This is it, Sonics fans (and Kings fans lurking). Today marks the first step on the road to Wrestlemania the end of the Kings saga. One way or another, we will have an answer in just 16 short days. And it all begins today.

Kevin Johnson and his team of whales (Vivek Ranadive, Mark Mastrov, Paul Jacobs, and Ron Burkle) will be in New York today. So will Chris Hansen, Steve Ballmer, the Nordstrom Brothers, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and King County Executive Dow Constantine. Even the Maloofs will be there. Each side will meet with the NBA Relocation Committee (note: not the full Board of Governors), headed up by none other than Sonics fans' most notorious enemy, Mr. Clayton Ike Bennett.

The Relocation Committee will weigh the two proposals and present a recommendation to the full Board of Governors, who will then meet on April 18th and 19th and vote on the proposed sale and relocation of the team to the Hansen group. Should the NBA vote down the sale, the team would revert back to the Maloofs, who would then have to decide if they want to sell the team to the Sacramento group. I assume the NBA would issue some sort of pre-approval in that case, just so this saga doesn't stretch on for another 6 months to forever. Unless, of course, the Maloofs decide not to sell at that point (an idea that seems to be gaining traction), in which case all hell will break loose, the world will open up and swallow us all whole. But either way, it will all be over in just 16 short (actually, probably the longest of any Sonics or Kings fans' lives) days.