As a resident of the Sacramento region I admit a little bit of sadness to see the Kings leave, but for the most part I have to admit I really don't care about them anymore.

I grew up in the bay area and was a loyal Giants and 49er fan.  To a lesser extent I was a Warrior fan but (except for perhaps the East Bay) the Warriors were always like the team to root for between the end of football season and Giants opening day.  Other than that they were mostly irrelevant.

 In 1990 I moved to the Sacramento region where the Kings reigned supreme.  They sold out Arco arena for every game even though they were perpetually a cellar dwellar.  This was mainly due to the Kings being the only game in town as a Giants or 49er game required a 2-1/2 hour drive each way, making any game an all day affair, and night games meant getting home in the early am.  The Kings games, on the other hand were only 15-30 mins. away (or 1 hour from the outlying areas such as Stockton).

In 1998 the Kings suddenly became interesting for something new: Winning!  With Jason Williams (then Mike Bibby), Vlade Divacs, Peja Stojakovic, and Chris Webber the team suddenly became fun to watch because they actually played good basketball.  The team passed and looked for the open man which was the way great teams before them had won (Celtics of the 80's, Bulls and Pistons of the 90's).  The owners, the Maloofs, were involved in the community and were celebrated locally as celebrities.  The excitecment of the Kings reached its peak in 2002 when the Kings played for the Western conf. championship against the (hated) Lakers.  But for awful free-throw shooting and some even worse officiating (the ref who was convicted of taking bribes ref'd that series) the Kings may have brought a championship to Sacramento.

But that is old news.  In 2005 the KIngs traded away Webber.  The same season the Kings traded Stojakovic for Ron Artest.  Bringing in Artest started the decline of the Kings as local heroes.  Artest continued his bad behavior while in Sacramento, being accused of domestic violence and animal neglect (he had dogs that were not being fed).  Although the Kings still made the playoffs the love from the community was dying.

At the same time the owners brought in Artest, they also finished construction of the expansion of their casino, The Palms, in Las Vegas.  From that point forward, the Palms was the main focus of the Maloofs and they openly courted NBA players to stay there (along with Playboy models willing to provide "entertainment" to high rollers).

The Maloofs have made clear since 2005 that they want an NBA team in Las Vegas, and but for the NBA's (intellignet) rule preventing teams in major gambling cities, the Kings would be there already.

Once the Maloofs decided they wanted to move the team to Las Vegas they started a process of dismantling the team and turning it back into a cellar dwellar.  Draft picks and trades (and coaching changes) never were focused on team cohesiveness or team play.  Instead the Kings of the past few years have been a team that brings the ball up court and whomever has the ball shoots.  The fans eventually got tired of watching terrible play (you could see the same kind of ball at any local gym) and about that same time the Maloofs started complaining about Arco arena.

I've been to Arco for a Kings game as well as concerts and entertainment events.  There's really nothing wrong with the arena.  The seats are reasonably comfortable and no seat is so far away fromt the action that it seems you're looking at ants (which is the case in the upper rows at many arenas)The Maloofs complaint is that it lacks luxury boxes.  In Sacramento there are few major corporations that would purchase these boxes (Sacramento is primarily a city that is based around government) so the complaint is a mere pretext by the Maloofs.

Now that the Kings are leaving for Anaheim, I, along with most former Kings fans say, so long but I really won't miss you.  I hope the Anaheim fans realize their site is only a temporary stop and the team will move again if the NBA allows the Maloofs to move the team to Las Vegas.

Whatever fan support I have these days goes to the Giants.  Their owners built a stadium without public funding, and they've always tried to put together the best lineup they could.  I was a Giants fan when they were lousy and I'm a fan now that they're champs.  The 49ers still have my support but the owners (the York's) are unintentionally doing what the Maloofs did intentionally, putting out a lousy team.

 So, good-bye Kings, good riddance Joe and Gavin Maloof.