This is it, isn't it?

This could be the end of the Sacramento Kings.

The arena talks happening in Las Vegas haven't broken down again, but things don't seem encouraging as the parties head home.

For the first time of this drama - which has been around several years - it really seems like this could be it.

1. The Maloofs aren't waiting for 2008.
2. Sacramento civic leaders aren't going to scorch their own ass by caving to the Maloofs just to get something done.
3. The PR for this project is getting worse every second without resolution, and PR is extremely important for a ballot measure like this.
4. David Stern wouldn't send NBA lawyers to the negotiations if things weren't very dire.
5. Sacramento TV news crews were staked out in front of The Palms.

This is scary. Yeah, it was scary before, when the Maloofs scoffed at a city offer and walked out of a council meeting. It was scary before, when Lou Blanas's plan fell through, and again when Angelo Tsakopoulus's plan self-destructed. It was scary two weeks ago, when the negotiations on a ballot measure ended for seemingly no good reason.

But we're literally days away from seeing this whole thing crumble. If this doesn't get on the ballot, I have little doubt Anaheim and Kansas City and Oklahoma City and Las Vegas are going to be back in the headlines. Maybe we'll get a promise of a future franchise, maybe a future expansion team. Maybe we'll even get to keep the "Kings" moniker in town.

But that's not what we want. We want our Kings.

I hope you all believe in miracles, because I believe that's what it's going to take.