Antonio Gonzalez

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After three stints as an interim coach, this season was supposed to be Keith Smart’s first real chance to show what he could do on the NBA sidelines with a full summer and training camp to prepare.

Instead, the pending sale and relocation of the Sacramento Kings to a Seattle group became a daily distraction for Smart’s squad. The Kings finished 28-54, missed the playoffs for the seventh straight year and head into another offseason with the roster the same as the franchise’s future off the court — uncertain.

“Sometimes you don’t reach that goal the first time. Sometimes there’s pain and frustration,” Smart said. “And that’s what we had this year — pain and frustration. Now you’ve got to try and do it all again.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said Tuesday that comments made by the conference’s coordinator of officials are “not a fireable offense” and have been “mischaracterized” as targeting only Arizona coach Sean Miller during internal meetings before the league tournament.

In a phone interview with The Associated Press, Scott said that Ed Rush’s remarks were part of an overall “point of emphasis” to crack down on coach misconduct on the sideline. He said an investigation found Rush’s rant included an “inappropriate joke” offering a group of officials $5,000 for a trip to Cancun if they called a technical foul on Miller, but that every official interviewed confirmed “nobody thought they were getting a reward.”

The only thing stopping the Sacramento Kings from a sale and move to Seattle is approval by NBA owners.

The Maloof family has agreed to sell the Kings to a Seattle group led by investor Chris Hansen, the league confirmed in a statement Monday morning. The deal is still pending a vote by the NBA Board of Governors.

SAN FRANCISCO — Predictions are not something most coaches care about this time of year. They’re focused on players and practices, not what pundits and pollsters presume.

Except for Oregon State’s Craig Robinson.

OAKLAND, Calif. — Travis Goethel walked off the field following his final, shaky snap and carved out a spot to stand alone on the Raiders sideline. Punter Shane Lechler patted him on the head, then slammed his own helmet in disgust.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Far away from the NBA's brightest lights, Jimmer Fredette can walk into a restaurant or grocery store in California's Central Valley and barely turn a head.

SAN FRANCISCO -- If USGA executive director Mike Davis has his way, the record low scores at last year's U.S. Open at Congressional are unlikely to travel to the West Coast.

Davis said Monday at San Francisco's majestic Olympic Club that the course will be "the hardest start in a U.S. Open" when players tee off June 14. The unleveled Lake Course in the serene setting just across the street from the Pacific Ocean will play at a Par-70 7,170 yards -- 373 yards longer than the last time it hosted the national championship in 1998 -- including the 670-yard 16th hole that is one of the longest Par 5s in the event's history.