Did you see the Shawn Marion fall a couple of years ago where he was carried off on a stretcher? When I saw that the first thing that came to my mind was the Ralph Sampson fall. The two looked eerily similar.
Ya know, I really have thinking about this. I think it was alot to consider Ralph another Kareem. Ralph was a good offensive player. But he didnt have that defineable go to/unstoppable shot like Kareem had with the sky hook. If you look at some of the great players, they all have that go-to /unstoppable shot. Hakeem: Dreamshake/turnaround/jump hook Kareem: Sky hook Duncan: Bank shot Jordan: Mid range jumper Wilt: Dunk or the little dipper I think thats what makes Yao so intriguing. He has a go to shot in that turnaround like Hakeem did.
I was at UVa for three of Ralph's four seasons there. After I moved to Houston in '82 I was a Rox season ticket holder for all of Ralph's all too short career here. So I have watched Ralph in person just about as much as any fan. This is a great thread. Props especially to crash for hitting the nail on the head. As has been pointed out, the biggest difference in the two (as far as their rookie years) is definitely Ralph's athleticism. Right now, IMO Ralph is overall the better player. But given Yao's rate of improvement, let's revisit this thread at the end of the year. I still can't believe how fortunate the Houston franchise has been in terms of big men.
But of course...it's moment I can always razz Laker fans about especially those old school die-hard ones. But really, the only luckier shot I've seen is Witherspoon's half-court three and Horry's shot in Game 3 vs. the Kings I just wonder if Ralph would have carried the team as far into the playoffs as Hakeem later did, given the same personel.
That is probably the one thing that prevents us from comparing the two players. Ming gets double-teamed WITHOUT the ball and has stronger and more athletic defenders against him. And I agree that Ralph was playing out of position because of Dream. So comparing their stats isn't really fair to either of them. Ming is a better passer and shoots more consistently. Ralph had a better handle and was more athletic. I'd say Ralph was slightly better schooled in fundamentals at this stage. But Ming has better court vision and BB IQ. Their shot-blocking and rebounding are probably about even. Ralph had better footwork at one on one defense. Many people underestimated Ralph's strength because of his physique. He worked very hard with weight and many of his opponents were surprised how strong he was. He was not just hyped to be the next Kareem. He was the "player of the century." The scouts all agreed that Ralph had the whole package offensively. I remember one scout said that Ralph didn't really need to learn much offensively. All he needed to do was getting stronger and learning how to handle NBA centers on defense. After a couple of month, this same assessment seems to apply well to Ming.
Easy, Great points. I think Yao and Ralph's missing are about even though. Ralph had a couple of seasons where he averaged around 3 and 4 assits. IMO, Yao is the more flashy passer and is solid. Ralph was a solid passer also, but I dont recall many eye popping passes. He just got the job done ya know. Also, you are right about Ralph's strength. Stick was lanky, but he made up for his lack of upper body strength in leverage. I remember towards the end of his career, he did put on some weight and was around 245-250 when he retired. I tell ya, Ralph injuries robbed him off his career. But Ive always felt strongly that NBA fans were also robbed of seeing a potential Hall of Famer dominate the league for 10-15 years.
You said it. The 80's NBA and today's NBA are two different animals. Rules have changed, defense is much tougher. Ming and Sampson cant be compared on the same ground. If Sampson were playing today, he would be different. Same Ming probably would have easier time scoring and rebounding if he were playing in the 80's. I think it's not fair to say who is better.
i thin yao is a better shooter with more range than ralph but you'll rarely see yao attempting ill-advised shots. just look at the way yao shoots foul shots. his recent run at FT is a good indication of his shooting abilities. yao is a much better passer by far. you'll see if you dont see it already. yao can dribble the ball much better than ppl think but he'll only dribble more if it helps the team. ralph might be a bit quicker although both guys are very mobile for their size. ralph had better stats in his rookie yr since the offense revolved around him alot more. 4 yrs in college and a full training camp told the rox all they needed to know to build an offense suitable to his talents. yao was relateively more of an unknown to the rox. but now they've had him for a month and knows more of what his talents are. they'll slowly get him more involved in the offense and his stats will pickup. remember, he only takes about 10 shots a game.
