Pretty pitiful news for a player that’s an absolute joy to watch: Sam Amick is reporting that Kevin Martin is out 4-6 weeks with a groin strain.

If you’re Geoff Petrie, the news makes your objective even clearer: you have a young coach, a solid young core that is lacking in star power (for all of Speed Racer’s potential and current production), and you have a whole batch of parts that other teams can talk themselves into needing. Time to stop shooting for that 8th seed, and blow things up.

Mike Bibby should be sent away for relative pennies on the dollar. If that means Jason Williams’ expiring contract, lower-rung draft picks and parts, so be it. In the heat of February, certain teams could find themselves thinking Brad Miller is the answer, and it’s not as hard to pile up $10.5 million worth of deals to take Miller off Sacramento’s hands as it is to, say, trade for someone making max-money.

Mikki Moore is a base-year compensation player (even with a relatively small salary that starts at $5.36 million a season, his cap figure is worth half that amount in a trade), but he could fetch a solid prospect still working off his rookie contract once he’s able to be dealt in 10 days. Kenny Thomas isn’t going anywhere, but he could be packaged with someone like John Salmons and sent to a team (Boston perhaps, in what would have to be a three-team deal) desperate to accrue depth whilst not acting as desperate to avoid the luxury tax.

Ron Artest? The man’s having a brilliant season; he’s using up more possessions than last year but performing at a far more efficient rate. The 28-year old, in his prime, should be a hot commodity amongst a GM set not known for its long memories.  Take advantage.

(Hat-tip to Sactown Royalty, who was up late enough to catch the Bee’s post-game update on the injury.)