So the Sacramento Kings, in re-signing Mike Bibby, adding Keon Clark and conceding defeat on the whole luxury-tax issue, were merely trying to keep up with the Joneses of the Western Conference who keep their permanent residence in L.A.?

	Mike Bibby proved his worth in the Western Conference finals against the Lakers.

Absolutely. And now we'd like you to meet the Smiths, the Wexfords, the Huntington-Piffles and the Oleanders, who live just up the road a piece. It's a get-rich-quick world in the NBA's West, and the neighborhood is crowding up like you wouldn't believe.

The Kings probably overpaid for Bibby -- but, then, they figured that in the end they might. The Baron Davis deal ($84 million for seven years) set a tone for upper-echelon point guards this offseason, and in that respect Sacramento perhaps came out slightly ahead: Based upon his draft slot and salary position, Bibby was eligible for a maxed-out contract of close to $103 million.

But Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof knew all along that, one way or another, keeping Bibby was imperative, despite regular-season numbers (13 points, five assists) that didn't necessarily set anyone's hair on fire. Bibby was often the best thing going for Sacramento in a Western Conference finals against the Lakers that came within a few missed free throws of going the other way, and there'll always be cash money available to anyone who can help the Kings clear that particular hurdle.

Geoff Petrie, meanwhile, is grabbing the other end of the telescope and peering in with his usual calculating eye. Where the rest of the world sees the three-peat dominance that is the Lakers, Petrie, the Kings' president, is taking a long sideward glance at a whole host of other scary possibilities: A reinvigorated Mavericks. An ascendant Clippers. A troublesome Spurs. A dormant Trail Blazers.

"Because of where we (finished) last year, you obviously think about beating the Lakers," Petrie said. "But it's not just about beating them; it's about beating all the other really good teams out there. And some of those teams are going to get better, and some of the teams that maybe weren't as good as last year will be much better this year."

It can't be all about the Lakers, that is, because that's precisely the point at which a franchise's aspirations begin to break down. The Kings themselves see Shaq and Kobe first and foremost, as they probably should; but this is a conference far too deep and far too talented to take anything for granted.

Sacramento's own recent history comes into play here. The Kings' ballyhooed semifinal playoff victory over Dallas belies the truth about their post-season, which is that their real breakthrough came in the first round against a perfectly so-so Utah team. The Jazz slogged its way through a 44-38 regular season and bowed to the Kings in four games in the first round, yet showed the heart of a champion throughout. It was a tough, physical series in which Sacramento had to yank the right to advance out of Utah's clutching hands -- and it was an almost perfect object lesson on the perils of the West, even at its perceived middle reaches.

Bibby got his head handed to him as often as not by John Stockton in that series, then shook Stockton's hand afterward to thank the guard for all he'd taught Bibby about NBA playoff basketball. Bibby took some of those lessons into a Dallas series in which he came up increasingly big, and then came the transcendent L.A. series, in which Bibby averaged 20 points and found himself wanting -- and getting -- the most important shots down the stretch of the most important games played.

	“	I think that, with (Keon Clark's addition), we have one of the greatest teams ever assembled. I do. I think we could win 65 games, don't you? ”
		— Joe Maloof

Of course, Bibby's team lost that series, and in that regard his re-signing (incredible dollar amounts notwithstanding) was strictly a matter of staying even with the Lakers, bringing back a full contingent to complement a presumably healthy Peja Stojakovic for the next wave of meetings. To most Kings observers, it was the eye-opening capture of the lanky, athletic Clark that signaled another attempt by Petrie to find some incremental improvement for coach Rick Adelman's team, as Petrie has managed almost every offseason of the Maloofs' ownership tenure.

"I think that, with (Clark's addition), we have one of the greatest teams ever assembled," said Joe Maloof, who is not necessarily noted for majestic restraint when it comes to surmising his own product. "I do. I think we could win 65 games, don't you?"

Answer: It is no longer the point. The Kings won 61 games last season but found themselves watching O'Neal and Bryant celebrating, first on Sacramento's court at Arco Arena and later at their own victory parade through downtown Los Angeles. Petrie spent much of this offseason studying the upward curves of the likes of the Clippers and Mavericks and searching for an ounce or two more depth, which arrived when Clark slipped away from uninterested Toronto and agreed to a low-risk, one-year contract with an option.

Clark was a bonus; Bibby's reappearance was simply mandatory. The Kings have arrived as a championship contender, but they've done so at a moment in which the Western Conference is so full of contenders it barely has room on the block to contain them all. Keeping up with the Joneses is a laudable and worthy goal -- so long as you don't forget about what's going on in all those other houses, there.

Mark Kreidler is a columnist with the Sacramento Bee and a regular contributor to ESPN.com