Kings leading scorer Kevin Martin will miss a minimum of eight weeks due to surgery on his left wrist.
As tough as it is for Martin, his teammates and Kings fans to accept, all involved believe it is the right decision for his health, his career and the team.
“I think it’s by far the best decision,” coach Paul Westphal said after the team’s practice on Friday. “When you have a problem, take care of it.”
According to Martin, who did his best to maintain a positive spirit, the medical specialist he consulted informed him that whether he put it in a cast or opted for surgery, he would miss a minimum of eight weeks. Unable to ensure it would heal in a cast, the decision to have surgery on his left wrist was made simple.
“I thought you could play through something like that pain and just get (surgery) at the end of the season,” Martin said at the Kings practice facility. “But the specialist said, ‘If you try to play, we’re going to come and tie you down and not let you go out there because you develop a lot of other things in your wrist like arthritis, cysts and things like that.’ So when I got here this morning, the organization decided, after talking to the specialist and (hearing) what his recommendation was, (I) wasn’t playing.”
As much as he wishes he could play, Martin is confident in his teammates, and thankful for the Kings fans’ well wishes.
“Thanks,” Martin said smiling when asked what he would like to say to supportive Kings fans. “It’s only 20 games. You have a team that’s trying to achieve some things here, and now other guys are going to have to step up, which I think they’re capable of. We have a good organization and foundation that (the coaching staff) has put in here, so I think we’ll be fine.”