Now that I've enjoyed a little bit of time off, time to start looking forward.
The Kings (once again) will have plenty of room under the salary cap to make moves this offseason, with about $15 million to work with.
But it's also time for a free-agency reality check.
The Geoff Petrie rumors continue to swirl as Petrie insists he is focused on the Kings.
In March the Kings denied a report Petrie was set to sign a contract extension. Since Petrie's name has been linked to the general manager position in Portland, where Petrie was a player and executive.
Joe Maloof told SI.com Portland had not requested permission to speak to Petrie (which would be required because he is under contract through next season) but added the team would not "hold" Petrie back if there was another offer job he chose to pursue.
The Kings did not make any trades by today's noon trading deadline. So the team that finished last night's loss to the Detroit Pistons will be the team that finishes the season, barring a free agent pick up of some kind.
The Kings are focused on the NBA Draft and free agency to address their roster needs.
Point guard and small forward are areas the Kings will look to find veteran help. But after a coaching change this season, the Kings want to see how this group finishes and assess their development.
Forwards J.J. Hickson, John Salmons and Donte' Greene were rumored to be players the Kings were looking to deal.
The announcers doing tonight's Kings-Thunder national game on TNT - especially former Kings forward Chris Webber - seemed confused when talking during the broadcast about Tuesday's City Council vote, even though Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson explained the situation to announcer Cheryl Miller before the game at Power Balance Pavilion.
Several times during the first half, Webber made comments about the council's vote on the arena failing. In the second half, Webber said he had talked to Johnson and again attempted to clarify but he never really explained the vote accurately and what it meant.
Yes, the vote failed - but it wasn't a vote on the arena, as Webber implied. The council rejected by a 5-4 vote a request by Sandy Sheedy to put the plan to lease the city's parking to help finance the arena up for a public vote.
Here's one of The Bee's Ryan Lillis' stories that best explains the vote and what it means.
As reported several times in The Bee and on sacbee.com -- most recently in Ailene Voisin's column on Jan. 18 -- Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie's future with the team appears increasingly uncertain.
But a report that surfaced Monday night in a fan blog, Sactown Royalty, attributed only to sources - that Kings co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof have considered relieving Petrie of his position and have contacted a management agent - has been denied forcefully by Joe Maloof.
"No, this is not true," Maloof texted The Bee. "I had heard about (the rumor). We will be fine. We have had the toughest schedule in the league by far."
By Bee Staff
DeMarcus Cousins is traveling with the Kings to Memphis today, Cousins' agent, John Greig, told The Bee's Jason Jones.
Cousins was sent home before the Kings' game against the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday. The Kings released a statement from coach Paul Westphal saying Cousins demanded a trade following the Kings' loss to the New York Knicks on Saturday -- a claim Cousins' agent has denied.
The Kings play at Memphis on Tuesday. Check back for more on this story as it develops.
Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie said he has discussed Kirilienko with his agent, Marc Fleischer. The Kings have made an offer to Kirilenko, who could command as much as $9 million per season.
Kirilenko does not appear to be in a hurry to return to the NBA.
"He's still in Russia and he's playing for CSKA (Moscow) and he's under contract over there," Petrie said. "He's in a little bit of a different place in that he's making a significant amount of money right now and when and if he chooses to come back to the NBA at this point we'd still be more than interested in talking to him. But it's still from what I can tell in a holding pattern."
The Sacramento Kings are still waiting to hear if Jamal Crawford will spurn Portland and join the Kings this season.
The Kings reportedly have offered $6.5 million for this season.
As of this evening, Crawford was mulling the pros and cons of both teams.
The Kings continue to look to add to the talent on the team via free agency. The new target is Jamal Crawford, the high-scoring guard from the Atlanta Hawks.
Crawford, the 2009-10 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, is also being pursued by Portland and the New York Knicks. Crawford has reportedly turned down a two-year, $10 million deal from Indiana.
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