With the Brave New NBA around the corner, certain teams will have to rethink the way they do business. A much more restrictive cap leaves less wiggle room for teams that have done things a particular way in the past. One team that comes to mind is the Portland Trail Blazers and their tendency to outspend competitors.

They've (foolishly) been through two GM's in the past two seasons, even though both have been stockpiling talent during that period and have yet to find a successor.

As the search to replace Richard Cho continues, the new GM will have to wade through a talented but plagued roster if they hope to avoid that new steep luxury tax.

In the wake of another injury-plagued and underwhelming season, the Trail Blazers appear to have their work cut out for them.

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And unlike the NCAA tournament, upsets come few and far between and the seven-game series format is unbelievably boring for those not fans of the teams playing—unless it is a good series.

I thought last year's playoffs were going to be interesting. Little did I know it wouldn't be until the NBA Finals that things would even become intriguing. One of the most interesting stories turned out to be the Thunder taking the Lakers to six games and LeBron James broadcasting "The Decision" two months before July, by turning in one of the most disgraceful playoff performances anyone has ever seen.

It wasn't because he was off—he had just given up. If Delonte West really was fooling around with his Mom, I can understand.

Anyway, lets get to it!

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With many people in Sac concerned about the future of their team, some appear to be uncertain. A source within the organization said morale has been low and many at the arena have been tense. Many of them feel as if the Kings are already gone.

With the Maloofs being unusually quiet about the future of the Kings, all signs point to the Maloofs and Kings making a move down south for the start of next season.

This all comes despite the new arena proposal that Mayor Kevin Johnson has been working on lately in a last-minute effort to keep the Kings in Sacramento.

With that proposal likely to fail, as any rational person would assume, the only things Kings fans can hold onto is hope and their memories of what once was. 

From the early 2000s, the Kings were playing a brand of basketball that hadn't been seen in the NBA for quite a while. Perhaps ever.

Sure, the Princeton offense had been around for quite a while, and the architect of the offense was and still is a special assistant to the Kings, Pete Carril.

It is arguable that there have been few others to run the offense as well as the Kings did for the first half of the past decade. 

While the news of the Kings' potential move has saddened me and others affiliated with the organization in Sacramento, I know there is one thing the Maloofs cannot take.

The memories.

As corny and cliche as this sounds, the one thing I can hold is the memories of it all.

Now, I was still pretty young and couldn't tell you exactly what was happening at the first playoff game I went to, but I can tell you Sacramento was excited and enthralled with it all.

First it was the Jazz, a battle of Old vs. New, with the Jazz being the Kings' foe in the first round of those playoffs and a team they would compete against the first few seasons. Then, as if it was inevitably, the Kings archenemies became the Lakers.

North vs. South, LA vs. Sac, Small Town vs. Big City. Well, Sacramento isn't a small town, but I'll play into the 'Cowtown' mantra we were adorned.

The Dallas Mavericks put up a great fight each year the Sacramento faced them in the playoffs too. The Kings were a team that had some rivals.

Now, those rivalries are non-existent. The only constant is Kings fans still generally hate the Lakers and Kobe Bryant. I can respect the guy and how good he is, but did I can never stoop to saying that I like him.

At any rate, Kings fans, on a yearly basis, looked forward to making the playoffs and maybe making that next step in what looked like a limitless rise to league supremacy. But, as all good things do, it came to an end. Even if it was prematurely.

Now a Kings fan's favorite time of the year is most likely June, when the NBA Draft occurs. And I would say the lottery announcement would be included, but considering they've been stiffed the past two years, I'm not sure I can agree.

The Kings, soon to be Royals it appears, will all be a thing of the past. But it almost seems fitting. The Kings are a team that appear to be going almost nowhere right now, aside from the potential of Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins to develop hopefully into star players.

Evans, aside from his injury problems, also dominates the ball and only averages 5.5 assists, as 5.5 times during the game, someone manages to bail him out when he leaves his feet and can't score. The fact he has no perimeter game isn't doing him any favors, either. 

Cousins has an incredible set of skills and is very big and physical. The issue of attitude problems always comes up and conditioning, but really his biggest issue is consistency in my eyes. Although I would say he has made incredibly large strides in the right direction lately. 

But, to put a bow on this gem of a commentary, the Kings are all but gone at this point in my eyes.

They've worn Royals throwback jerseys lately more than I care to remember (even though they are pretty awesome and much better looking than their current jerseys).

Couple that with everything else that has transpired in the past few months and the Maloofs' attitude, it appears this is a done deal.

Sacramento will hopefully never forget the quarter-century plus of basketball played in a city that probably never deserved a team in the first place.

Say goodbye to the last professional sports team that will play in Sacramento in my lifetime. 

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Around the same time, paperwork declaring an NBA team's intent to move are due, something that people in Sacramento will be watching for.

A report released on ESPN claims that Anaheim Ducks owner Henry Samueli had reached out to the Maloof family in an effort to help relocate the Kings from Sacramento to Anaheim.

The speculated $100 million loan would aid the Maloofs with their debts along with leases and agreements they would need to pay in order to move the Kings who have been in Sacramento since 1985. Both parties did not issue a statement related to the reports.

However you want to cut it, things in Sacramento with the Kings do not look good.

Despite the team's improved play in the last nine games, going 4-6 since DeMarcus Cousins' more consistent play, a 9-29 record isn't exactly glowing. A struggling team coupled with waning fan support is an equation that may lead to relocation as the solution.

The fans of the now defunct Seattle Supersonics are left with a vacancy due to similar circumstances.

A less than desirable product on the court and an average attendance, which finished in the bottom half of the league for 20 years both factored into the team's eventual demise. 

A large issue with the relocation of the Sonics was due to an aging arena and a city unwilling to help break ground on a new one. New ownership came in with the intent to move, which was met with little resistance by the NBA or Seattle. 

A team that had been in the area for 41 years now ceases to exist. A very bitter taste was left in the mouths of many, as they watched a budding player in Kevin Durant turn into a superstar in a Thunder jersey, as opposed to the Sonics uniform he dawned his rookie season.

Outside of the Kings relocating, a real possibility would be for the team to fold before it could move. This is an avenue David Stern has discussed going down, putting small-market teams like the Pacers and Hornets at risk for contraction, leaving Indianapolis and New Orleans team-less as well.

Not to mention Sacramento. 

These talks could gain steam with the impending collective bargaining agreement, which has yet to be struck between the players and owners.

A work stoppage could critically cripple the league, which would lead to contraction as a more reasonable option. Especially considering the estimated $500 million the NBA has lost this past season. 

The tactless LeBron James supports contraction, which he made clear in a Larry King Live interview late last year.

Perhaps James hopes the Cleveland Cavaliers will fall victim to this as well, simultaneously unleashing his arsenal of scathing Twitter updates.  

And although four new proposals have been submitted in an effort build a new arena, mayor Kevin Johnson's efforts to get a new arena built look to be in vain.

When construction was a booming industry during the same period as the Kings' relevance, a new arena could not be built. Even ideal timing didn't make a difference. 

California can't even pass a budget on time, how much promise does that leave for the city to find a middle ground on building an arena that would cost a half billion dollars?

Especially with the states and cities putrid economy, an arena is most likely nothing more than a pipe dream. Even with the right proposal for an arena, it would be nothing short of a miracle to see it actually happen.

Maybe, just maybe, one day the Kings will get a new arena. My feeling is that arena will most likely be in another city though.

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The Kings however did not fall short hosting another team that night.

Several members of Klout, a website that links to ones Facebook or Twitter to track your “influence,” were invited to tweet and update as much as they liked.

The fans in attendance were treated to a free game with catered food, along with the CEO of Klout, Joe Fernandez.

“It’s a great way to kinda connect brands and companies with influencers and introduce a new experience,” said Fernandez, co-founder of Klout.

The group aptly named, “Sacramento Kings Fans,” tracks any Kings fan that is a member of Klout and gives them a score of one to 100 determined by their influence related to the team.

Attendees were given a t-shirt with their Klout score and had an opportunity to win prizes, ask Kings forward Jason Thompson questions about his social media experiences and get a picture with Tyreke Evans after the game.

Thompson was one of two Kings to first start using Twitter back in 2007. The other player being forward Donte Greene.

Mitch Germann, VP of Marketing and Communications for the Kings, helped orchestrate setting up the Klout Experience held at Arco Arena on Dec. 4th.

Germann, who has helped mature the Sacramento Kings internet media approach, thinks this event was just a stepping stone in an ongoing process. The teams goal is to keep up with the ever evolving and changing popularity of various social networks.

Klout had been involved with Maloof family in the past—promoting events with the Palms Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, which led to the Kings involvement in recent months.

“We wanna be wherever our fans are,” said Germann. “We wanna keep a close eye on where our fans are interacting and we want to keep a pressence there.”

The promotion sounded like it could be the first of more to come in the future—in what appeared to be a success and fun event for the fans and those affiliated with the Kings alike.

Kings fan Sue Hepner had been tweeting over the past few years and got involved with Klout around a year ago. She was thrilled to have been apart of the event.

“I jumped right on it,” said Hepner. “It’s awesome, it’s a blast.”

Thankfully for Hepner, who proudly represented her Klout score of 64, she listened to her friend that told her about Klout and was able to attend the Kings game and indulge in the fruits of her labor on social medias.

For those who tweet or post updates about the Kings anyhow, you might be best served to get connected to Klout. Who knows, you may get a chance to attend a game for free and do what you do best, talk about the Kings on the internet.

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The things that had worked in their first few games were nowhere to be found in the past few games.

The Kings are usually a pretty good matchup for the Lakers and it was a fairly close game for most of the night.

Memphis has given them fits since last season, as the Kings have struggled against Gasol, Randolph and a plethora of athletic wing players and guards.

Then, there was last night. Michael Beasley showed why he was a second overall draft pick two years ago.

The man simply exploded. 

The Kings threw several players at him, but nothing seemed to slow him down. 

A few key weaknesses were exploited last night—Beno's defense or lack thereof, the Kings defense at the three position and post play that has been scant and scattered.

The one constant as been Darnell Jackson, who has been very solid in nearly every appearance he's made this season.

Since it's still very early in the season, perhaps the Kings are trying to figure out just what will work?

Either way, there is no reason to panic yet. But, there are some strange things happening in the Westphal game plan that I intend to explore in a Monday Morning Quarterback sort of way. 

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About the only for sure starter right now is Tyreke Evans. The rest is up in the air. But a nice off-season and promising young players could make for an interesting season. 

Sacramento is coming off of yet another solid draft and maturation of players along with a few signings. The Kings look poised to be more competitive this season.

One can only hope they will be more of a threat than the 25 win team they were just a season ago. With the promise and talent this team posses it would be hard to say they wouldn't be better. But there are still several question marks. 

Now I feel the starting lineup for the first game will look almost nothing like the one that will end the season. So lets see who gets the nod!

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A looming word that is frightening and yet a potential reality for Kings fans in Sacramento to face.

The land swap deal that would have netted the Kings and an investment group the current fair grounds, known as Cal Expo, was shot down by the state. This had been the most recent and feasible arena proposal to come about in quite some time.

With the state and city alike in a financial bind, an arena is just not attainable at the moment.

But boy would it pay dividends if the city had the balls to back it.

The city has been none too supportive of the team, aside from previous mayors and their current one, Kevin Johnson. A little over a decade ago rumors were swirling about the team moving to Memphis, but the late Mayor Serna fought to keep the Kings around.

The Kings could be looking at another Supersonics catastrophe on their hands a decade later.

The Maloof's have been patient and done what they can without going too far into their own pockets to make things happen. But eleven years of thumb twiddling would wear on anyone.

Eleven years is the amount of time the Maloof family has attempted to break ground on a new arena. 

No dice yet.

If the politicians in Sacramento are interested at all in helping to build a more lively downtown area, (which they don't appear to be), a new arena would be a great place to start. State of the art venues attract top acts and special events not all cities could host. 

Not to mention breathe significant life into what is a slowly growing bar/club scene. 

The Maloofs have come out and said they are disappointed with the cities decision, but are not giving up hope. 

NBA commissioner David Stern will be stepping in to help act as a third party negotiating between the Maloofs and politicians at the state's capitol. 

Mayor Johnson has been a strong proponent of the arena initiative, even speaking at Kings events in recent memory and working with the team. He has put forth bills and propositions to help stimulate growth in the Sacramento area, to help make it a more metropolitan area.

A larger quantity of television shows and movies have been filmed in Sacramento in recent years, including the very successful CBS show, The Mentalist, which also takes place there.

Season tickets sales are up this year and the Maloofs are anticipating to be in the black for the first time in quite a while, according to Fox 40 News. This is great news, as more money in the pocket means more money to help back an arena, hopefully.

In the current economic times Sacramento has been hit just as hard, if not harder, than many cities. It fosters one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation at 13.1 percent. So a new arena is a very tall order and will be tougher to get done than in previous years considering the circumstances.

All that aside, the immense talent and upside of this Kings team has to be considered. Their potential is too high to let get away. Not just because of the basketball team, but the promise of a new arena for the team would pay the city back in many ways. 

I'm sure Seattle fans would say the same about the Sonics; at least they have two other crappy teams. 

Assuming no headway is made with an arena soon, the question the Maloofs will undoubtedly be asking themselves in the coming years would be best phrased by The Clash:

Should I stay or should I go?

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The consensus is that the former Syracuse standout wants to become a true free agent and perhaps orchestrate a power trio of his own, in the same vein of what James, Wade, and Bosh did this past July.

According to NBA.com, the New Jersey Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and, yes, Sacramento Kings are the favored destinations for the Denver Nuggets to trade Carmelo Anthony.

Excuse me?

Yes, this is obviously a rumor and is still very early in the game for this developing situation, but the mere thought of the Kings landing an established all-star player leaves me, and I'm sure many Kings fans, salivating. 

This could be the biggest trade the Kings would pull the trigger on since acquiring Chris Webber over a decade ago. But let's not get too far ahead.

This trade would obviously give the Kings a strong and very young core with Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins making very nice complements to the big physical Anthony.

It is clear where Denver wants to trade Carmelo, but the question is where does Carmelo want to be traded?

I feel if he had his choice it would be to a team like New York or perhaps New Jersey, a team the Nuggets want to move him to, but do either of those teams have enough to offer?

I feel the answer is no, but there is a possibility the Nets could pull it off.

The T'Wolves have some very nice pieces they could trade as well, but I'm not so sure they would have enough around Carmelo after the trade for it to work.

The Kings would obviously not be trading Evans or Cousins, their cornerstones, but instead a combination of young talent (Omri Casspi, Dont'e Greene, Jason Thompson, or perhaps Hassan Whiteside), expiring contracts (Samuel Dalembert, Carl Landry), and draft picks. Along with maybe a filler contract as well, like Francisco Garcia could make this a done deal, especially if the Kings can get Anthony to agree to an extension.

And this is where things get messy.

Anthony does not necessarily want to play in Sacramento this coming season, along with a majority of players in the league. But if Anthony is traded here and sees the potential and the amount of money the Maloofs can pay him, I think he might have a hard time walking away.

'Melo wants to play in a city with the bright lights and skyscrapers, from everything I've gathered and heard. But, to play in a city that will truly love you and adore you for bringing their team back from obscurity I feel could trump playing in a city with glitz and glamour. Everyone knows how rabid a fanbase the Kings have in Sacramento.

The Kings would no doubt be a title contender with the addition of Anthony, and considering the Nuggets are looking to disband, perhaps the Kings could acquire a couple other players? Maybe Chauncey Billiups or J.R. Smith? Hey, how about both?

The Kings have the cap room and expiring contracts, along with picks and young talent to make this deal happen. Pulling a player like Anthony would make the Kings automatic playoff threats and most likely a few years removed from being title contenders in the West.

In the coming weeks we will see where the chips fall and no matter where 'Melo ends up. The fireworks should be exciting, so stay tuned! And if you're a Kings fan, I'm assuming you're hoping for this to happen.

But if you are against it, I don't blame you. I'm not so sure if this trade is that good myself. Like many loyal Kings fans have always said, in Petrie we trust.

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