But it's not always a rubber stamp. One relocation attempt, in fact, failed miserably.

The Maloofs aren't selling. In 1994, the Wolves were for sale.

But the NBA's relocation committee, made up of several franchise owners, rejected the move out of the blue. An investigation by the committee — and one would assume the league — found that most of the money the N.O. group was putting up was fake money, nothing too much set in stone and solid. Seeking to avoid getting into a house of cards, the NBA held up a stop sign.

The league then worked with local officials in Minneapolis and St. Paul to iron out some arena debt issues and find a local owner, Glen Taylor. And today, the Minnesota Timberwolves exist. I think. We're pretty sure.

Again, the 2011 Kings are not the 1994 Wolves. We know David Stern is on board with this relocation. We know Henry Samueli is funding the loan to the Maloofs through the city, and that Samueli has lots of money.

But we know it's not a done deal until it's a done deal. We know there can be salvation. We can hope.