There won't be Monarchs in Sacramento next year, but they might still be playing somewhere in the Golden State: the league has been feeding rumors of a WNBA team in Oakland, maybe as early as 2010.

If Golden State Warriors owner Chris Cowan decides to sell his team to Oracle zillionaire Larry Ellison, and/or to George Lucas (yes, the George Lucas), the Bay Area will have new NBA owners who can easily afford the likely annual losses for a WNBA team, and who might be interested in acquiring one. (And if not, then probably not.)