if Tmac keeps talking and Yao disappears from Rocket talk, then Tmac on ESPN would be the defacto reality of what happened in that era. Scary times we live in
Scary times, yes. And TMac and/or Yao and/or Vernon "Mad Max' ...Well are the least of it. Let's talk scary: Rox fall short of whatever passes for playoffs/Finals and TF decides y'know what, Knixies wanta star. JH13 for the #1 a future #1 and Portis or Randall. That's scary.
I'll always love Max... but sorry... you dont get to quit in such an immature fashion at such a crucial juncture - and still get your number retired... nope... he burnt that bridge... otoh... Yao was always a consummate professional and teammate...
Not only did he quit, which is an unwritten no - no, Vernon is the guy who in the same years as we were trying to make a run threw a punch at Sidney Green, bumped an official, flagrantly fouled Nate McMillan, threw a flagrant elbow at Christian Laettner ( which I can forgive), went into the stands and punched a fan, faked a hamstring injury, failed to leave the court in a timely manner in the playoffs - verbally berating officials, beat the shiot out of Gary Payton in the locker-room, resisted arrest twice, faced assault charges twice, was charged and found guilty of illegally carrying a gun, and was arrested for possession of pot. He also took money from agents in college. He was reckless. Just like Sampson, he was on a prison trajectory, and ultimately, that's where they both ended up. Yao is the easy decision.
There is a difference if you win a championship as the best player, second banana or a role player. There is a reason Horry was a great role player winning 7 ships with several teams but still not a star player, he fed off those star players. It doesn't always come down to championships but also player growth and natural talent. IMO it is nearly impossible to compare stars to role players. Stars should get extra credit for carrying teams while role players have the luxury to hone certain aspects of the game, specializing in one or two areas of the game or playing an allround game taking a backseat to better players.
Maxwell did lots more of 'community' interaction in the Houston area than Yao did that's for sure Richmond, Westheimer Max was there WITH US FANS
Agree! Yao has only been on Westheimer / Gessner for his Wok Bo style restaurant. Mad Max is a ****in legend!
Yao is a great person and has a great story but Maxwell's life was definitely more exciting and his turn around to redemption has been great Not many people are like Yao, but Maxwell represents the struggle it's more real to people that's why Tupac was far more interesting than PM Dawn @CometsWin Congrats that Max's son is at Georgia Tech. Max is now spending his time being a great mentor to his kids and the love of the game has passed down.
Yao Ming = Great Disney Movie, Bambi or Cinderella Mad Max = Above the Rim, He got Game, Juice, New Jack City, Malcolm X, The Hurricane
You're senile, and your mind is playing tricks on you. Mad Max was all attitude zero skillz. Hakeem Olajuwon 2853 MP, 27.8 Pts/10.8 Reb/3.5 Ast, 10.7 WS Kenny Smith 2030 MP, 10.4 Pts/1.9 Reb/4.0 Ast, 6.1 WS Clyde Drexler 1300 MP, 21.4 Pts/7.0 Reb/4.4 Ast, 5.2 WS Mario Elie 1896 MP, 8.8 Pts/2.4 Reb/2.3 Ast, 4.8 WS Sam Cassell 1882 MP, 9.5 Pts/2.6 Reb/4.9 Ast, 4.7 WS Robert Horry 2074 MP, 10.2 Pts/5.1 Reb/3.4 Ast, 4.2 WS Otis Thorpe 1188 MP, 13.3 Pts/8.9 Reb/1.6 Ast, 2.3 WS Chucky Brown 814 MP, 6.1 Pts/4.6 Reb/0.7 Ast, 2.1 WS Pete Chilcutt 1347 MP, 5.3 Pts/4.7 Reb/1.0 Ast, 2.1 WS Carl Herrera 1331 MP, 6.8 Pts/4.6 Reb/0.7 Ast, 2.1 WS Vernon Maxwell 2038 MP, 13.3 Pts/2.6 Reb/4.3 Ast, 1.9 WS Scott Brooks 186 MP, 3.4 Pts/0.5 Reb/0.8 Ast, 0.5 WS Žan Tabak 182 MP, 2.0 Pts/1.5 Reb/0.1 Ast, 0.2 WS Tim Breaux 340 MP, 3.0 Pts/0.8 Reb/0.4 Ast, 0.0 WS Tracy Murray 203 MP, 3.5 Pts/0.9 Reb/0.2 Ast, 0.0 WS Charles Jones 36 MP, 1.0 Pts/2.3 Reb/0.0 Ast, 0.0 WS Adrian Caldwell 30 MP, 0.7 Pts/1.4 Reb/0.0 Ast, 0.0 WS His temper tantrums in '95 was, at best, laughable. From the Chronicle: I wish we had given Blazers Horry + Maxwell and gotten back Clyde. Kenny + Glide + Kiss of Death + Thorpe + Dream with Sam I Am as sixth man would have had a good 2 - 4 years of championship threat in them (and would have avoided the disastrous Barkley trade a couple years later).
Nah You don’t know what I meant by those movie Comparisons Maxwell is more interesting than Yao easily @BossHogg713
I can appreciate that POV. If #11 is retired by the team it still comes back to how the organization will weigh each player's contributions. What does the organization value most? Does the org value Yao's international appeal and influence he had bringing the Chinese market into Houston or will they value the contributions as a role player VM brought to those championship teams.
If Vernon Maxwell's number should be retired because of his contribution to the '94 championship, then that whole team's and the '95 team's numbers should all be retired. Thorpe, Horry, Kenny Smith, Cassell, Elie...
Can’t believe there’s a single vote for Mad Max. He’s the only guy I can think of who would quit a team during the playoffs. Much less a team with a chance to repeat! He hit some of the craziest shots I’ve ever seen and played serious D, but I don’t think quitters deserve any honors. I don’t know whether he was given a ring after the 2nd title, but he didn’t definitely didn’t earn one.