CLEVELAND – In the uneasy moments lurching toward tipoff, the neatly manicured mythology of LeBron James’ homecoming flickered on the spectacular screen suspended over the Q Arena floor. All around, the shoe company’s commercial played out with thousands upon thousands of Clevelanders surrounding the prodigal son in the Cavaliers’ huddle, thousands more reaching out, across blocks and streets, responding to the superstar’s declarations of duty about winning a championship for them.

No one does fairy tales like Nike, an unapologetic peddling of product for a summer transaction. The most conditional kind of love washed down onto James upon his Cavaliers return on Thursday night, Northeast Ohio determined to distill romance out of something that was far more a free-agent power play than the storybook journey home that it’s been framed.

View photos LeBron James, going to the bucket against Carmelo Anthony, likes being a power player off the court as well. (AP) More

For James’ genius standards, this was a flat, flawed debut – an abysmal performance born of nerves and newness. The Cavaliers lost to the New York Knicks, and James had never looked so pressed and uneasy. From eight turnovers to missing eight of nine shots to start, even the sprawling hype of this night overwhelmed a four-time MVP and two-time champion. This is a new pressure, and for a night anyway, it was palpable.

“This was great, but I’m glad it’s over,” James said.

Yes, James loves this region, but give him this too: The world’s best basketball player is testing the reach of the iconic athlete into athletic and coaching representation, pursuing power and control that no active athlete’s ever dared.

His childhood friend-turned agent, Rich Paul, oversees Klutch Sports, a Cleveland-based agency that exists out of the generosity of its financial benefactor, LeBron James. These are James’ resources and might behind the company, but he lets his buddies run it. Klutch represents Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson, who has a decided advantage as a James underling to negotiate a better-than-market value deal with the Cavaliers.

Most agents and business associates of key Cavaliers players are on full alert to keep clients out of the tentacles of Klutch. The Klutch sales pitch has been predictable: Come with us, get paid with the Cavaliers.

As much as anything, James has set up Rich Paul with a sweet gig: Paul doesn’t negotiate the contracts for clients, nor does he do the marketing for LeBron James. Those jobs belong to Mark Termini and the Fenway Sports Group, respectively. Nevertheless, Paul is the personable frontman, the secondary recruiter behind James himself.

As the season unfolds, the Klutch Sports client most are watching closest is deposed Golden State coach Mark Jackson. He has bounced agent to agent in his brief coaching career, but landing with Paul raised the suspicions of Jackson’s motives: Does Jackson think Paul can simply wedge him into the Cavaliers’ job?

Most believe that James is too smart to ever want a coach who spends far more time retweeting Twitter praise for himself than preparing his basketball team, but Jackson shouldn’t be underestimated as one of the sport’s great self-promoters. And make no mistake: If the Cavaliers struggle, it won’t be James and Kevin Love taking the blame. It’ll be coach David Blatt, who understands – even embraces – the burden.

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