Wait, what? There's a game tonight?

The Kings appear to be out of the Iverson sweepstakes (though I know and acknowledge some of you will hold out hope and this will continue to be a big topic of discussion – I encourage that). Golden State appears to be the frontrunner for The Answer's services. Unless something pops in the next three hours, all will still be unresolved at tip-off.

This game is pretty damn important. The Kings are 2-6 on the road. To get into the playoffs, you figure you need to have a 35 percent road winning percentage or better. Right now, the Kings road percentage is 25 percent. Couple that with a home court record (7-4) that is below Sactown expectations, and you're not looking at a good start to the season.

And 20 games is a good chunk of the season. Yeah, it's only December. But the NBA season isn't as long as it sometimes seems. The Kings climbed out of a deeper hole a year ago, but how many times can lightning strike one squad?

Beating division opponents is crucial. Beating beatable opponents is crucial. These "easy" road games – ones that come with at least a day of rest and without long itineraries – are crucial. Punching a rival like Golden State in the mouth after being punched in the mouth by said rival a couple weeks ago is crucial.

And surfacing with breath left in your lungs after this suffocating Iverson chat is important, too. I think it's safe to say Kenny Thomas and John Salmons at the very least had reservations about the trade proposal; I don't think suggesting Kevin Martin and Ron Artest were also worried is out of the realm of reality. This could be a rallying point – the powers got together and said, "Hey, right now, we trust this team. We don't need Iverson that bad. We like these players." That could be a crock of sh*t, and we'll probably never know what the mood of the collective is right this second. We'll get an indication tonight.

To the game thread stuff!

The Warriors are 3-point favorites. The Kings will win outright. I can feel it. I have no idea what my record is on the season.

Alright, ladies and gentlecousins: Let's get happy! I'll be sure to shoot a nasty look over at Oracle on my ride home. Let's go Kings!