The Houston Rockets insist they'll handle the suspension of Vernon Maxwell just as they would the loss of an injured player.
Maxwell, meanwhile, is handling it through his attorney and saying he was provoked into punching a fan by the man's racist and defamatory comments.Maxwell was suspended for at least 10 games and fined $20,000 by the NBA on Wednesday for going into the stands and punching a heckler during a game at Portland two nights earlier.
The fine matched the highest in league history and the suspension was the second longest.
"This is just my reaction. But from what Vernon said about the incident, if I'd have been there, I'd have probably cold-cocked him, too," attorney Dick DeGuerin told the Houston Chronicle on Wednesday. "You can't think of anything more vulgar, more fighting-words, than what this guy said to Vernon."
The man who was punched, Steve George, denied saying anything inflammatory.
George's attorney, Richard Maizels, said his client would sign a complaint with the district attorney. Maizels said a civil lawsuit also is possible, but believes there is a good chance of a settlement.
In the meantime, DeGuerin put out Maxwell's side of the story.
The heckling by George would have made "Mother Teresa . . . hit him with her cane," said DeGuerin, who in the past has represented Waco cult leader David Koresh and Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.
DeGuerin has advised Maxwell not to comment, although the attorney will have his client release a statement at the appropriate time.
Maizels said DeGuerin's claims of epithets are false.
"It's contrary to what my client says, what my client's brother says, the people we've talked to in that general section and the people sitting right behind the Houston bench," Maizels said.
"Nobody even mentioned it up until the time his lawyer mentioned it today. That's a shame. It's something that shouldn't be injected into this because it isn't there. Everyone knows it."
The suspension, without pay, began with Wednesday night's game at Sacramento. Mario Elie started in Maxwell's place, scoring nine of his 13 points in the final quarter of a 97-86 Houston win.
"This was definitely a big win, especially with the circumstances surrounding it," Smith said. "I'm glad the guys were able to stay focused. Before the game I was just trying to emphasize to everyone just to stay confident and play hard."
Maxwell, in his seventh year in the league, is averaging 14.1 points a game this season, second highest on the Rockets. He had started all 44 of the Rockets' previous games this season.
Maxwell left the team Wednesday afternoon, and Rockets officials said they did not know where he was. Coach Rudy Tomjanovich said Maxwell was not expected to rejoin the Rockets until at least Monday, their first practice after the All-Star break.
Thorn announced the decision after league officials viewed videotape from a freelance television cameraman. People who have seen the video say it clearly shows Maxwell connecting a right-handed punch to the jaw of 35-year-old Steve George.
Maxwell went a dozen rows into the stands to get at George during the third quarter of Houston's 120-82 loss to Portland.
Rod Thorn, the NBA's vice president for operations, said the case is unprecedented in his 10 years in the league.
"We've never had anybody go into the stands, unless it was a fight among players that spilled over into the seats," he said.
The only longer suspension in league history was of Kermit Washington. He was suspended for 26 games during the 1977-78 season for punching Tomjanovich, then playing for the Rockets.
Three other players have been fined $20,000 - Bill Laimbeer (1990), Charles Barkley (1990) and Greg Anthony (1993).
Barkley also was fined $10,000 and suspended for a game in 1991 for spitting at fans. The target was a heckler but he hit an 8-year-old girl instead.
The Rockets are aware that Maxwell's suspension, and his growing reputation as a hothead, could lead to a continuing focus on the volatile guard.
"He'll be able to do it," teammate Kenny Smith said of the pressure Maxwell probably will face from opposing fans after he returns. "He has a strong will, and he'll have us supporting him."
Maxwell must meet with league personnel during his suspension. A decision will then be made regarding his return to active status after 10 games have passed.