Timing Is Everything for Fox and the Lakers

If Laker forward Rick Fox seems a little distracted during the upcoming NBA playoffs, or if he’s lighting up cigars after the first round, it’s not because his priorities are misplaced or he doesn’t grasp the team’s ultimate goal.

Fox’s wife, singer-actress Vanessa Williams, is expecting to deliver the couple’s first child during May. It’s a wonderful event. And for a player seeking his first world championship, on a team that figures to be playing well into June, it’s a bit of a dilemma.

“It’s nerve-racking for her, because she doesn’t want it to be an issue,” Fox said. “And it’s nerve-racking for me because we can’t control the playoffs and whether we have a smooth first round or a tough first round. I don’t want to miss any games, but I don’t want to miss the birth of my child, either. It’s a tough issue, but I have faith that it will work out.”

Fox said they plan to induce labor and deliver the baby May 2. They have no idea how that will fit into the playoff schedule, but they decided to pick a date and try to make it work.

The rest is up to the Lakers. NBC will want to schedule the popular Lakers during their prime weekend time slots as often as possible during the playoffs. The playoffs begin this upcoming weekend, and most likely the first three games of their best-of-five first-round series will be stretched out to reach the following weekend--guaranteeing NBC two Laker weekend appearances even in the event of a three-game sweep.

May 2 falls on a Tuesday. Conceivably, that could be the date for Game 4. Fox’s ideal scenario would be a Laker sweep, with a second-round series beginning May 3 or later. There might be plenty of incentives for the Lakers to sweep, but none will be more pressing than Fox’s.

“My wife tells me to write it down, make it come to fruition,” Fox said. “If we can get those first two, then I might put the pressure on [my teammates], tell them I need to go home.”

There’s another complication in this scenario: Williams is back in her home in New York, where she will stay until after the birth.

Not only does Fox need to find the time, he needs to find a way to get there in time. And then turn right around and head back to Los Angeles.

“I’m going to have a baby and then I’m not going to see it,” he said, somewhat resigned to the fact. “I just want to be there when the baby comes out, make sure my wife is fine. I want the first thing the baby hears to be its dad’s voice.”

Even if the first words it hears Daddy say are “bye-bye.”

Even though the team’s core players--Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant--are young, there’s no telling if everything will align again in the playoffs.

So, Fox faces what could be a once-in-a-lifetime shot at a time when he has a one-time shot to see a lifetime begin.

“It’s always a life-moving experience,” said Fox, who has one child from a previous relationship, and was present at that birth. “This opportunity to win a championship too is obviously going to affect my year. I’m trying to get the two things out of the way the next two months.”

He has talked to Laker Coach Phil Jackson about the situation, and he couldn’t find a more understanding figure.

Jackson tried to be a basketball player and a father when his Knicks were in the playoffs and he missed the birth of his oldest daughter. The Knicks had a game at Philadelphia and he figured he could get back to New York by midnight.

His daughter beat the clock.

“We went down at 4 in the afternoon,” Jackson said. “I came back and I missed it.”

And that was only one state away. Fox has to cross the continent.

Everything else this season had fit so well.

The triangle offense had been a boon to Fox, who couldn’t quite find a niche in the old system. This offense caters to cerebral players.

“I love it,” Fox said. “I absolutely love it. It allows an individual with my skill level--who has lost maybe a lot of the talent I had as a younger player--to be effective still, because I can think the game. I’m able to maneuver and play off the guys like Shaquille and Kobe, and the opportunities to shoot the ball are going to be there.”

Laker fans are almost taking the first round for granted, anticipating second- and third-round matchups.

For Fox, the first round could be the most pressure-packed.

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J.A. Adande can be reached at his e-mail address: j.a.adande@latimes.com