Kevin Martin out 4-6 weeks

[MavsFanFinley]

I really like Martin and hate to see him miss time like this.

Kings G Martin out 4-6 weeks

December 5, 2007

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA (TICKER) -- Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Martin suffered a pulled groin in the third quarter of Tuesday's victory against the Utah Jazz and will be out at least four to six weeks.

Martin, who is sixth in the league in scoring at 24.5 points per game entering Tuesday's play, scored 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting before suffering the injury in the final seconds of the third period.

"Without Kevin, we definitely won't be as good," Sacramento forward Ron Artest said. "But we have to hang in there and play every possession like it's our last possession, play hard and stay confident."

The slim 6-7, 185-pounder has emerged as one of the league's purest scorers thanks to the absence of Kings point guard Mike Bibby, who carried much of the scoring load in prior seasons - especially in crunch time.

Bibby is out at least another month after undergoing surgery for torn ligaments in his thumb.

But whether or not Bibby is in the lineup, Martin has proven to be one of the most accurate shooters in the NBA - hitting 43 percent from the floor, 40 percent from the arc and 86 percent from the free-throw line entering Tuesday's play.

The 26th overall pick in the 2004 draft out of Western Carolina, the 24-year-old Martin has averaged 13.7 points in four seasons but has notched 20-plus per game in parts of the last two campaigns.

[alby]

*FYI: this means pick up salmons or garcia or beno in big leagues *