Ah! NOW I see it. There's a big groove but the tail of the carrier does support against cantilevered load. It could be taller but this is nice. Here's a decent breakdown of
binding ratio. In this application as a low-speed linear sleeve guide(bearing), there's a direct correlation between height of the tail, and the need to control friction.
In other words, if it was tall enough, lube could be ignored. This offering does seem to address the fatal flaw of the original design. Is it good enough? I'm staying tuned especially because I'm beginning to get that familiar little sticky feeling when I first start using the clutch. I'm already well trained with the muscle memory to tap and feather the pedal to free it up when I feel it.