In the last few seasons, the Kings and Warriors, both one-time faces of Northern California basketball, lost relevance.
The Kings tumbled from the heights of their golden era – the 1998-2006 teams of Jason Williams, Mike Bibby, Chris Webber, Vlade Divac and coach Rick Adelman.
The Warriors scuffled along, never approaching the excitement of Run TMC, the team featuring Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin that coach Don Nelson pushed to the playoffs.
The Kings continue to struggle, and it seems the owners would prefer a new home without a Sacramento ZIP code, the flirtation with other cities and the harpooning of the deal to build a new arena here being fairly unambiguous signals of the Maloof family's wanderlust.
On the court, the team gets by in front of ever-smaller crowds hoping the promise shown by its young players turns into something more. Though extremely gifted, Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins have not yet developed into the leaders – as players or example-setters – the Kings need to become successful again.
The Warriors, on the other hand, appear to have turned the corner. Their owners are committed to reclaiming the imagination of the team's well-schooled Bay Area fans, a new arena down the street from AT&T Park could bring the Warriors back across the bay to San Francisco by 2017, and personnel moves made with long-term impact in mind seem to be laying a foundation for a return to respectability.
In the battle for relevance in Northern California, the Warriors appear to be making all the right moves.
What to watch
NBA, Kings at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., CSNCA: Can the Kings put Monday's letdown against the Dallas Mavericks behind them?
Today's poll
Who will have a better record this season?
• Kings
• Warriors
Vote above or leave your comments in the comment field; or, go to www.sacbee.com/sports
Tuesday's results
Which rookie big man will have the best pro career?
• Anthony Davis: 59%
• Andre Drummond: 8%
• Thomas Robinson: 27%
• Jonas Valanciunas: 7%
Total votes: 132
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