First, let me qualify my answer: 1. Not relevant 2. Not primarily a Rockets player 3. No positive contributions to Houston 4. Not worth hating him as a person all these years later So, yes, probably. Holding a grudge might seem sexy, but it's worthless.
I can only speak for myself, but growing up in HTown in the 60's and becoming a diehard fan of the Oilers and Astros and soon thereafter a Rockets fan (along with being a UH alum) there were SO many heartbreak defeats over the yrs. No major championships at all (that is unless you want to count the Aeros titles in the 70's). That finally changed in '94 with the Rockets winning it all, and as others have pointed out we don't win it without Max. Dude hit some HUGE freakin shots in the playoffs that yr, and if he doesn't go off against the Suns in the 2nd half that series is OVER. So excuse me if I (and thousands of other Rockets fans) who endured all the bitter Houston defeats have a soft spot for Mad Max. It was wrong what he did the following yr, and he's owned up to it. He was ALL about passion, and we saw both the positive and negatives sides associated with it. I also LOVE that he wasn't afraid of MJ, and would go right at him. He was a BIG reason the Rockets were so successful against the Bulls.
Are you ****ing serious??? Rudy T almost died from that. And before you ask, the answer is NO - I NEVER forgave Washington for what he did. I spent that entire Christmas praying for Rudy. It was one of the most miserable periods in my life. That's what made it so very special to have Rudy as the coach guiding them to those NBA titles. Washington wanted to be a badass - to be a thug on the court. Well he got his wish and showed the whole world just what type of low life b*stard he was and then whined because he had to face the consequences of his actions. Well Boo Hoo! Now he's just another POS like Maxwell. There are simply some things for which you can never be forgiven and what these two assholes did to the Rockets falls under that category as far as I'm concerned. Maxwell tried to destroy something special that they (Rockets) achieved and now he wants to slink back into fans good graces because it's 20 years later and our memories are supposed to be short. No ****ing way. Now if you want to talk about forgiveness then we can talk about John Lucas, Mitchell Wiggins and Lewis Lloyd whose addiction to drugs nearly destroyed the Rockets and in the case of Wiggins and Lloyd, did destroy their careers. Lucas' basketball career never recovered but he did manage to avoid NBA banishment unlike Wiggins and Lloyd. What they did is worthy of forgiveness to me because it wasn't malicious. What Maxwell did was and hence will not be forgiven.
Kermit Washington almost killed Rudy T and Vernon Maxwell left the Rockets cause he felt like he didn't get enough playing time. Same Category? I guess Bin Laden and Kevin Durant are in the same boat.
Is that a grudge in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? I don't know how sexy a grudge actually is. I get your point though. Carry on.
I just meant 'sexy' in the sense that people LOVE holding a good grudge, and then they love talking about it to anyone who will listen. See: Tinman, Tracy McGrady
Growing up in HTown, I was a Rockets' fan from the moment they announced their move to Houston. And I remember those tough years in Houston: the sparsely attended games at Hofheinz; the John Lucas cocaine episode; watching Elvin Hayes leave and win a ring with Washington; watching Moses Malone do the same with the 76ers; Rudy T almost dying from that Kermit Washington punch; the failure of the Twin Towers; the disappointment of that 1986 NBA title run. And while Maxwell was the driving force in the 94 championship run that's what makes what he did in 95 even more despicable because he betrayed our belief in him when he walked out on the team when it needed him. No one believed in them that year - they were the 6th seed in the West and the talk was that the previous championship was a "fluke" win (because Jordan wasn't there). Nobody believed but the team and us fans. So when Rudy T declared "Never underestimate the heart of a champion" he wasn't talking about Maxwell. No, he was talking about the ones who stayed and fought to win that 2nd title - the ones who did not quit. And that wasn't Maxwell. Nothing he now says or does will ever change that fact.
Lol Not even close. I just destroy all McGrady fans who keep thinking McGrady led the rockets to playoff success. What if scenarios never count.
No. Pippen wanted a trade after one year after a max agreement. Then because he forced a trade, we got crap in return . That ruined the franchise for years. That's if Harden decided to force a trade now. We couldn't get any fair value, we would suck big time.
Hey, I know some OKC fans who would gladly outfit KD with a tub of cement attached to his feet and drop him off in the same general part of the ocean with Bin Laden. I think I see where you are missing my point. Certainly not similar situations as far as what Washington and Maxwell did to the Rockets. What Washington did to Rudy had far more serious consequences it being life threatening and all that. Maxwell merely put himself above the team, betrayed them and now he wants to come slinking back. But just because the circumstances were different does NOT absolve either of them from their actions although that seems to be the way things work these days. Maxwell showed everyone his ass in 94 and now he's back wanting folks to kiss it. He can go to hell.
What happened with John Lucas, Mitchell Wiggins and Lewis Lloyd also ruined the franchise for years and the Rockets sucked. In the current climate where if you are a star player your career isn't validated unless you win a championship ring, I can totally see Harden making the same decision as did KD when he left OKC for GSW. It's just the nature of the NBA beast.
So Vernon Maxwell decided 23 years later to seek attention? as a 50 year old dude? You got some issues man. You get road rage if someone cuts you off in traffic?
"In the locker room before the game, I'd make myself cry. I just wanted that mike so bad" - Vernon Maxwell
I think you confuse walking away with "did everything he could to torpedo their chances.." Those are not the same thing. I mean... did you ever stop to think that he felt betrayed by the team? That his voice stopped being heard? Did it ever even come into your mind that his perspective for the latter half of that season and beginning of playoffs was that the coaching staff and management quit on him after all HE did for the team? First off, you have hothead and forgiveness issues, for sure. He owned up to what he did, apologized, and in no way seems to be back to get his @ss kissed, which is a horribly ignorant thing to say. Those who can empathize and see his side of it will get past it because if a man can humble himself... drop his pride... apologize and admit that he did the wrong thing where most others would never do anything like that... then he is worthy of that 2nd chance. No one is forced to give it to him, but I can't imagine holding onto that anger in a steal cage and throwing away the keys. Whats up with that? You CANNOT forgive him and he is a forever POS? lol. The truth is perhaps he and this board are better off if you keep this sour BS to yourself. You can say what you want I guess, but no one has to soak that crap in. People make mistakes, and the sooner you can allow forgiveness to those that honestly regret their decisions, the happier you'll probably be.. heh and the people around you will be happier too probably. Also, listen this is not some attack on you, but your posts are filled with this righteous anger, and the truth is I keep thinking "who the f is this guy to slam the gavel down on Max for all-time?" Sorry man, we love the guy. He made a horrible mistake, and perhaps it would be remembered in a harsher light had we lost to Utah, but life balance took hold and he was subtracted from the equation. I think if I was regulated to 5min a game and then asked to make the game-winning shot, I'd probably be pretty pissed too. My fuse isn't as short as Vernon's, but I'm not perfect or going to act like I am.
