David Stern continued speaking to reporters on Thursday. Earlier in the day, he'd said that expansion wasn't really on the table, and he reiterated that in the evening, saying that if it happened, it'd likely be after his retirement in 2014. (That doesn't help us now.) But he also made a comment that should give Sacramento hope.

Stern: "It's going to be a very difficult decision for the board of governors if #Sacramento comes up with an offer."

— David Bienick (@kcrabienick) February 15, 2013

That acknowledgment is pretty important. And remember: Kevin Johnson only needs to convince eight owners to reject the sale and relocation on account of Sacramento's willingness to step up.

It appears that much of this weekend will be about seeing who KJ talks to, seeing who the reporters talk to, and assessing whether there's any hope of getting them on board with Sacramento. It's going to be tough sledding.

One other note from Stern: he said he believes the outstanding Bob Cook issue can be "accommodated," whatever that means. I think he's indicating that he doesn't believe the auction would hold up the sale.