It's hard to know what kind of team the Kings are going to be on the court this season. But off the court, in matters far more important than basketball, the Kings have played with honor and compassion.

They stuck with a player privately while publicly they seemed to have dumped him.

Tests showed Chuck Hayes had an enlarged heart, forcing him to leave the Kings for medical reasons.

But Hayes will remain – and be in the starting lineup Monday – because he and the Kings opened their hearts to each other to turn a story of loss into one of "livable redemption."

"This is a story that should inspire beyond basketball," said Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie, calling me late Friday night, his voice filled with emotion as he drove home from work.

Anyone who knows Petrie knows he is not prone to exaggeration.

Hayes was thought to be facing his mortality at 28 – and out $21 million – because his heart was thought to be too weak to withstand the rigors of NBA basketball.

The Kings – counting on Hayes to add muscle to a smallish squad – were looking small and vulnerable without him as a new season dawned.

The Kings voided Hayes' contract earlier last week. And then came the bewildering announcement that another clinic in Cleveland had cleared Hayes to play after Kings doctors said he couldn't.

The blogosphere raged with scorn directed toward the Kings. Why hadn't the Kings sought more opinions before cutting Hayes loose?

The truth was, they had. After Kings doctors had examined Hayes, the organization faced a decision they had to make on the spot:

Commit to him and a four-year deal for $21 million – or void his contract. Per NBA rules, contracts must be finalized once physicals are completed.

Hayes needed more tests and more medical opinions, but the Kings couldn't be sure what those opinions would show.

What if those opinions confirmed the initial diagnosis? A small-market teamwould be out $21 million it couldn't afford to lose.

"It's the first time ever I've been faced with this situation," Petrie said.

Publicly, Hayes seemed to be cast adrift from the team. Privately, Petrie and his front office embraced him.

It was the Kings who pointed Hayes toward a clinic in Cleveland.

"I told him no matter how it played out, we wanted to figure out a way to continue to support him," Petrie said.

What added poignancy is that Hayes, unlike most NBA free agents, wanted to come to Sacramento. NBA players want to star in big markets and Sacramento is not viewed as desirable.

Chris Webber wept when he was traded to Sacramento in 1999.

The nature of pro sports is that player acquisitions are like affairs between the player, the organization and the marquee city.

Sacramento is not a sports town where people have flings. Sacramento is where people put down roots for a long-term love.

Petrie and his group proved why by sticking with Hayes. They had formed a bond with Hayes, a charming guy expected to be a leader on a young Kings team.

Because they had to do it, the Kings looked at re-signing Samuel Dalembert – the flaky center who played here last year – and was still available to be signed.

But Dalembert was behaving in a way no one would ever confuse with the Christmas spirit. He would re-sign with the Kings so long as they seriously overpaid for his inconsistent talents.

Thanks, but no thanks.

Meanwhile, in private, the Kings were beginning to hear new – and wonderful news – about Hayes.

The Cleveland doctors said he could play, he wanted to play in Sacramento, and the Kings wanted him back.

He practiced again in the brotherhood of his new teammates on Christmas Eve. Petrie's voice caught a little as he spoke of his return Friday night.

A voided contract containing millions was not the final word here.

Brotherhood between people was the final word.

When they open their season against the Los Angeles Lakers at the former Arco Arena on Monday, the old barn in Natomas will likely be as deafening as ever based on events directly linked to the human heart.

Hayes will no doubt be a little rusty due to missed practices while his life was turned upside down.

But that will hardly matter. Being in the starting lineup will be the gift beyond words for him and his team and a community ready to take him into their hearts.

Happy holidays.

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