This story appears in the July 16, 2018, issue of Sports Illustrated. For more great storytelling and in-depth analysis, subscribe to the magazine—and get up to 94 percent off the cover price. Click here for more.
Rich Paul idled outside of Lakers headquarters last Friday morning, watching The Godfather in his car while waiting for shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to emerge from the team's practice facility. It was one of the hottest days in the history of Los Angeles, pushing 110º, and Paul cranked up both the air conditioning and the volume. "I'm on the scene where Tom Hagen goes to L.