Kevin Martin leaned against the wall in the Kings' practice facility Thursday afternoon, still very much in shock, his damaged left wrist dangling at his side.

Hours earlier, an MRI revealed that the league's third-leading scorer – and the Kings' best player – sustained a hairline fracture Monday night in a collision with the Memphis Grizzlies' Allen Iverson.

Martin was presented with three options, all of them terrible:

He can wear a soft cast and attempt to play, risking further injury and possibly a complete break. He can undergo surgery and have a screw inserted to stabilize the bone, with recovery projected at six to eight weeks. Or he can have the arm casted and hope that the wrist heals itself during a comparable six- to eight-week rehabilitation period.

"I'm going to turn my phone off early tonight, and get some good sleep, and probably make a decision tomorrow," Martin said after watching practice in street clothes. "I played through it last night, but we'll just have to see."

Thursday's announcement dampened an already somber mood at the practice facility. Hours after the Kings dropped a tightly contested game with the Atlanta Hawks, team officials learned that veteran forward Andres Nocioni had been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Coach Paul Westphal tried to remain upbeat, but he offered few of his usual humorous asides. Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof watched practice but slipped out before reporters were allowed on the court. Team president Geoff Petrie addressed the media, then slumped into a chair, alone in his thoughts, and appearing miserable.

"I don't know what you can do about acts of God," Petrie said.

Westphal already was preparing for a possible life without Martin, who will consult with hand specialists today, but he won't reveal his likely starters until the longest-tenured King makes his decision official. Westphal's options aren't so terrific, either.

The most obvious move is to start Beno Udrih at point guard and move rookie Tyreke Evans to shooting guard. The unorthodox Westphal could also tinker with a variety of combinations involving Evans, Nocioni and rookie Omri Casspi at shooting guard, and continuing to bring Udrih off the bench.

In an unrelated personnel move, the Kings waived Desmond Mason and signed journeyman Ime Udoka (pronounced EE-may U-doke-uh), a 6-foot-5 small forward who is an excellent defender, capable three-point shooter and positive influence in the locker room.

Should Martin be unavailable for the better part of two months, it figures to be a long, cold winter. The lanky 6-7 veteran was enjoying the best two weeks of his career, both in terms of stats (30.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists. 2.0 steals) and presence. Perhaps emboldened by his productivity, and admittedly weary of the losing, he had emerged as a vocal, forceful leader, intent on silencing those who characterize him as one-dimensional and injury prone.

"It had been hurting the last couple days," said Martin, who arrived for treatment four hours before the game against the Hawks, "but yesterday it swelled up. I was hoping it was just a bad sprain."

Martin, 26, suffered the injury when he stole the ball from Zach Randolph. As he turned to sprint downcourt, he was accidentally undercut by Iverson.

"It was like what happened to me with the (left) ankle," he said, referring to the bone bruise that bothered him throughout last season. "Unfortunately, it's a break.

"I'm sure I'm going to have a lot of opinionated text messages tonight from family and friends. But at the end of the day, it's going to be my decision, and whatever decision I make, I'm going to have to go with it."

Call The Bee's Ailene Voisin, (916) 321-1208.