Ailene Voisin

The rallies in the park, the chants in the building, the gatherings outside the old arena. Then there is the campaign for corporate sponsorships, the inclusion of local owners, and the pledge for 2013-14 Kings season tickets, all motivated by the community's enduring passion for the region's only major professional sports franchise.

More than a decade has passed since these teams tangled in one of the most theatrical and controversial Western Conference finals (2002) in the NBA modern era.

Within the past five days – perhaps the most important five days in the history of the Kings – Sacramento thrust itself back into the game.

There was supposed to be a Ron Burkle sighting at The Bee on Monday, and then there wasn't. The mystery man canceled his appearance a few hours before the 2 p.m. tipoff, offered no reasons and remained true to his reputation within the arena of professional sports.

Toney Douglas was in Sacramento the day Tyreke Evans turned heads with his size and length, with his ballhandling and bruising strength, and mostly, with his slashing, scintillating drives to the basket.

We miss them, don't we? The Monarchs, I mean. While Mayor Kevin Johnson only recently bundled the disbanded WNBA franchise into his attempts to save the Kings and facilitate construction of a downtown sports and entertainment complex, his frequent mention of the Monarchs evokes mostly fond, pleasant memories.

What do you do with DeMarcus Cousins? Seriously. What do you do with DeMarcus Cousins?

The NBA commissioner – always the most influential player in these arena ordeals – turned Friday's visit with the Golden State Warriors into fright night for Kings fans.

Mitch Richmond is buying back into the Kings. Emotionally, for sure. Financially, he hopes. And we knew that.

About a year ago, Jim Les had moments when he wondered if his friends were right. Maybe he was crazy.

Patrick Patterson, the key acquisition in the trade that sent rookie Thomas Robinson to the Houston Rockets, arrives with an intriguing portfolio that includes a close relationship with DeMarcus Cousins.

So let's be honest here. The 2012 offseason was not kind to the Kings.

Kevin Johnson might not be able to pull this off. This arena ordeal is a real doozy. Forget about Seattle for the moment. There have been plenty of sleepless nights this past decade right here in Sacramento.

While Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson intensifies his pursuit of a new ownership group for the Kings, there is no one-stop shopping for NBA investors. They come in all shapes and sizes, with varying degrees of baggage and divergent personalities, and with significantly larger bank accounts than the average Dick and Jane.

There is something to be said for admitting a mistake and cutting your losses. Most of the Kings' front-office types regarded rookie Thomas Robinson as an undersized power forward with bad hands and poor basketball instincts.

Oh, so that's right. It's not impossible. Small-market cities and counties actually solve arena financing riddles, secure the future of their major professional sports franchises and consistently put a quality product on the court.

Relocation is a terrible word. It's the phrase that fans dread and cities fear, and that has stared down David Stern since he was named NBA commissioner in February of 1984.

If Isaiah Thomas decided to write a book, he could steal the title and borrow a few themes and spin his own "Tale of Two Cities."

These All-Star Weekends aren't what they used to be.

If the Ron Burkle-Mark Mastrov money men come up with a viable plan to purchase the Kings and construct a sports and entertainment complex – and Mayor Kevin Johnson insists they will – then the NBA board of governors will have one whale of a decision to make.

The final score won't change, and neither will the officiating calls or noncalls during the 49ers' final, futile possession in Sunday's Super Bowl.

Colin Kaepernick almost engineered the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. Almost. This close. Five yards and a cloud of … fists, grabs, shoves? Five yards and a penalty that might have been called?

Vernon Davis is an art buff and a convert to 49ers historian. Names, dates, places. Positions, seasons, scores. Legends and legacies and memories.

Jim Harbaugh says Colin Kaepernick's a natural, so maybe his emergence is really that simple. A fairy tale set in fantasyland. A football story that becomes more dramatic by the week. An ascension so ridiculously swift and sure, so premature, that the 49ers' front office folks are even scratching their heads.

Chris Culliver apologized and apologized. He repeatedly recanted the ugly comments he uttered earlier in the week about players and the NFL and why gays need to keep their distance.

NEW ORLEANS – Alex Smith wants to discuss his demotion about as much as Ray Lewis wants to talk about deer and antlers and substances he swears he didn't ingest.

With the Kings closing out a wild week and escaping this increasingly fluid sale/arena/Sacramento/Seattle ordeal with a long trip, the time felt right for some impressions, insights and observations.

Yes, it makes for intense conversation around the water cooler, in the newspapers, on social media and on sports talk radio. Basketball is a game of passion and partisanship and more than an occasional cheap shot to the ribs.

Moving forward and thinking big – and doing it very quickly – Sacramento has to make a compelling case.

What on earth was Colin Kaepernick thinking? Seriously. What was he thinking? In the biggest game of his life – the biggest game played here since the Braves won the 1995 World Series – the 49ers quarterback directed the comeback that trumps all NFC Championship Game comebacks.

This is a guy who mentions bar fights. His bar fights. So, really, there is nothing Jim Harbaugh does or says that should surprise.

There is a gracious exit strategy here, a way for the Maloofs to pay off their debts, walk away with their heads held high and move toward their next venture infused by positive karma and a powerful sense of accomplishment.

On a crisp, clear Saturday night in Candlestick Park, in the first postseason game of his NFL career, young Colin Kaepernick put the finishing touches on any 49ers quarterback controversy. This was the end of the debate and perhaps the beginning of an era, maybe even time to start asking a few questions.

Frank Gore isn't very sexy, though we don't mean sexy in the conventional sense. We're talking Twitter, TV, blogs, postgame sound bites, crowds around his locker and demands for his time.

If ever there was a time for a financial white knight to make an appearance, bathed in the purple and black splendor of the region's only major professional sports franchise, this is it.

Tyreke Evans counts the number of guards on the Kings roster. He hears the persistent trade rumors. He remembers that his bosses refused to extend his contract last fall.

Despite her best efforts and intentions, Hannah Storm won't be resuming her SportsCenter anchoring duties today at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn.

Understandably, Kings fans harbor a serious grudge against the Lakers, who stole Game 6 from the Kings, choked them in Game 7 and deprived them of a trip to the 2002 NBA Finals, but, hey, I think congratulations are in order.

The conversation these days is about his hands and his route running, not his attitude or his rookie contract dispute or his assorted injuries and absences. And that's a change.

Now that he's back, what do you do with DeMarcus Cousins? Coddle him? Ignore him? Trade him?

On the treadmill, on the sideline, in the locker room, Keith Smart sweats profusely. He sweats the small stuff and the big stuff. He sweats about his young center's destructive behavior, the Kings' erratic performances and a collective body language that suggests his 12 players work for 12 different corporations.

DeMarcus Cousins deserved this. Of course he deserved this. Enough already.

The Aaron Brooks who played Wednesday night against the Warriors? That was him. That was the veteran point guard the Kings signed last summer following his one-year adventure in China.

UC Davis athletic director Terry Tumey interviewed almost a dozen candidates, inquired about the interest of several others, and then went with his gut, with the guy right down the street.

Colin Kaepernick is handling the attention with all the poise and escapability of a seasoned veteran – basically, by saying little and revealing even less – while showing off his fleet feet and impressive powers of recovery.

Jimmer Fredette will be a player in this league, OK? In an era when the dribble-drive is the tendency du jour, and at a time when the extra pass would be the holiday gift Kings coach Keith Smart couldn't wait to unwrap, the second-year guard is offering hints of what the fuss at BYU was all about.

So what's wrong with DeMarcus Cousins anyway? His game, not his attitude. What happened to his game?

Joe and Gavin Maloof have no idea how to save this marriage. Maybe it's because they've never walked down the aisle, never stepped to the altar, but whatever the reason, they're clearly stuck in the mud.

Colin Kaepernick over Alex Smith? This is unconventional, daring, potentially brilliant, potentially devastating, and so predictably Jim Harbaugh.