No, he could have been hands down without question THE best 6th man in the league. There was nobody coming off the bench in that era that could have touched him. I give Max all the credit in the world for his heroics in '94. He and Dream are the reason we won that championship. I give him all the credit he deserves for the way he quit on his team in '95. He could have been a professional, he had the opportunity to act like a professional and instead he quit on his team and acted like a whiny *****. Max will have my respect again when he returns the ring he got for the '95 championship, the one he did not earn.
man where have you been? being the steve francis of clutchfans? (haven't shown up in along time) Its not going to happen, Max and the Rockets made amends. He showed regret. doesn't that matter to you? Paper: HOUSTON CHRONICLE Date: THU 02/29/1996 Section: Sports Page: 1 Edition: 3 STAR TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOW/Maxwell: Madness is behind me By CARLTON THOMPSON Staff . DALLAS - The artist formerly known as Prince has dropped the goofy symbol and returned to His Royal Badness. The basketball player formerly known as Mad Max doesn't intend to follow suit. From the day he set foot in Philadelphia, Vernon Maxwell has been telling anyone who would listen that he doesn't want to be Mad Max anymore. ""I'm just Vernon," he keeps saying. There will be 16,285 interested observers at The Summit tonight who would like to make that determination for themselves as the self-proclaimed ""changed man" makes his first trip to Houston as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. When Maxwell glances at the rafters, he'll see the 1994 championship banner he helped hang and the 1995 banner the team won after he took a leave of absence during the playoffs. Both are sure to remind Maxwell that he has gone from the defending world champions to the worst team in the NBA. But Maxwell insists he won't dwell on that reality. ""I don't think too much about Houston," he said. ""I watch them play all the time. Those guys are still my friends. But I don't think about playing in Houston or that they're winning and I'm losing. I don't think about that at all." And then, he added: ""With Clyde (Drexler out with a knee injury), they could use me now. But they'll be OK." It was the Drexler trade last February that ultimately paved Maxwell's road out of town. Drexler cut into Maxwell's playing time, and the Rockets found out just how Mad Maxwell could get. He admittedly faked an injury and left the team during a playoff series in Utah. Maxwell knows many Houston fans never will forgive him for that and other off-the-court episodes, but he also expects there to be a group of fans who appreciate the buzzer-beaters and his championship contributions. ""I feel the crowd reaction will be mixed (tonight)," Maxwell said with a chuckle. ""But it will probably be a little more of one than the other. I can't dwell on that. It really doesn't matter. I really couldn't tell you how the fans are going to react." But if Maxwell doesn't care for the reaction, don't expect him to charge into the stands, as he did last year in Portland. That Vernon Maxwell, he says, is gone. ""I made some mistakes in the past, but I'm a lot better person since I came to Philadelphia," Maxwell said. ""I'm a lot smarter and wiser. I've matured every year, but especially this season. You don't see me getting into a lot of altercations or arguing with the refs. I'm not about that anymore. The people who come to the game (tonight) will see that. I've settled down." Those in attendance tonight also will see a man on mission. Remember the Alamodome? When Maxwell played for the Rockets, he always seemed to save his best performances for the San Antonio Spurs, another former team. Two years ago, he beat the Spurs with a shot at the buzzer and then taunted the crowd with a little ""Shakedown" dance. Maxwell, who missed Philadelphia's previous game this season against the Rockets, would love to dance a similar jig tonight at The Summit. ""I'm going to love playing against the Rockets," he said. ""My dream scenario would be to throw one in at the buzzer so I could shake it up a little bit." Sixers coach John Lucas knows a motivated Maxwell can be a valuable weapon to have in the arsenal, but he doesn't want Maxwell to make too much of one game. ""He's got to get throw through it with his emotions in check," Lucas said. ""I told Vernon this really isn't the team he was with. This is Sam Mack, Eldridge Recasner " Sam Cassell, Mario Elie and Kenny Smith are very close to Maxwell, but the former Rockets guard said people would be surprised to learn that Hakeem Olajuwon was his best friend on the team. ""Dream was someone I looked up to," Maxwell said. ""I really respected him a lot for the way he changed his life with his religious beliefs. I'm sure it's hard for people to believe, but we were really good friends. I felt like he genuinely cared about me as a person, not just a basketball player. ""He knew that I was one of the guys who was going to play hard every night. But Mario, Sam and Kenny are my boys, too. Kenny and I are so close that my kids call him Uncle Kenny. So it's going to be great to spend some time with all of those guys." Tonight will be one of the few highlights for Maxwell in a season that has included 43 losses in 54 games. And as the team's leader, Maxwell is looked upon to hold everything together and to keep the losses in perspective. Who would have thought that possible when he was in Houston? ""I understand the position I'm in," Maxwell said. ""I'm playing with a lot of guys who have never established themselves in the league. I have a lot of responsibility here, but I like that. Sometimes, I have to catch myself on the court because if I lose it, these young guys think they can lose it, too. It's a demanding role, and it's new for me. I'm trying to carry myself in a professional manner and let my basketball do the talking. ""Other than the losing, it's been OK. I love the city, I love my coach, and I love my teammates. But the losing has been tough. It's a lot tougher at the end of the game when you don't have Dream (Olajuwon) to throw it in to. I'm having to create a lot more shots at the end of games." Tonight is about more than sticking it to the organization that gave up on Maxwell after he gave up on it. Tonight is about closing the book on the best and worst years of his career so far. There will be other trips to Houston donning the enemy colors, but none more tantalizing than the first time. While Maxwell said he enjoyed his time in Houston, he maintains he was misunderstood outside the locker room. ""I felt like a lot of the people who didn't even know me were unfair," he said. ""But there were a lot of people in Houston who really liked me, too. I like Philly. It's a blue-collar town, and the people are very friendly - very genuine. They don't judge you for situations you've been through in the past. After all, it's the City of Brotherly Love. People who sit down and get to know me realize I'm not this bad person everyone thinks I am. I'm not a lunatic. I'm not going to go out and murder someone. I'm just Vernon." And love him or hate him, he's back.
New job is keeping me busy and I am in the last semester for my degree, so time is at a premium now. I still read just about everything here, just don't post much. It'll matter to me when he makes amends to the FANS. Here is the portion of the article you posted that still matters to me... He quit, pure and simple. He went off and sulked like a punk instead of manning up and acting like a professional.
From Vernon's quote in the article, above....this is just too precious: "I like Philly. It's a blue-collar town, and the people are very friendly - very genuine. They don't judge you for situations you've been through in the past."
I'm sure he'll buy you a beer and sign your Rockets championship t-shirt.. but I believe he needs to get out of jail first!
A press release with an apology to the fans he let down in '95 would be enough, but he never even gave us that...
well Max never wrote a book and dissed the whole city of San Antonio like Dennis Rodman! We know you loved H-town Max!
And I wouldn't let Rodman sign my shirt, either. Rodman never faked an injury to quit on his team during the playoffs. No matter what you thought of Rodman personally (CRAAAAAAAZY, IMO), he was always a solid professional on the basketball court.
Paper: Houston Chronicle Date: SUN 11/07/1999 Section: Sports Page: 8 Edition: 4 STAR "Stop (complaining)! You better not be guarding me when you come out here 'cause I'm gonna bust your (butt). You ain't in Houston and you're still crying like a (girl)!" - Former Rocket Vernon Maxwell, currently with Seattle, to former Rocket and current Trail Blazer Scottie Pippen. Seems Pippen, who was on the bench, was complaining about Maxwell's physical play on Portland's Steve Smith, and Mad Max overheard the griping.
So he dissed Quitten like every Houston sports fan I have ever heard of. Where does that quote contain anything like an apology to the fans for quitting on his team?
I don't care about Max's apology. I just thought the quote was awesome! I believe he made amends with the fans already. besides, we know it was about the Rockets organization not giving him a contract extension like he wanted. Max is forgiven in my book. Like Tupac said " I ain't mad at cha" Dre and Easy E forgave Ice Cube for leaving NWA and dropping AmeriKKKas Most Wanted. Even though half those songs dissed Dre/Easy.
My feelings about Maxwell are very mixed so I won't try to argue with Tinman. I'm not sure what the argument is. We are what are choices make us. I liked Mad Max as a player. But, he built his legacy and as the cliche says "it is what it is." I taught for four years in a lock-up facility and Maxwell's history reminds me of my time there. What I learned was that no one is a 24/7 evil person. I had students who worked hard got good grades were easy to get along with and who I was proud of in the academic arena. Outside of that arena, however, they were convicted, gang-bangers, rapists, and sexual predators. It could put you in some weird emotional states. Here you are proud of a 17 year old student because he managed six months time through hard work to go from a 3rd grade education to passing a GED, but in the back of your mind you know that this same hard working kid beat the snot out of his mother and tried to sexually assault his cousin. The negative doesn't tarnish the positive and the positive doesnt erase the stigma of the negative. But it makes are real mess of your feelings towards the kid. Maxwell was one of my favorite Rockets of all time and I loved watching him. he was exciting and unpredictable. Like someone said he was an A** but he was our A**. Still, even as I think about the great memories he brought, his off-court behavior doesn't go away. I find myself, as I did with the student at my school, proud of a guy in one arena while diploring his actions in another. The crazy and hypocritical thing is that if there was some sort of time warp that would allow the Maxwell of the Rocket's first championship to play on for today's Rockets. I'd want him on the team. Want something even more out of whack? I prefered him to Barkley.
A true professional plays out his contract and then moves on. There have been hundreds of players who didn't get the contract they wanted. The majority of them man up and work to earn their $$. Maxwell ran off like a whiny little ***** and quit on his team. Karma reared its head and gave him a well deserved ignominious end to what could have been an incredible career. He deserves everything he has today.
Some people dwell on the bad and some people remember the good. I choose good while you choose bad <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IVr_PKWH7hY&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IVr_PKWH7hY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> its ying and yang. I'm good Ryu, you are Evil Ryu.
C'mon tinman, it was Death Certificate and no vasoline that were dissing the old crew, plus he was telling the truth about Keller screwing the guys over money. You remember " Ice Cube write the rhymes that i say." were eazy's word and dre did all the producing. So when money time came, they didnt want to pay the piper and cube left and hooked up with the PE for AmeriKKKas Most. Didnt mean to go on the hip-hop correction, but we have to always stay accurate. . Anyway, vernon found out whats it like not to have dream protecing the rim. Once in Philly, Jordan mrdered Vernon everytime they played.
I remember his last action as a member of the Houston Rockets as much as I remember his heroics in '94. He earned every accolade he got in '94 and he earned my derision in '95.
I have Death Certificate, didn't Amerikkka's most wanted come out first? You mean Jordan destroyed Stackhouse, the main guy who was defending Jordan cause you remember Lucas made Max a point guard (what was he thinking?). Besides, Maxwell admitted the early 90s Jordan was easier to guard, the later 90s was difficult because he had that post up game.
