Maloofs balk at paying for toilet paper in new arena

Thanks to a close confidant who slipped me an unmarked envelope outside of the Arby's in Vacaville last night, I can reveal the alleged contents of a secret memo sent by George Maloofs to his brothers Joe and Gavin.

This explosive memo outlines the team's financial concerns over the new arena deal. Here are the alleged highlights:

--Why on earth should we foot the bill for toilet paper in the new building's bathrooms? This is just silly. That's expensive, especially considering all the gastro-intestinal problems our fans suffer because of our Kings dogs. Ask KJ to spring for the TP.

--There is no way we are paying for somebody to design the stinking arena. How hard can it be? I'll get one of my cocktail waitresses from the Palms to do it. I know this one girl who almost has her graphic arts degree from this really great community college near Pahrump. She'll do it as a favor to me.

--Should we really be paying any rent at all? Anaheim says they'll let us play there for chicken feed. They love us. If we keep raising a stink, I'm sure we can make this pesky deal go away. And I can handle Stern, believe me. He might be short and muscular, but I'm frizzy haired and half nuts.

--Looks like that cocky mayor wants us to provide ushers, security and safety lighting during games. He's gone too far. This is just outrageous. We never agreed to any of this. One more demand and we are done. Period. I mean it. No, really. We are Maloofs, not suckers. You can't expect us to pay for everything.

--Just got a note from the league. They want us to pay the salaries of Travis Outlaw, John Salmons, Francisco Garcia and Chuck Hayes. Hell no. That's Petrie's mess. Send him the damn bill.

The Doomsday Scenario and the other outcomes to the Maloof mess

Bookmakers at the Palms Casino are taking odds on various scenarios over the next few days.  Take a look and place your wager.

THE DOOMSDAY SCENARIO: Fed up with their treatment from both the NBA and Sacramento city leaders, the Maloofs decide to sell -- but not to Ron Burkle.  They sell to Anaheim's Henry Samueli, throwing the team into the hands of a man determined to rip the team from Sacramento at any cost.  Odds: 100-1


THE "REVERSAL OF FORTUNES" SCENARIO:  The Maloofs file for relocation and somehow get the needed votes to okay the move.  Sacramento is sucker-punched.  ODDS: 40-1

THE "SHOVE-IT STERN" SCENARIO:  The boys lose the vote, poke little David Stern in the eyes, defy the league,  file a lawsuit, and take the team to Anaheim. ODDS: 35-1

THE HAPPY RETURN SCENARIO:  Carmichael Dave joins hands with the Maloofs in a tearful celebration rally at Power Balance.  The brothers vow to stay in Sacramento for the foreseeable future and work diligently to make a new arena happen.  ODDS: 12-1 

THE FIRE SALE SCENARIO: Forced to return to Sacramento, the Maloofs sell to Burkle in an effort to stave off bankruptcy. ODDS: 8-1

THE ONE-YEAR STALL SCENARIO:  The Maloofs suck it up and allow the team to return to Sacramento, but feel determined to submarine any arena deal, giving the team a clear path to head for Anaheim the following season. ODDS: 5-2


Okay, fans, windows close in just 48 hours.  Tell me your bets now.

Revealed: The secret pages from Joe Maloof's diary over the past few weeks

Many Sacramento fans have wondered about the state of mind of Kings ownership over the past few weeks.  Well, wonder no more.

Thanks to an inside source. we were slipped a number of pages from the alleged personal diary of Joe Maloof.

The thoughts are quite revealing.  Read on:

April 13:  Arrive in New York.   Order champagne for pre-meeting celebration.  Asked my assistant to secure tickets to hottest show on Broadway: "Spiderman - Turn Off The Dark."   I love big shows.  Lots of cool special effects and flying.  Risky stuff, but what could go wrong?

April 14: Prepared Anaheim proposal for NBA Board of Governors with brother Gavin and my best bud Mayor Tommy of Anaheim.  I asked why we only had a sketchy one-page outline of the proposal.  Tommy just smirked and ordered more popcorn shrimp and imported beer from room service.   Sent text message to Dave Stern:  "Done deal, right?"  His response was interesting: "LMAO." Later that night, Tommy feel asleep on my leg.  I think he got drool on me.

April 15:  My advisors tell me that the meeting didn't go too well.  Mark Cuban supposedly flipped me the bird when I was checking my Blackberry.  I think it went great.  We are gonna be rolling in the dough when we head south.   Just in time, too.  Haven't made my car payment in three months.  Just heard about some movement in Sacramento called Here We're Built by some dude name Carmel Dave.  What a joke.  Nobody pays attention to crap like that.  By the way, who the hell is Ron Burkle?  Told my assistant to do a Google search.

Just got word.  Two-week delay before we're officially the Royals.  Oh well, not like I have anything better to do.  Maybe I'll take some online college courses in business.  

April 16: Saw Kevin Johnson strutting through the lobby.  Suddenly, the dude has confidence.  Never saw that before. By the way, I told him that Burkle is a prick.  And the team is not for sale.  My brother George told me to say that, even though I would sell in a heartbeat if we got a good offer.  I need some cash.  Yes, I could ask my sister Adrienne for a loan, but she just dropped a load on a brow lift and seems a little light on funds.

April 17:  Back in Vegas.  Home sweet home.  Gonna spend all day playing blackjack, wearing tight shirts, and glad-handing all the skateboarders at poolside.  Told my assistant to get me the real estate listings for Anaheim.   Looking for a nice foreclosure I can get cheap.  Very cheap.

April 18: My brother George whisked me away to his office to give me good news.  Seems the NBA got that carpet-bagging dude who stole the Sonics from Seattle to look into our relocation.  Woo-hoo.  Stern is a genius.

April 19:  Got wind of another idiotic movement.  Here We Purple Nurple?   Huh?  Sounds like a fraternity prank.  Sacramento fans are usually very creative, but I don't get this one.  Saw a video blog by that Carmel Dave guy.  Talk about charisma.  Was that his garage?

April 20:  Emergency meeting at the poolside bar.  Gavin is pale.  First thought:  He needs sunscreen.  George says it looks like we're going back to Sac.  I'm shocked.  Ask assistant to lend me his credit card so I can order a Turkey Club.  Always feel better with bacon.

Maloofs need to make a grand gesture to Kings fans - and fast

The Maloof family is about to suffer an excruciating case of  whiplash.  They had the moving trucks parked at Pea Soup Andersen's on I-5, taking a little rest before heading down to Disneyland.

But they are about to receive a text message from the NBA.

Turn around, dudes.

Now this sudden and stunning turn of events puts old Joe and Gavin in a bit of spot.

How are they gonna make nice-nice with Sacramento after slobbering Anaheim with full wet kisses?

Well, there is one very simple way.

Don't wait until May 2.

Don't make the Sacramento fans twist any longer.

Come out on Monday -- in public, preferably in a nice outdoor setting -- and announce that you have ended your affair with that other city and you are happy to be back home.

Bring in Chris Webber to stand with both of you on the podium.  Maybe Mitch Richmond.  Hey, even Rick Adelman would be a great gesture.  And, of course, Mayor Johnson and Carmichael Dave.

Say the right things.  Wear purple.  Pump your fleshy fists.  And vow to work tirelessly to get an arena done.

It would be a grand, noble gesture.

A giant make-up hug.

And maybe the relationship can be mended.

But letting this draw out and trying to salvage the deal to Anaheim will only alienate the fans.

Time to do the right thing.

Get with it, Mayor Johnson: Step up with an arena funding plan right now

Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson has been basking in glory over the past week, ever since his seemingly triumphant performance in front of the NBA board of governors.

Yes, KJ put on an impressive show, they say.  And Sacramento got a two-week stay of execution.

But Anaheim is quietly regrouping and still holds a huge upper hand.

And that's why I am unsatisfied - even disappointed - with the Mayor over the last couple of days,

He seems to be playing prevent defense instead of going for the victory.  It's a silly strategy, considering the Kings are far behind and not in front.

Right now, the only thing that will save the Kings is some kind of viable funding option for a new arena.

But on that single question, the Mayor is basically punting.

When asked about a possible arena funding plan, he offers no answers.  And right about now he needs answers.  Big answers.

It's time to get creative.  To think out of the box.

Ticket surcharges.  Hotel taxes.  Call Goldman Sachs, who helped build Louisville's new arena.  Get some Burkle bonds.

C'mon, give the NBA something.

The NBA ain't staying without a shiny new box for the Kings.

And no matter how much KJ brags about the fans, the NBA will not vote against relocation if they don't see an arena plan that makes sense right now.

Some say it's impossible to come up with a plan in such a short time.

I don't.  I think creative minds in a city filled with movers and shakers can get it done.

Just letting relocation maven Clay Bennett sink his toes into the muddy expanse of nothing at the Railyards won't work.  He needs to see how the vision becomes reality on paper.  And so does the NBA.

Time to take the last shot, Mr. Mayor.

Only a few seconds left.

Don't dish it off and expect to get the ball back.

Cash-strapped Maloofs squirm as they go from whales to minnows

Is there anything more delicious than watching the cash-strapped Maloof boys squirm as their long-anticipated move to Anaheim slowly disintegrates?

I'll be honest.  I thought there were long gone.  And that's probably still true, but the events of the last two days are just fascinating to witness.

After playing ridiculous hardball with the city in negotiations for a new arena and then dismantling the team in the name of economics and killing the attendance, they are a bundle of mock outrage because an interloper has the nerve to make them look like small-time players.

Yup, welcome to the recession, Gavin and Joe.  You are cash poor and so are we.  How does it feel?

And now you're ready to blame Billionaire  Burkle for trying to move in and take your team.

Deal with it.

The Maloof brothers are like those Jersey guys in shiny suits who strut boldly and believe that outward signs of obvious wealth are what matter most.

Hell, Adrienne Maloof is the poster girl for such nonsense.  She paraded around the arena concourse Wednesday night, huge camera crew in tow, dressed to kill in designer clothes, and sporting a look so surgically enhanced you thought her face might implode at a moment's notice.

Yet this is the image Joe and Gavin and George Maloof want to convey.

Except for one important fact.

They're broke.

And Burkle isn't.

Suddenly,  the NBA owners are looking at the Maloofs as expendable.   The league is a club for the whales, not the minnows.

Is Sacramento an NBA town?  Maybe not.  But there's a guy with awful deep pockets who thinks it just might be.

And that might just be good enough for David Stern and the rest of the Billionaire Boys Club.

Hail Mary attempts to keep the Kings and the sad honest truth

Hail Mary passes are fun.

Launched high in the air with a prayer, hoping for a deflection or two, a defender misjudging, a lunging grab, and then maybe, just maybe, a miracle.

There are a lot of Hail Marys being tossed in Sacramento of late, most notably "Here We Build," the brainchild of KHTK's Carmichael Dave.

It's basically an arena telethon. Make your pledge to finance a new arena and watch the tote board soar.

It would be easy to throw cold water on this attempt, but it's a chance for the common folk of Sacramento to feel a little bit in control of their fate. And that's important as Kings fans watch helplessly as their beloved team creeps out of town.

I say knock yourself out. Go for it. I will never criticize activism in the name of civic good.

But then there's this: the effort to collect signatures in Anaheim to put the city's bond measure on a public ballot.

It's an interesting strategy, but it's petty and silly. You wonder how people in Sacramento would feel if another city took to our streets to prevent us from luring a franchise back to town.

SPOILER ALERT: Don't read further if you don't want to learn an important secret.

The Kings are gone.

Adios.

Out of here.

The city blundered with silly strategies. The Maloofs tore down the team and destroyed enthusiasm. And now it's over.

Only the Lakers, by bringing to bear an outrageous relocation fee, could even have the slightest chance in hell of changing the outcome.

So now it's time to think future, not past.

I doubt the money's here to build an arena without the Kings, but I'd still love to see an amazing development in the railyards. I'd still like to see a new entertainment facility for concerts and shows.

The main focus of the city should be economic development. Rebuild the base. Grow prosperity. Bring in corporate entities that may someday be willing to partner in an arena project down the road.

It may take a decade or more to see pro sports here again. It may never happen. But there's a city to grow in Sacramento. A city that can be vibrant and alive. Already, in parts of downtown, new restaurants and clubs have begun to make such an impact. There's a whole lot more to do.

The Kings added flavor and passion and their loss hurts. But now it's time for a rebirth.

Why the Maloofs are now to blame for the hateful, bitter divorce

And now begins the hateful divorce.

It's getting ugly, sports fans.  This is gonna end up worse than discovering Snooki at the opposite side of the table on a blind date.

On Monday afternoon, the city of Sacramento sent an email to the city of Anaheim.  It was a last-ditch attempt to make sure the Kings didn't leave town without paying off their $77 million loan.

The Maloof boys got all angry when they read the letter.

But here's the bottom line: At this point, the Brothers Grim have nobody to blame but themselves.

They could have done this with skill and class.  They could have been upfront.  They could have made known their intention to make good on the loan to the city, whatever happened.

But no.

They were going to skulk out of town in a haze of confusing and bitter fog.  And maybe, just maybe, they were going to leave Sacramento holding the bag.

Not a single news conference or interview to explain why Anaheim was the right destination for their franchise.  Not a single word about how they were ready to stand tall and honor all their loan obligations.

Nope.   Nothing.

And then, Joe Maloof finally decided to weigh in with Randy Youngman of the Orange County Register on Monday night.  He sounded like a wiseguy from Jersey.

"You better be careful," he said.  "Don't mess around and interfere with our business."

What's he going to do?  Shoot Mayor Johnson with a t-shirt cannon?

The so-called masters of customer service have moved on to a new fan base.  And they are treating the old fans like garbage.  Not with honesty and respect.  But with subterfuge.

The Maloofs are broke.  Financially and spiritually.

They pillaged the franchise for the last five years, saving every ounce of cash while watching the team go down in flames.

They watched the arena empty, while begging pity about not getting a brand new building.

Gavin and Joe Maloof are middle-aged dweebs who got in over their head.

And now they're running.

It's a sad sight.

Anti-Maloof Rally Planned: "Lockout Love-In" To Draw Thousands

In a complete change of direction, fans are now organizing a unique rally to send a message to the NBA and to the owners of the Sacramento Kings.

The event, titled "Lockout Love-In to Screw the Maloofs," is a demonstration to show David Stern and the league that Sacramento fully supports a lockout next season.

More than 10,000 fans are expected to show up on the front lawn of Gavin Maloof's palatial Natomas home in order to voice their desire to see a lockout.

"If we can't have basketball here next year," said one fan, "we sure as hell don't want there to be basketball in Anaheim.  This is a very constructive and emotionally satisfying way of saying 'suck it, Maloofs.' ''

With all signs pointing to a move to Anaheim, Kings fans are coming together in hopes of seeing the Maloof brothers sitting in an idle Honda Center next season.

"Sure, it's sour grapes," said another irate fan.  "But look, they dismantled our team for the last five years, cut payroll to the bone, and expected us to keep paying our hard-earned money to watch guys like Luther Head. Plus, they wanted us to finance a new arena so they could get more luxury boxes.  Luxury boxes?  When the hell was I gonna sit in a luxury box? I can barely afford one of their freakin' Royal Shawarma plates."

Many of the potential "Love-In" organizers believe the Maloofs have been planning this move for years and wanted to drain the energy from the Sacramento faithful to make their move look less distasteful.

"Yeah, Arco is no prize," said another fan, "but we would have filled the joint if they had kept a winning product out there.  And they have never been active in the efforts to build an arena.  They always just sat back and said almost nothing."

A lockout would put the Maloofs in a precarious financial situation.  Their business empire is already crumbling and the move to Anaheim is widely perceived as an effort to bolster their bottom line.

Organizers are asking fans to bring locks of every size and shape.  "Bring a padlock or a bicycle lock and scream like a maniac," said the event's organizer, a well-known radio personality who wants to remain anonymous.  "Our fondest hope is that the NBA labor strife wipes out next season and maybe more. We're bitter. And we want to show it."

Joe Maloof's Deleted Tweets Tell What the Family is Really Thinking

Kings Talking Points has learned that some tweets were deleted from Joe Maloof's account over the past week just moments after they were posted.

Thanks to some nifty computer razzle-dazzle, we were able to recover the tweets and post them here for your entertainment:

JOE MALOOF
@grantnapear Thanks for all your support. You will always be our guy. P.S. You do a great job as our towel boy at the Palms, as well. #supershill

JOE MALOOF
@KJ_MayorJohnson Ooops, couldn't call. Hard to get could cell reception in Orange County. #sucker

JOE MALOOF
Here We Stay was a great success. Sorry about the throwback Royals jerseys. However, they are on sale in Kings store. Just $49.95. #soakingfansalways

JOE MALOOF
@boogiecousins See, I was smart when I told you not to buy a house here when we drafted you. #seeyouinanaheim

JOE MALOOF
Power Balance Pavillon just rolls off the tongue. Killer deal for franchise. I make Mark Cuban look like a pussy. #geniusmogul

JOE MALOOF
Anybody want to buy some huge letters? Just taken down from familiar public building. Four available. All in good condition. #myfamilyisbroke

JOE MALOOF
@KJ_MayorJohnson About that $70 million we owe you, Sacramento. I'm thinking government bailout. Who's with me? #obamaissmarterthanKJ

JOE MALOOF
@ronwenig Sure, Gavin and I could have spent money the last five years and kept us a winner, but Sac loves rooting for a lowly underdog. It was a strategy. #lutherheadrules

JOE MALOOF

Just found those financial documents they've been wanting.  Were under my desk next to old hot dog wrapper and Doug Christie bobblehead.  Should I send them over?  Ah, screw it. . #nevergonnahappen

Hey Grant Napear, get a clue and stop sucking up to the Maloofs

Grant Napear spent Tuesday afternoon ranting and raving about how the Sacramento Bee had so maligned the poor little Maloof boys over the past decade that now they were taking their balls and leaving town.

Any opposing viewpoint was shouted down with the lunacy of a fifth-grader throwing a tantrum.

Give me a break.

Napear is a shill.  Plain and simple.  He is not an honest broker.  He is not a journalist.  Accepting his word on the Kings' situation is akin to accepting Bernie Madoff's word on a hot investment.

He is paid by the Kings.  He is their employee.  If he bad mouthes his bosses, he gets the boot.  If he sucks up, he gets a pat on his little red head and gets to play TV boy for another year.

The Bee's coverage had no effect on the decision making of the Maloofs.

Full disclosure:  I worked at the Bee for almost 20 years in the sports department, but I'm not a Bee apologist.  In fact, anyone who worked with me will tell you that I had plenty of complaints about the way the newspaper was run.  I'm good at complaining.  Some say I'm an expert.  (note to my former executive editor and managing editor:  It's called creativity and innovation.  You promote it, you don't quash it.  You guys were so far behind the curve, you couldn't even see the curve.)

But to say the arena cause was beaten down by the Bee is just plain stupid.

The Bee columnists have been strong proponents of a new arena.  Ailene Voisin and Marcos Breton have written tirelessly in support of a new building.

When the Kings were riding high, the Bee was a publicity machine for the team, pumping out special sections, posters and signs to hold up at the arena.

Yes, the newspaper has done a few stories that didn't show the Maloofs in a very flattering light, most recently a piece that quoted numerous sources in regards to the brothers' penchant for outlandish negotiating.

But sorry, folks, it's called reporting.  The Maloofs don't get a free ride.

And, besides, there's plenty of blame for this failure all around.

I personally believe an awful economy and a growing distaste for increased government spending are the two biggest reasons a new arena deal hasn't gotten done.

In addition, I believe the fixation on a downtown location was misguided.   Natomas was fine.  All the infrastructure is already there.  The cost of building a new arena in the current location would have been far cheaper and a whole lot easier to get done.  Keeping the Kings -- not revitalizing the railyards -- should have been the focus.  A downtown arena was an intricate pipe dream with far too many moving pieces.

But let's face it, there just isn't that much free private money in this town.   We don't have any spare billionaires ready to parachute in as an angel investor.

So now the Kings are most likely gone.

And we get back to the bombastic blowhard known as Grant Napear.

Stop the act, Grant.  Yes, we know the Maloofs give plenty to charity.  We know they are really nice guys.  But we don't need your phony objective views when you're clearly on the payroll.

Furthermore, we don't need your doomsday prophecies.

"If we lose the Kings," he proclaimed with searing intensity.  "You'll never see an NBA team here for the rest of your lifetime."

As if that was a punishment from God for our sins.

It's probably true.  But what does that mean?

We'll still lead our lives.  We'll still struggle to keep our jobs.  We'll still proudly raise our families. And we'll still enjoy our free time -- maybe in different ways.

Napear is a boob.  A flame-throwing flunky without an ounce of nuance.

If he moves to Anaheim, we may never see another one like him for the rest of our lifetimes.

We can only hope.




P.S. Invite me on for a debate, Grant.   Maybe I'll be able to make a point in between your tireless rants.

Buzz kill at Arco. Don't expect the Maloofs to change their minds.

Talk about a buzz kill.

On a night that was supposed to be all about energy and atmosphere and showing the Maloofs that the Kings needed to stay in town, Monday night's crowd just never took flight.

The Kings came out in throwback Royals jerseys (an awful idea that needed to be quickly shoved aside but wasn't) and it was all downhill from there.

The arena was far from full. 

The chants never took hold and fizzled out.

And Arco thunder was more like a brief streaks of lightning flickering in the distance.  Sure the fans could get very loud every now and then, but it was certainly not enough.  Not enough to rekindle memories of the old days.  Not enough to turn back the oncoming train of change.

This was the view exactly three minutes from the national anthem.  The arena filled up more, but I was shocked the fans weren't packing the place and ready to rumble early.

But you can't blame the fans.  They've been churned, burned, and spit out.  A dreadful economy, an awful team, and now talk of a move to Anaheim.  Despite the pleading,  only the very loyal diehards remain.  And they are not enough.  

I doubt the Maloofs were impressed.  In fact, the turnout and energy may have sealed the team's departure, not that I thought there was a much of chance of them sticking around, anyway.

Here they stay?

Sorry.

Looks like there they go.

Shocker: Disneyland announces move to Elk Grove

In a shocking move made in order to take advantage of unemployed state workers, the owners of Disneyland have announced they are packing up their rides and taking them to Elk Grove.

The site will be the abandoned Lent Ranch Mall just south of the city off Highway 99.

"This is big for us," said a Disney spokesman.  "We're sick of Anaheim and all those phony Southern California fools.  We want to attract a new type of crowd to our park.  And we think Elk Grove is the perfect destination."

Mayor Kevin Johnson was stunned but overjoyed.  "Look, I didn't get a phone call but I don't care. Bring on the Matterhorn."

There will be some small changes when the new park opens in 2012.  One example: The Pirates of the Caribbean ride will be renamed "The Drunk Recreational Boaters on the American River Ride."

The park will be staffed by laid off and furloughed state workers, who already attended a job fair in Citrus Heights.  "It was incredible,"  said one beaten-down job seeker, "I'm going to be buckling in people on Big Thunder Railroad.  And I get to work five days a week."

Anaheim officials were left confused and bitter.   Disney had warned them that the park needed an influx of new blood.

The disappearance of the park will leave a gaping hole in the Anaheim economy, but a Disney spokesman scoffed.  "They've got the Maloofs now," he said.  "They'll fill the void."

He then doubled over in laughter, walking away.

Other amusement parks will have to vote on the relocation, but it should be approved.  Only Raging Waters in Roseville figures to put up much resistance.

Sacramento needs a new arena, but Maloofs need cash -- and that's why they're gone

Yes, Sacramento needs a new arena.

Yes, it's pathetic that the city was unable to figure it out during the boom times five years ago.

But let's be straight:  When the Maloofs move to Anaheim, it will be strictly because they need money right now.   And a move -- if some kind of cash or loan is involved -- is the only way to get it.

The Kings are not owned by Mark Cuban or Paul Allen.  Joe and Gavin Maloof do not have deep pockets.  If fact, they might be lucky to have anything in their pockets at all.   Furthermore, the entire Maloof empire is crumbling.  The Palms Casino, once the hippest stop in Vegas, in now facing a severe financial crisis with huge debt on the property.

The Maloofs basically have no choice.  If they stay in Sacramento, they get no influx of cash.  If they move to Anaheim, they get some dough and get a chance to save their lifestyle.

Even if an arena deal is somehow hatched over the next couple of months, it would not mean a penny in the pockets of the Kings' owners.

Simply put, they have to move to survive.   I'd probably do the same thing if it was my team.

However, I think the Maloofs deserve some of the blame for their current situation.

Instead of spending money to keep the team competitive, they went the austerity route, slowly  dismantling the team in an effort to cut payroll.  Right now, it's the lowest in the league.

This short-sighted strategy strangled the team, destroyed their winning ways, and took the steam out of the fans.  Instead of a packed arenas and a city-wide buzz, they left themselves with sparse crowds and a "who cares" attitude among the public.

That's not a recipe for arena support.

Too often, they played the silence game when the arena issue arose.   There never seemed a strong sense that they wanted to play a big role.  And I never got the sense they really wanted to make Sacramento their permanent homes.  They like the bright lights.   Natomas just flickers.

In reality, a move to Anaheim is foolish.

Wait until the Maloofs wake up next season to realize they are mere dwarfs in the Los Angeles sports landscape.  If the Kings continue to lose, the team will quickly become an irrelevant joke, playing third fiddle to the Lakers and Clippers, not to mention a bevy of other sports and recreation choices.

I'd like to be dead wrong about this.  I'd like to believe there's hope that some deal can keep the Kings in town.  I'd like to believe it's not just about saving the Maloof empire.  I'd like to believe we'll all be sitting in an amazing new facility in four years.

But all signs point south.