They're stupid. That's really the only way to describe them. I really can't sympathize for them, because they have been completely incapable of making educated long-term decisions.
They're stupid. They arrived in Sac in the late '90s and rode the wave of success that Petrie had already started (people love to hate on Petrie, but I maintain that he's been handcuffed by the Maloofs for over half a decade now). Things were rolling, and it's obvious that they didn't have the foresight to save for a rainy day. They even thought, very briefly, that they knew how to run a basketball organization better than the man (Petrie) who made the Kings a household name, and they began to mettle in affairs that they were woefully unsuited for.
They're stupid. Everything they touch, they ruin. They lost a casino and a beer company to retain an NBA franchise. They literally had two in the hand, and gambled it all for one in the bush, and it's going to cost them the wealth they inherited. They live in a vacuum where strategic business moves can be made in the blink of an eye, and they don't bother reading the fine-print.
They're stupid. They don't know when to shut-up and when to stay behind the scenes. They don't work hard, and they don't put forth the due diligence required to maintain an empire. They think they're entitled to prosperity and can't fathom a world where bone-headed decisions can lead to serious repercussions.
They're stupid. They are grown men who highlight their hair and wear shiny shirts underneath leather jackets.
They're stupid. They thought that Sacramento would just give them an arena in exchange for peanuts, and then thought that the city would sit idly by as they left for another town.
They're stupid.