or emailing" NBPA Exec Dir MICHELE ROBERTS to "share his ideas and concerns." He also exchanged "strategies via text with his right-hand man," Cavaliers G and NBPA Secretary/Treasurer JAMES JONES, and reached out to players to "make sure that their input was heard and expressed in meetings with NBA owners." Roberts: "I would say, 'Guys, give me an hour and I promise I won’t bug you for a week.' And his thing was, 'No. Don’t worry about that, Michele. You just tell us what you need from us and we’ll be there.' Chris was just remarkably available." Lee noted as a "hint of how cordial both sides were after the last CBA resulted in a lockout and a shortened season," Clippers Owner STEVE BALLMER gave Paul the "freedom to go wherever he was needed, even if meant skipping a game or practice." Jones said of Paul, "We all know how seriously he takes his craft, but he takes the job of union president and looking out for the welfare of the game and players just as serious" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 3/7).
