“(Tilman Fertitta) and I haven’t been able to build a great relationship,” Maxwell told Raymond Lucas Jr. of The Dream Shake.
Best known in recent years for his online trolling of the Utah Jazz, former Houston Rockets guard Vernon Maxwell says he would like to get more involved with his old team (and on a more serious level).
In recent weeks, he even suggested becoming a team broadcaster in the aftermath of longtime play-by-play voice Bill Worrell choosing to step down from the role after the NBA’s 2020-21 season. Maxwell clearly remains a fan of the Rockets and loudly supports them on social media.
But there is one potential stumbling block when it comes to the former NBA champion becoming involved with the team in any official capacity. When Maxwell played with the Rockets in the early 1990s, including as the starting shooting guard on the franchise’s first championship team (1993-94), the team’s owner was Leslie Alexander.
In July 2017, Alexander sold the Rockets to Tilman Fertitta. Since then, Maxwell says he hasn’t had the same relationship.
“(Fertitta) and I haven’t been able to build a great relationship,” Maxwell told Raymond Lucas Jr. of The Dream Shake. “The previous owners loved me and kept me involved, however, that’s declined since he’s arrived.”
At just 55 years old, there’s still plenty of time for Maxwell to potentially land the type of role he craves with his beloved franchise. Step 1, it appears, is building a connection with the team’s new ownership.
[lawrence-related id=37393,32695]
Shoutout to @raymondlucasjr for the article. We talked about my all star event in Utah next year, my podcast, broadcasting aspirations, and getting more involved within the organization again. #MakeHTownClutchAgainhttps://t.co/NQWMbtnEg1
Idk who needs to hear this but I’d love to take Bill Worrell’s position. Not saying I could ever do what he does but I would definitely bring something different to the broadcast. #makehtownclutchagain
“I get tired of these owners and general managers, they just recycle all these coaches,” Maxwell said. “You’ve gotta try something new.”
For several days, former Rockets guard Vernon Maxwell has shown support on Twitter for Sam Cassell as Houston’s next head coach.
The 50-year-old Cassell, who is currently an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers, played with Maxwell in Houston during the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons. Known as the “Clutch City” era, those remain the only two NBA championship teams in the history of the franchise.
But besides his personal friendship, Maxwell sees legitimate basketball reasons for Cassell as the best fit for the Rockets. In a new interview with Michael Pina of GQ, he elaborated on what those reasons are:
I just feel like it’s his time. He’s been on the bench as an assistant coach for 15 years [Cassell started coaching in 2009]. I get tired of these owners and general managers, they just recycle all these goddamn coaches. You’ve gotta try something new. You’ve gotta give them a chance to see what they can do, and I don’t think that’s fair to guys like Sam. They need to give him a chance and a legit shot. Let him bring in his people that he wants, and I think he’ll do fine. He’s ready now. …
He’s been on the sideline behind great coaches. I know Doc [Rivers] hasn’t been finishing series the way he should, but Doc is a great coach. Sam is a jolly personality. He’ll keep the team upbeat. I think he’ll do real well with the Rockets, with the guys that they have on a team. They should probably bring in a big, though. That’s first and foremost. Gotta get him a big. But other than that I think he’ll do a great job, because he’s a people person and he’ll be just fine if given the opportunity.
Cassell and fellow Clippers assistant Ty Lue are reportedly among Houston’s top candidates, though the search will likely be much broader.
During the 2020 playoffs, Rivers made an emphatic case for why Cassell deserves to be hired for a lead job. Among his comments:
Sam Cassell should be a head coach, now. He’s got an incredibly high basketball IQ, and I hope he gets a shot. He’s paid every due that is possible and he’s yet to get a job, so I’m hoping that happens.
Doc Rivers to @sabreenajm on the head coaching openings and Sam Cassell – “Sam Cassell should be a head coach now. He’s got an incredibly high basketball IQ and I hope he gets a shot. He’s paid every due that is possible and he’s yet to get a job, so I’m hoping that happens.” pic.twitter.com/v1fkBmLruf
Sam Cassell is reported to be a head coaching consideration for the Rockets, and several of his former teammates seem to like the idea.
Several members of the 1994 and 1995 “Clutch City” championship teams appear to be endorsing former teammate Sam Cassell as a candidate to replace outgoing Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni.
Cassell has worked as an NBA assistant for the last 11 seasons, including time with renowned Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers since 2014. “Mutual interest” was reported between Cassell and Houston shortly after D’Antoni informed the team that he wouldn’t return.
In recent days, former teammate Vernon Maxwell — who played in the backcourt alongside Cassell during the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons — has used his (often hilarious) Twitter account to promote Cassell’s candidacy. He’s even created his own slogan of sorts, with “Make Houston Clutch Again” as a clear reference to the “Clutch City” era.
Houston let’s bring Sam Cassell home and let’s make Houston clutch again. #houston#clutchcity
Sam Cassell deserves at being a head coach and what better place to start his head coaching career than the city where he started his professional playing career? #houston#clutchcity
On Tuesday morning, Maxwell attempted to draw a humorous distinction between Cassell and fellow Clippers assistant Ty Lue — who is also believed to be a serious candidate for the Houston job opening.
Ok maybe a caption is needed. Notice who Doc is asking for advice and who is sitting at the end of the bench. https://t.co/pZazjwMHy9
Fellow 1990s teammate Matt Bullard, who now works as a television analyst for Houston’s game broadcasts, posted an archived photo Tuesday with the tagline “Clutch City.” The image from their playing days features Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Mario Elie… and Cassell.
Elie quickly retweeted it, perhaps offering an endorsement of his own. Elie has previously served as an assistant coach for several NBA coaches, which could potentially make him a staff consideration, as well.
Sources: There is mutual interest between the Rockets and Clippers assistant coach Sam Cassell. Cassell started his playing career with the two-time champion “Clutch City” Rockets.
Current Houston guard Austin Rivers, who played for Cassell in Los Angeles, has raved about Cassell’s offseason player development work. In particular, Rivers said Cassell helped him with his mid-range game, which Cassell was known for in his own playing days and could represent a philosophical contrast with the recent D’Antoni era.
During the 2020 playoffs, Doc Rivers made an emphatic case for why Cassell deserves to be hired for a lead job. Among his comments:
Sam Cassell should be a head coach, now. He’s got an incredibly high basketball IQ, and I hope he gets a shot. He’s paid every due that is possible and he’s yet to get a job, so I’m hoping that happens.
Doc Rivers to @sabreenajm on the head coaching openings and Sam Cassell – “Sam Cassell should be a head coach now. He’s got an incredibly high basketball IQ and I hope he gets a shot. He’s paid every due that is possible and he’s yet to get a job, so I’m hoping that happens.” pic.twitter.com/v1fkBmLruf
It isn’t yet clear if the backing of these big names will carry any weight, since GM Daryl Morey will be making the final decision. But it certainly can’t hurt, and if nothing else, it makes for a fun and entertaining trip down memory lane during the early days of Houston’s offseason.
“I think it’s a great city,” Maxwell wrote. “They have a great Walmart, and the VHS selection at Blockbuster always has a nice selection.”
Fiery Rockets legend Vernon Maxwell, who started for Houston’s first NBA championship team in 1994, has become best known during his retirement for having fun at the expense of rival fan bases.
For years, Maxwell has prodded fans of the Utah Jazz, who are longtime rivals of the Rockets dating back to Maxwell’s heyday in the 1990s. Historically, his Twitter barbs at Utah’s expense have poked fun at Salt Lake City’s status as one of the league’s smallest markets, as well as the fact that the franchise still remains without an NBA title.
This week, Maxwell reveled in the 2019-20 Jazz becoming just the 12th team in NBA history to lose a playoff series after having a 3-1 lead.
Maxwell doesn’t have personal history with fans in the Oklahoma City area, since the Thunder were still operating as the Seattle Sonics during Maxwell’s playing days. But with the Rockets winning Game 7 of their first-round series over the Thunder on Wednesday night, Maxwell naturally jumped in the fray with shots at another smaller market — all while throwing in even more jabs at Utah, for good measure.
I definitely feel bad for OKC bc they played hard. And you gotta feel for their fans bc what else is there to do in OKC but watch basketball? My advice is just cheer for Houston and pretend like Westbrook is still playing for OKC.
Good morning Clutch City! Feels good to still be in the playoffs don’t it? I pray that one day Thunder and Jazz fans will get to experience this feeling. 🤞#JustKidding#FreeDonovanMitchell
Maxwell may not ever be greeted with a fond welcome in Oklahoma City or Salt Lake City, but it seems he has no desire to go there, anyway.
As for his Rockets, they will resume play Friday with a second-round matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. Considering that the Lakers have significantly more titles (16) than Houston (2) and are a larger market, Maxwell will likely have to invent some new material if he wants to expand his Twitter trolling game to Los Angeles.
At this point, though, it would be foolish to count him out.
[lawrence-related id=37393]
I’m not sure why I’m getting so much heat from OKC fans. I think it’s a great city. They have a great Walmart and the VHS section of their Blockbuster always has a nice selection. People in Utah would die to have those things. #begrateful.
“My heart goes out to the Utah fans, Maxwell wrote, tongue in cheek. “I don’t know what it’s like to blow a 3-1 lead in a playoff series…”
The Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz are longtime Western Conference rivals, and former NBA champion Vernon Maxwell was happy to have some fun at their expense after Utah’s Game 7 loss on Tuesday night.
With Denver’s 80-78 victory, the 2019-20 Jazz became just the 12th team in NBA history to lose a playoff series after previously taking a 3-1 lead. The Nuggets, meanwhile, advance to the second round to face the Los Angeles Clippers (on the opposite side of the bracket from Houston).
Back in the day, Maxwell’s Rockets defeated Utah, 4-1, in the 1994 Western Conference Finals on their way to Houston’s first NBA title. In all, the Rockets and Jazz have played nine playoff series against each other.
Though “Mad Max” has long been retired, he’s repeatedly used his Twitter account in recent years to throw some playful jabs at Utah fans.
Tuesday night was no exception:
My heart goes out to the Utah Jazz fans. I don’t know what it’s like to blow a 3-1 lead in a playoff series but I imagine it is heartbreaking. 😂😂😂
The Rockets have never lost a 3-1 lead in a playoff series.
Of course, should Houston lose its Game 7 on Wednesday to Oklahoma City after previously having series leads of 2-0 and 3-2, Maxwell can probably still expect Jazz fans to clap back in his mentions.
With Maxwell undoubtedly cheering on his old team, Game 7 between the Rockets and Thunder is set to tip off at 8:00 p.m. Central — with a national broadcast on ESPN and a regional version (with Houston announcers) on AT&T SportsNet Southwest. The winner advances to the second round of the playoffs to face the Los Angeles Lakers.
[lawrence-related id=28733,8897]
I'd like 2 apologize Jazz fans that were offended by my tweets. If I knew u guys had internet in Utah I would've never made those tweets.
Vernon Maxwell does not like Utah. Honestly, couldn’t tell you why though I’m also not entirely sure he’s wrong in his hatred for the state.
All we know is that he hates Utah, perhaps because his Rockets en route to back-to-back titles in the 90s. And he’s been trolling the entire state for years.
First of all, blowing a 3-1 lead will always be hilarious. Those are just the rules of engagement here.
But when you consider the history between Maxwell and, well, the state of Utah? That’s when you realize this is actually a master class in trolling. This what Maxwell does.
While he was most certainly a flawed human being who found trouble in almost every stop, “Mad Max” was unquestionably a baller on the court.
[jwplayer QyyBFkar]
Vernon Maxwell (1984-88) – Point/Shooting Guard
Vernon Maxwell was a very controversial person in Florida lore. While he left Gainesville as the Gators’ all-time leading scorer, his role in uncovering the program’s cash payoff scheme for athletes which resulted in harsh NCAA sanctions tarnished his legacy at UF.
Maxwell was a hometown boy, born in Gainesville and attending Buchholz High School where he was named Mr. Basketball of the state of Florida his senior year and was also an all-state defensive back in football. With an athletic scholarship in hand, he joined head coach Norm Sloan’s team in 1984.
The star guard excelled in his four years at UF, averaging 20 points a game his junior and senior season — just missing the mark his sophomore year with a 19.6 average — and still holds 15 Gators team records. During his senior season he upped his secondary game, averaging career highs in rebounds (4.2) and assists (4.3) per game while barely missing his best mark with just under two steals per game.
However, due to the aforementioned scandal in which Maxwell testified to a grand jury that he received money from Sloan, an assistant and University of Florida boosters which he used to buy cocaine, all of the points he amassed his junior and senior seasons were erased from the records. His 2,450 career points would still be the best in Gators men’s basketball history had they not been revoked.
Rescinded statistics notwithstanding, Maxwell finished his collegiate career the No. 2 scorer in Southeastern Conference history behind LSU’s Pete Maravich. However, despite his achievements on the court, he fell down into the second round of the 1988 NBA Draft, where he was selected 47th overall by the Denver Nuggets but quickly traded on draft day to the San Antonio Spurs for a second-round pick the following year.
Maxwell only played a season-and-a-half in San Antonio before he was sold to the Houston Rockets, where his game flourished alongside Hakeem Olajuwon and company. After a slow start to his NBA career his first two years, the young guard found his footing and from 1990 to 1992 he reached career highs in points per game with 17.0 and 17.2, respectively. Known for his deadly shooting from outside of the arc, he owned the NBA record for most 3-pointers made in a season from 1991 until 1993; he was also renown for his clutch shooting, sinking numerous game-winning shots throughout his career.
The former Gator earned an NBA championship ring with the Rockets for the first of their repeat titles in 1993-94; he missed out on the second ring when he quit the team after its opening first-round game loss to Utah in the 1995 playoffs in frustration due to recently acquired Clyde Drexler taking his starting spot and playing time. He would produce his third-highest career offensive output the following season with the Philadelphia 76ers before his career began to decline.
Overall, Maxwell played 13 total seasons in the NBA with eight different teams, accumulating almost 11,000 points for a career average of 12.8 per game and averaging double-digit scoring in 11 seasons while sinking 1,256 three-point shots at a 32 percent clip. “Hawk” also averaged 3.4 assists per game for his career, reaching his high-water mark of 5.1 per game in 1993-1994.
While Maxwell was most certainly a flawed human being who found trouble in almost every stop of his adult life, “Mad Max” was unquestionably a baller on the court. When considering how much he achieved when his sneakers were laced up — both with the Gators and in the pros — it is easy to place him among the greatest basketball players in UF’s program history.
On June 22, 1994, Hakeem Olajuwon and Vernon Maxwell delivered on both ends of the court as Houston won its first major sports championship.
Led by 46 combined points from Hakeem Olajuwon and Vernon Maxwell, the Rockets claimed the first major sports title in Houston history with a 90-84 victory (box score) in Game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals.
That game, which took place at The Summit in Houston, came 26 years ago today on June 22, 1994. Celebrations followed up and down Richmond Avenue, and a parade went through downtown days later.
Olajuwon, who was MVP of the 1993-94 regular season and the NBA Finals, scored a game-high 25 points in Game 7 to go with 10 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks. Meanwhile, Maxwell added 21 points, including a dagger 3-pointer with just under two minutes left to play.
“Finally,” Olajuwon said postgame after the win over visiting New York. “If you were to write a book, you can’t write it any better. It’s been a great season for the team.” Houston had home-court advantage in Game 7 courtesy of a 58-24 regular season, which was the best record in team history. (Even today, only the 2017-18 Rockets have won more games.)
Point guards Kenny Smith and rookie Sam Cassell each played well under pressure, scoring a combined 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting (61.5%).
The New York Knicks were led in defeat by point guard Derek Harper, who scored 23 points. Patrick Ewing had 17 points and 10 rebounds, but Olajuwon’s defense helped limit him to a 41.2% shooting clip.
Maxwell’s defense was also quite impactful against Knicks guard John Starks, who scored just 8 points on 2-of-18 shooting (11.1%) from the field in the Game 7 loss. Starks was New York’s second-leading scorer in the 1993-94 season at 19.0 points per game.
Maxwell also, of course, hit the clinching shot on offense. “It’s the biggest shot so far in my career,” Maxwell said postgame. “Dream [Olajuwon] made a great pass, and I just shot the ball with a lot of confidence.”
Known best as “Clutch City,” that era’s Rockets went on to win the 1995 NBA championship, as well. Those back-to-back triumphs remain the only two professional basketball titles in Houston history.
“We had a group of guys who weren’t scared,” Elie said of the 1990s Rockets. “A lot of these players were scared of Michael Jordan.”
Of the nine NBA championships awarded from 1991 through 1999, six were won by legendary guard Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
The other three champions of that era — the 1994 and 1995 Houston Rockets, and the 1999 San Antonio Spurs — shared a common thread in the form of defensive minded swingman Mario Elie.
Known as the “Junkyard Dog,” Elie’s combination of perimeter defense, toughness, and clutch shotmaking made him an essential role player for those title teams. While he admires the Bulls for their accomplishments, which have been featured in recent weeks thanks to “The Last Dance” documentary release, he understandably is partial to his own teams.
In an interview with Rockets broadcaster Craig Ackerman, Elie was asked about those Houston teams not being brought up in the film.
“I don’t really care if they didn’t mention us,” said Elie, whose teams never faced Jordan’s Bulls in the playoffs. “We still got those championships, first of all. “Second of all, we’d have matched up great against them.”
“We had Vernon [Maxwell] and myself,” he said. You’re not going to stop Michael Jordan, we all know that know that, but we’re two guys who can make him work. And Jordan really didn’t face a big man at the caliber of Hakeem Olajuwon. If Michael Jordan would have beat me and Vernon, he would’ve had to meet No. 34 at the rim.”
[lawrence-related id=28733]
Elie said the Rockets’ title teams were mentally tough, which he believes was in contrast to many other contenders in that era. He explained:
We had a group of guys who weren’t scared. A lot of these players were scared of Michael Jordan. It was like that Mike Tyson effect. When Mike Tyson was first on the scene and you walked in the ring, he’d have those guys beat by the staredown.
I thought we had guys that weren’t scared. We weren’t scared of nothing. Especially the two years we won, being down [in series]. We had adversity we had to deal with. We just had some tough, gritty guys.
In terms of the Xs and Os of a hypothetical matchup, Elie said he would have been fascinated by the potential of a young Robert Horry going against Scottie Pippen, as well as Otis Thorpe at power forward versus Dennis Rodman. Coaching strategies may also have played a key role.
“Robert would tell me that Phil Jackson didn’t like to double team,” Elie said. Years later, Jackson coached Horry with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I played with Hakeem Olajuwon for five years,” Elie explained. “This man sees double and triple teams on a nightly basis and still gets 30 and 40 points. So imagine if Phil Jackson doesn’t double. He would kill them and get them all in foul trouble, etc.”
There’s certainly reason to question whether Chicago’s nondescript centers like Bill Cartwright and Luc Longley could have held up against Olajuwon’s Rockets, who were 5-1 against Jordan’s Bulls in six regular-season games from 1990-91 through 1992-93.
By comparison, many teams Chicago defeated in the NBA Finals in their title runs — such as Charles Barkley’s Phoenix Suns, Karl Malone’s Utah Jazz, and Shawn Kemp’s Seattle Sonics — lacked the offensive production at center to challenge the Bulls at their weakest position.
[lawrence-related id=28239]
But in the end, Elie believes it’s the role players that would have given the “Clutch City” Rockets an advantage versus Chicago. He said:
I would take us in seven [games]. It would have been a great series. Jordan would have got his for sure, and Olajuwon would get his. … Both guys were on top of their games at the time.
I think it’d have been up to the role players, and I sort of like our role players a little better than theirs, you know. It’d have been interesting, but I would like our chances, especially with that ’94 team. We had size, we had athleticism, and we had toughness.
The 1994 team featured Otis Thorpe starting at power forward. Before the 1995 title run, Houston traded Thorpe in a deal for star shooting guard Clyde Drexler, which led to Horry sliding to power forward.
[lawrence-related id=30350]
Jordan didn’t play in the 1993-94 season after an abrupt mid-career retirement in October 1993, which lasted until March 1995. Stylistically, the 1993-94 Rockets with Thorpe had the most in common with the group that went 5-1 versus Chicago in the previous three seasons. Olajuwon was also regular-season MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in 1993-94.
Jordan returned the next season and played well in the 1995 playoffs, but his Bulls lost in the second round to the Orlando. The Magic were later swept by Elie’s Rockets in the 1995 NBA Finals.
[lawrence-related id=28510]
The Bulls regrouped in the subsequent 1995 offseason and signed Rodman as their next power forward, filling Grant’s old role. From there, Chicago took the next three championships from 1996 through 1998, which was when the Olajuwon-era Rockets were aging out of contention.
In the end, Olajuwon’s Rockets and Jordan’s Bulls peaked at different times in the 1990s, and NBA fans never saw the playoff matchup they craved between the two MVPs and Hall of Famers. But even decades later, it’s a debate that still lives on in NBA lore. Understandably, Elie is partial to “The Dream” and his teammates from that golden era in Houston.
