Of course Maico isn't going to save the sport. I don't think anyone's seriously saying that they will. But, they can make an impact. Anyone who makes a big splash with a very successful two-stroke will turn heads and help to boost the wave of riders to go the two-stroke way. But, as you said, a rule change is the end goal. In order to get that rule change, though, two-strokes have to get popular enough for the AMA do change or die. Clearly, Maico aren't in a position to make waves like, say, KTM is. That doesn't mean they can't make waves, though.
Still, all this is irrelevant in the context. I don't like Maico because I think they're going to save two-strokes. I like Maico because, and there's not really any other way of saying it, they are the Porsche of motorcycles. They're a German machine, renowned for precise handling and perfect (if not the "most") power, and they like sticking to the formula that's worked for them in the past. For Porsche, it's the 911 series. For Maico, it's the big-bore two-stroke.