by Roggie McFadden

LOS ANGELES - Like many of his teammates, Lakers forward Rick Fox has had a bumpy time this season. Fox regularly scores only 5 to 8 points per game making observers question whether he will be able to keep up the 'Foxy Mystique' that made him such a powerful force during the Lakers' championship years.

Rick Fox has been counted on to do 'the little things' for the Lakers in the past, but so far this year, he has simply done very little. His 3-point shooting is way off and he has committed many costly turnovers.

Fox's crybaby antics on the court have also led to reduced 'Foxy Mystique.' In a pre-season game last October, the 'Mystique' took a nosedive when Rick Fox ambushed Kings' Doug Christie after Christie had nailed Fox with an uppercut in the first quarter. ESPN described the events:

Fox threw a right-handed elbow at Christie, who had smothered Fox on defense. Fox was called for an offensive foul and then dropped the ball on Christie. Christie, who had fallen to the court, got back up and threw the ball back at Fox.

Fox threw an openhanded left-handed slap and hit Christie in the jaw. Christie responded by hitting Fox with a left-handed punch.

After both were tossed from the game, Fox sprinted off the court, past the Lakers locker room and waited for Christie to enter the tunnel. Fox then put Christie into a headlock and Christie threw several punches at Fox.

Fox was fined and suspended for six games for the assault. Incidents like this are making fans doubt the 'Foxy Mystique,' and instead to see Rick Fox as a thuggish brat who isn't even a good basketball player.

Some attribute Fox's declining performance on the court to the departure of long-time Lakers announcer Chick Hearn, a torch-bearer of the 'Foxy Mystique.' Before he passed away in 2002, Hearn repeatedly referred to Rick Fox as 'Foxy,' giving an enchanting aura of class and charisma to this mediocrity.

"Now that Chick's gone, no one calls him 'Foxy' anymore," said sports commentator Vince Mosley. "It's like the 'Foxy Mystique' never even existed."

As the Lakers limp into the All-Star break, there is now talk of Rick Fox being on the trading block. Some hardcore Laker fans continue to sympathetically describe Fox as, "a pretty decent player," but others know the 'Foxy Mystique' is but a thing of the past.

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