Also known as "In A Cruel World, Part 2."

"With the 5th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers select Harrison Barnes from the University of North Carolina."

Wait … what?

Then a tweet from Woj:

"Sources tell Yahoo! Sports that the NBA will announce indefinite suspension of Kings operations effective immediately."

Stu Scott doesn't realize that the Kings were supposed to pick. Jon Barry talks about how soft Barnes is. Fran Fraschilla, with a producer yelling in his ear to fill time, starts talking glowingly about Tomas Satoransky.

Another Woj tweet:

"The league will keep Kings off schedule in 2012-13 season and operate with just 29 teams, sources tell Y! Sports. Huge stunner. Unprecedented."

Magic Johnson comes in to talk about what a great job Kevin Johnson has done in Sacramento. Stu says that they'll get to the Kings pick soon. No one on TV has seen Woj's tweets. Sactown Royalty is melting down.

Woj again:

"Dispute between Maloofs and Stern on arena disaster the source of this power play by league. Sources tell Y! that NBA may hold supplemental draft of current Kings players."

What. The. Frankincense.

"Maloofs directly threatened anti-trust suit after Stern's comments blocking relocation to Anaheim. Stern made first punch."

"Sources now tell Y! that NBA plans to hold supplemental draft of Kings players next week. DeMarcus Cousins expected to go No. 1. New teams will assume contracts."

"Kings cannot be reinstated before 2013-14 season. Huge blow to Sacramento fans and businesses in the short-term."

Adam Silver sits down with Heather Schultz after the Hornets make the No. 9 pick.

"Adam, can you discuss the reports on the Kings' suspension of operations?"

"Heather, we want to assure fans in Sacramento that have been so loyal that we continue to support their efforts. However, based on legal action expected to be taken by the Maloof family against the NBA, we felt that it was in the league's best interest to remove them from our 2012-13 schedule while litigation is settled. We are still working out how players will be dispersed and how the schedule will look. But in the meantime, the Kings have suspended operations. We'll have more information tomorrow."

From Sam Amick:

"Maloof spokesman Eric Rose: team will file anti-trust lawsuit against NBA tomorrow. NBA notified them of suspension after POR pick."

From Woj:

"League source tells Y! that Maloofs recently turned down a purchase offer by Ron Burkle brokered by NBA. Offer was $400 million and total transfer of debt."

That dispersal draft is held on June 30. The Warriors land No. 1 and take Cousins. The Hornets win No. 2 and take Tyreke. The Cavaliers get No. 3 and Marcus Thornton. Isaiah Thomas goes No. 4 to the Knicks. The Jazz take Jimmer Fredette No. 5. The Suns get Hassan Whiteside No. 6. The Rockets grab Chuck Hayes at No. 7. The other 22 teams all pass on Salmons, Garcia and Outlaw, stunningly. When free agency hits, Jason Thompson signs with the Wolves. Terrence Williams signs with the Magic. Donte Greene signs with the Suns. Donte + Hassan, together forever.

A legal battle ramps up, and the NBA seems to be destroying the Maloof legal team. But the arms of justice swing slowly, and it's now April, and there's still no resolution in sight, and the NBA announces that the Kings will remain suspended through 2013-14. And the fight continues, and the Maloofs win a battle, and the NBA wins a battle, and David Stern ages, and OMG Cases does not make the Maloofs a fortune, and neither does professional skateboarding, and the Maloofs try to pit Sacramento against the NBA, and it works on some people, and it doesn't work on most people, and Sacramento offers the NBA support where it can, and Sac Bee commenters complain about public resources being spent, and Grant Napear rails against David Stern daily, and Jerry Reynolds stays quiet and prays, and there are murmurs of Seattle being granted an expansion team for 2014-15, and the Maloofs recruit a team of sub-NBA players to hold games at ARCO, and no one shows up, and no one pays attention, and no one likes what has happened, but we all see the bigger picture and hope that someday it will be resolved with new ownership in place, and Ron Burkle keeps kindly reminding the world that he's ready to purchase, and the reports out of Manila continue to indicate that Manny is ready, and Magic Johnson announces that his Dodgers group would also be interested in helping locals buy the team and keep it in Sacramento, and the Maloofs keep refusing, even as Forbes drops the value of the below $200 million, and even as ARCO goes dark most of the year, and as the parking lots stay empty, and as the Slamson costume stays in a dark closet.

And we meet here every morning to talk about the latest developments and to curse our horrible fortune and to make jokes about the Maloofs and to follow the progress of Boogie (an All-Star!) and Tyreke (18-6-6 as the Hornets make the playoffs) and Harrison (second in ROY voting) and Isaiah (the new Lin) and MT (forming one of the league's most explosive backcourts with Kyrie) and Jimmer (loving life) and JT and Donte (especially Donte) and Hassan and Chuck. And we lament the situation but continue to press on in hope of a brighter day.

And we lament the situation but continue to press on in hope of a brighter day.