Remember last April when the Maloofs turned their torches on the Sacramento arena plan (which provided a nice reprieve for the usual targets of their torches, which would be their own businesses, reputations and sense of dignity)? Back then, despite kicking local fans right in the teeth, the brothers swore up and down Arena Boulevard that the Kings were not going anywhere. The family would not sell the team, period. Relocation was not happening, period. George Maloof even got angry -- visibly angry -- at anyone who suggested relocation was on the table.

That was April 2012. This is May 2012, from the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

On May 21, 2012, Henderson (Nev.) Mayor Andy Hafen and acting City Attorney Christine Guerci-Nyhus met representatives of the Maloof family, which owned the Kings, and the largest nonfamily partner, Bobby Hernreich, in New York City.

And ...

"Two weeks before [developer Chris] Milam attempted to terminate the deal with the City, (Milam public relations specialist) Lee Haney and (Milam lawyers) John Marchiano and Chris Stephens told City Council members in briefings with city staff that Milam had made significant progress with the Kings and other sports franchises. At no time did they inform the City that financing fell through because of their failure to lure the Kings," Henderson spokesman Bud Cranor wrote in an email.

The main thrust of this whole thing is that the developer, Milam, worked to convince the city of Henderson, Nev. -- a Vegas suburb -- to endorse a land purchase by Milam from the federal Bureau of Land Management. An arena and commercial development would go there. The deal eventually fell apart, making city officials think that it was all a scam to get the city's stamp of approval on the land acquisition. Instead, Milam says that they weren't able to land the Kings, which killed Chinese financing for the development deal. It's all a big mess, and it's someone else's problem.

But the Maloofs were meeting with Henderson officials in addition to Virginia Beach officials and quite possible the Seattle folks. While telling us otherwise and ignoring real, valid local offers to buy the team.

Cowards. Liars. Maloofs.