Rocket career potentials: Ralph Sampson vs Yao Ming

Very fair comparison IMO. If Sampson had Yao's drive he would have been incredible.

Sampson still put up some very good numbers. I really enjoyed watching Ralph while he was here. The shot against the Lakers is something I'll never forget.

 

Sampson and it's not even close. He averaged 20 and 10 from the first second he walked on the floor whereas it took Yao four years to reach that type of level. I have no doubt the Rocks would have been title contenders for 10 years if not for the drug problems and Sampson's injury. The Rocks were never close to that under Yao's tenure. Plus the league Sampson played in was much more physical and had a lot more talent in the paint. There weren't such things as flagrant fouls. I think that nasty/physical play would throw Yao's offense off. I don't think Yao would be willing to throw down with Laimbeer, Mahorn, Malone, etc. if they kept cheap shotting him.

 

Was Sampson taken out of the game by fronting?

Teh answer is Sampson. I love Yao, but it frustrated the hell out of me that he could be taken out of the game by fronting (you could argue that was due to his poor supporting cast).

 

Yao Ming is my boy, but I'm going with Ralph. Sampson had a sick all-around game... he could run, dribble, shoot, pass, and defend. He wasn't quick for a giant, he was just plain quick. His career-derailing injuries are the greatest tragedy in Rockets history. His miracle buzzer-beater against L.A. to put the Rockets into the NBA Finals for the second time ever tops any single moment from Yao's Rockets career easily.

Sure, there's the old knock, "Why didn't he dominate the league?" Well, lots of folks were asking the same thing of Yao in his third year.

 

One of my all time favorite NBA pics

 

Career Potential? It's honestly not even a contest. I can't think of any player at all that had more natural talent than Sampson. How many 7'4" guys have we ever seen that could run the floor at all, Much less handle the ball while doing so? None that come to mind.

 

Ralph was way more talented than Yao. Yao has better mentality, more coachable, probably works harder.

I'd still pick Sampson.

BTW, I like how tinman not so subtly sneaked in a backhand diss on McGrady.

 

What did it do to you when 6'7" Bill Hanzlik took Ralph out of the game? :grin:

These threads about Ralph always crack me up with people building Ralph up to be some mythical figure. Give me Yao injury-free any day over what Ralph was. Yao had desire and wanted to improve and did improve. No amount of experience gives you the desire he had. Ralph could handle the ball and loved to showcase this, so everyone now says "what great skills!", except back then coaches were trying to stop him from doing it due to turnovers and him holding up the offense. For all his skills, he never dominated the post even when healthy - something Yao did do briefly. So how did all these dribbling, shooting, etc. skills Ralph had translate onto the floor? He was a good-to-very good but very inconsistent PF and that's about it. You didn't know which Ralph you'd get from night to night. Any other opinion of "how good he could have been" is all pointless because you'll never know. I've posted SI articles from back then on here to show how people viewed Ralph as being inconsistent and moody. Somehow few people remember any of that. They just remember his Virginia career and the "next Wilt" label.

Yao's 2006-2007 season was when he became dominant in the post. He still hadn't peaked, but was damn-near unstoppable in the post once he got the ball. He had grown from a timid wuss his rookie year to a beast in the post. Then, of course, the injuries started. Van Gundy had turned him into the most beastly presence in the post since Shaq's best years - something I never thought could be done.

Sadly, I think people will forget Yao as the real "what could've been" story and still look back to Ralph. Hakeem and Yao both transformed themselves into forces in the paint through effort and desire. Unfortunately for Yao, his peak level didn't last long due to injuries.

Yao was a better post player, a better FT shooter, and a more dominant player at his peak than Ralph. Ralph had better overall skills, but he never translated that into anything that elevated him to elite status on the basketball court.

 

I do remember the knocks on Ralph but truth be told he was a better center than he was a power forward. He would have been a better player being flanked at the center position by a star back court player rather than having to move to the four spot to make room for Olajuwon. Ralph only had two full healthy seasons before the injury and they were both considerably better than Yao's first three or four seasons. It's illogical to point out Yao's growth but pretend that Ralph's game would not have improved considerably had he not been injured.

 

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the main difference is Ralph didn't know what he wanted to be when he grew up, so didn't focus a work ethic on a usable skillset. Yao did and did.

 

I'm going to go with Yao Ming on this one by hair

Personally, I think he was little more driven to be the best or one of the best, more so than Ralph Sampson. He was a better and more dominant post player, which is often the key to winning titles. Furthermore, Yao actually had a very good career for pro basketball player, multiple all-star appearances (forget about the Chinese voting or weakness of the center position, he earned most of those spots), being near 20 and 10 career player. He has been shown when he is healthy he could easily carry a team, like all-star is supposed to do. He also brought great offense and good defense to the table. Pretty much any year after 06, if the Rockets went deep into playoffs or won a title, Yao probably would've been MVP or T-Mac in 07. Remember, this was an odd period in basketball where no true dominant teams lurking around.

There are currently players in the HOF or even HOF bound whose numbers pale comparison to Yao's only, thing missing from Ming's resume are NBA titles. If he somehow came back and landed on a good team, and won 1 or 2 titles. His career based on stats a lone would be very HOF worthy. Also, we are talking as if Yao doesn't have any injuries, which would create a player who is very easily good for 21 - 23 ppg and 10 rebs.

Ralph Sampson had an amazing skill set, very quick and agile. But, he was never dominant in any sense though. Phenomenal athlete, but I thought the Rockets went mostly because of Olajuwon, Sampson was a very good complimentary player who could score and play like a wing. Much greater scorer outside the paint down the floor than Yao, but he did not have that type of intimidation or focus on defense. Olajuwon and Sampson being healthy together would be a formidable team, I think few titles would be there. Though, the rest of the Rockets roster would have to improve. The Lakers would still be very much in the picture, they often improved their rosters year to year, while the Eastern Conference opponents and Future Western Conference powerhouses could've provided some tough challenges.

 

When he was coming into the league, Ralph was considered a better prospect than Dream, Jordan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Stockton, and Drexler. There isn't much more to say than that. If it weren't for the injuries, he would have been considered one of the top 50 players of all time.

 

We were an elite team for a pretty good stretch of time, and the year Yao went down, we had a fighting chance until his (and Deke's) injury.

And don't forget the reffing nightmare that was the 2005 playoffs.

 

Ralph Sampson III played with the Gophers and I doubt he goes hi. I've been watching him the last few years he is no where near the player his dad was and this year has been a disappointment.

 

Very surprising how Yao is leading this poll.

 

I remember those games and for lack of a better word Bill Hanzlik was practically raping Sampson. He would shove his knee up Sampson's back side. Now consider how often Yao got fooled with the pulling the chair trick. If they allowed people to play the type of D that Hanzlik plays (physical and dirty) Yao would've been destroyed.

Sampson did dominate the year before Dream came to the Rockets and you could see him take over a game, such as when Dream was tossed for fighting Mitch Kupchak in game 5 of the 1986 WCF.

I will agree that Sampson was inconsistent and mentally and as a person Yao was much better but Sampson just had the talent. I remember there were many games where he would just turn it on.

But this is the point is that Sampson never got the opportunity to see if he could grow up. This would be like if Yao had the injury that did him in 2008 in 2005. Also if you compare them in their first 3 seasons there isn't much of a comparison, especially season one. If Sampson could've gotten back to playing form after 1986 there is no telling where he might be but he from where he started he was much much better than Yao.

 

Most likely since most younger Rocket fans never saw Ralph Sampson play. I bet if we had a poll who was more dominant Yao or Moses Malone I bet Yao would win that too.

 

This is easy. Sampson all the way. not even close.