By Iman Sadri

I grew up in Sacramento and was there for over 20 years. I now reside in Orange County, in Irvine to be exact. Last year it was so eery to see the Kings about to move to Anaheim. To have the Kings "follow" me here seemed bizarre. There was no more identity. They belong in Sacramento, not Southern California; and to change their name to the Anaheim Royals is even more disheartening. If that would happen for the 2013-2014 NBA season I will be very conflicted. Its would be like a native of Seattle who now lives in Oklahoma City rooting for the Thunder. Its not the same. The logo is different, the mascot is different, the arena is different, and the fan support is different.

The Anaheim Royals would be like the New York Islanders. There are already two hockey teams in the metropolitan New York/New Jersey areas, and to have one about 45 minutes away, it seems almost hidden. That would be the Anaheim Royals. So the Kings need to stay in Sacramento. It was 10 years ago this season, during the magical 2001-2002 season where the Kings led the NBA in wins. They almost held the Larry O' Brian trophy. They played until June 3 when most seasons they would stop play in the end of April. And the Maloofs decided to not have a 10 year anniversary commemoration of that special squad of Bibby, Peja, CWebb and Vlade. They were the greatest show on court, graced the cover of SI, and were the darlings of the NBA.

The Maloofs created a renaissance in the summer of 1998 and resurrected a lethargic franchise. Not we are on the brink of having the Kings play one final season in Sacramento. Even though, they are adamant about not moving the team, this is what will happen after 2012-2013. As a regular caller to the Grant Napear show on AM 1140 the Fan, and as an Orange County resident, I plead the Kings to keep them in Sacramento. The Kings never could be victorious over the Lakers in a playoff series, and they lost to them in the final game of the season last year. Now they want to upend everything and move to Southern California. But they will be too close the Lakers and the Clippers and as the saying goes, " If you can't beat them join them" doesn't apply here.