"Mad Max" is no more. Just call him Vernon Maxwell now. "In Philly, I don't want to be Mad Max," Maxwell said after signing a free-agent contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. "That name got me in a lot of stuff on the court and off the court."
Stuff, in this case, means trouble, which never seemed to be far from Maxwell in the past year.First was his well-publicized punchout of a taunting fan in Portland. That led to a 10-game suspension and a $20,000 fine.
Later, he was given a leave of absence by the Houston Rockets before they went on to win their second NBA title.
Most recently, he was pulled over in late August by police in Houston for a traffic violation, and officers then allegedly found a bag of marijuana in his car. Later in the week, a woman filed a paternity suit against him.
"I've been through a lot of things. I'm sure everybody knows about that," Maxwell said. "But that's behind me now. I've got a fresh slate."
Maxwell is the second player with a troubled past that 76ers coach and general manager John Lucas has signed in the past week. Last Thursday, the 76ers added Richard Dumas, a promising forward whose brief NBA career has been marred by two drug suspensions.
Lucas said the 76ers, 25-57 last season, had to gamble on players with checkered histories if they were going to get better quickly, then quickly corrected himself.
"It's not a risk with Vernon Maxwell and Dumas. It's fun," he said. "Now I've got to do my job off the court with them, as well on the court."
The additions of Maxwell and Dumas give the 76ers more of the speed they will need to play the up-tempo offense and pressure defense Lucas wants.
The 76ers were expected to announce today the signing of former North Carolina star Jerry Stackhouse, the third overall pick in this year's draft.
Maxwell, given a leave of absence during last year's playoffs, was released June 30 by the Rockets, for whom he played for the past six seasons after spending his first two pro seasons with San Antonio.
Although terms of the contract were not disclosed, Maxwell said he had better offers from Charlotte and Indiana, but chose to play with the 76ers because of Lucas.
Maxwell, who has averaged 13.7 points in his pro career, has been a shooting guard, but will play point guard for the 76ers. Dana Barros, who filled that role last year, has signed with the Boston Celtics.