Clutch binding

I started to notice this a bit yesterday and now my clutch is seeming to be tight when pulling in and binding a bit when I release (reduced pressure against the lever that is, not really the engagement of the clutch itself).

It seems like this is often a clutch slave issue, but I had an Evoluzione installed less than a year ago. Has anyone seen a failure in one of their units?

The other possible culprit might be the rod that pushes out the clutch plate. I replaced the plate and the rod came out when I tried to get the bearing out of the plate. I kept it clean and there was grease still on it when I replaced it, but could I have messed something up in doing that?

Hoping you mechanical whizzes out there can help...