Anthony Davis would be a Laker right now

If the Lakers and Pelicans listened to David Thorpe.

By Henry Abbott

A source who once worked closely with LeBron James told me that the most underreported story in the NBA is the degree to which LeBron is a control freak. That’s something we will dig into another time on TrueHoop -- it’s fascinating. And easy to believe. No player has done half of what LeBron has done to take over. Case in point: Until not that long ago, agents exerted a lot of control over where their clients played. Now, LeBron owns the agency.

Working the controls has come with infinite benefits and one rock in the King’s shoe: It’s easy to blame the boss. In January, when Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis took the extraordinary step of publicly demanding a trade, it was hard not to wonder: Was LeBron behind this? It’s hard to imagine that being asked of any other player ever, but no other player has ever been so good at working the channels of power.

In this case: Davis is a client of LeBron’s agency, Klutch Sports. LeBron won’t win another title unless the so-so Lak…