Put it in another way. Stealing candy, speeding and jaywalking IS NOT swinging a free weight at a teammate, brandishing an iron and punching a fan (if all that is true all I remember is him punching fan). Vernon Maxwell demonized himself. He has only himself to blame not someone posting his known tribulations online. Public figures have responsibilities more than you or I. They are in the spotlight and are role models even if he is sitting with his family RIGHT NOW eating dinner. He could be the greatest person on earth, but being in the public eye, he should know that his mistakes come with larger consequences and will be remembered moreso. Thats just the way things go. Just like what Shaq did, he wasn't being racist but he should have knew better than to mock an entire race's language. The storms over but if he makes another remark to the same attire, thats not on us, thats on him STuart
You're missing my point. I started at "stealing candy" and got progressively worse...but I guess I didn't go far enough for my example... Ok... Steal Candy (punched the cashier on the way out) Jaywalk (got hit by the a car, and then complained about it). Speeding (50 in a 30) Bar Fight (with bottle on someone's head!) Family Disturbance with Wife (Someone got pushed; there's talk about abuse: Unconfirmed) Cited for Smoking pot. Cited for Speeding at 100mph on highway. All this over a 20 year period. Someone writes an article. And then roll it up into a nice tight summary, conclusion: "Bad Person." Get it? Such a nice box. Easy to fit someone into a box, isn't it? Yes, perception is reality. But you are buying into it. See, the media loves people like you. I bet you jumped on the "Iverson is a punk-gangster" bandwagon! You held him to a "higher standard" because he was an NBA player didn't you? Public figures like NBA players don't own you jack! It's the media that blows everything out of proportion. Again, yes. Perception is reallity. But you don't have to buy into it. I mean, do you actually "hate" Vernon?
Vernon did good as a youngster but then the pimpin' game got to his head...then he started to f*ck up, ya gotta admit it! Lets go out on number 11 on a good note., mmmkay?
Detlef Schrempf had No. 11, so Yao Ming is continuing a tradition of great foreign-born players with No. 11 here .
And Yao Ming will end that tradition after his career, for his jersey will be retired by every NBA team because he will be the greatest player to ever play the game! OK maybe now im dreaming, but it could still happen!
Yeah, because the "hoes" always "deserve it," right? I don't know which is more ludicrous, your statement above or your suggestion that Maxwell's number be retired. Let's retire Lou Lloyd's jersey while we're at it -- he had a big game or two and was also a moron.
or even matt maloney, he hit a crucial shot once didnt he??? God people are just ludicris. Retire MAD MAX??! hahaha Yao Mings jersey will be retired one day...count on it
DavidS, would u please hook me up with a dubb of that tape? id do anything man please email me at travo@houston.rr.com
True Die Hard Rockets fans appreciate Vernon. I do agree Otis Thorpe does deserve some love, he worked hard and did all the dirty work for the Rockets. To you Vernon haters, I'm glad he threw a weight at Gary Payton! Vernon is what Cutino should try to be. Vernon was a great defensive player and he always played with heart and emotion, which sometimes I think this team doesn't have. Vernon talked smack to every player in the league, he didn't back down to Jordan or anyone. The best Rockets moment of all time was when Vernon dropped the game sealing 3pointer against the Knicks, then he was mobbed by Kenny Smith and Mario Elie. Who's hit more game winning shots for the Rockets than Vernon? He deserves better treatment and recognition from the Rockets organization and fans.
By all accounts that I've heard/read, Vernon Maxwell is actually a really nice guy, who is prone to completely flipping out. "Mad Max" seems to genuinely have psychological problems. It's not like he was/is a full-time idiot, he just lost it. Unfortunately all too often. I really hope that the guy eventually finds some happiness and inner peace. He was a big part of that first championship.
Let's remember Vernon Maxwell for all the positives he gave the Rockets. Let's not dwell on the negatives while recognizing that those negatives prevent his jersey from hanging anywhere except in the Hall of Tears for the could have, should have players.
DavidS, you have such a skewed view of all this. I am not demonizing ****. I am stating facts. You are using these analogies that prove NOTHING. Let's say Slobodan Milosevic is eating dinner with his family right now. He is such the family man in real life! That whole thing about committing genocide, oh it doesn’t make him a bad guy! I mean look at him; he eats dinner with his family! Vernon Maxwell was a chump and always will be a chump. We don’t need to honor and idolize people like him. Im not demonizing, I dont care if he took in homeless puppies between the time when he hit a fan in the stands and when he waved a gun at a guy for honking at him, hes still a bad guy.
Waaaay harsh. Whereas I do not condone Vernon Maxwell's behavior, I can understand it -- being spit upon or having someone make fun of your sick child might get anybody a little intense. As for abandoning the team, Vernon may have felt the team had abandoned him (the Drexler trade) when he had given the team his all. No, leave Madmax and his legend in peace. He was the best bargain the Rockets ever made (they paid $50,000 cash and zero other players to the Spurs for him).
It wasnt his ill child, it was his still born child. Im sorry but I will back of Mad Max on this one. Anyone that uses another persons loss as a means of taunting deserves whatever they get. Having Children myself i would go up in the stands if anyone said anything derogatory about them. Thats off limits and that guy was classless. I think Vernons child had just died too. So it was pretty recent.
Thanks for correcting my inaccuracy. Time sometimes bludgeons memory. However, I am gratified to see someone else shares my sentiment.
I wonder what Yao would think if the rockets told him he couldn't have 11 b/c it belonged to a player who quit on us.
Yao Ming probably wouldn't think anything of it. He strikes me as the type of person who focuses on the positives and downplays the negatives.
Talking about Madmax bring back so much memories.... Yao can carry on the tradition of Vernon in making new memories for us....Too bad Rocket's front office are a bunch of asses, they'll never retire Vernon's number
Uh oh. Now I have to defend the opposite court. There is no way Vernon's number should be retired -- it is not an unwarranted decision by the front office. Mucha as I loved his play, Mad Max had too many negatives in his tote bag for this to ever happen.
I think the number 11 is perfect for Yao Ming. When Ming raises his arms straight up in the air he looks like a giant 11.
