Sampson would of been a great NBA player if those knees would of been half decent. I was always a fan of Ralph, he and Hakeem where a special combo together, too bad that it didn't last.
I didn't mean to give the impression that Ralph was a liability on the break. What I said was that every so often he'd get this urge to be a guard and something would end up screwing up. More often than not, he would turn the ball over. There were several times he'd try a behind the back dribble and end up turning the ball over as well. I remember listening to postgame shows and hearing fans basically chew him out for not passing the ball instead of thinking he was a guard.
You hit the nail on the head about him needing to play down in the post.Ralph having to play the 4 was the beginning of the end of his career.He had incredible talent,but those fragile knees couldn't hold up to what they asked of him. If Ralph had been allowed to play his natural position,I believe it woud have maximized his production and lengthened his career.I see no reason why he wouldn't have been in the top 10 centers of all time. Did he have the potential to be as good as Dream(IMO the best)?,NO,but he was great.
I was at the game where he blew out his knee (Golden State at the Summit) It happened very early in the first period. There was an eerie silence the rest of that game. It was almost as if the rest of the Rockets didn't want to finish the game. Ralph was a center, he played out of position because we drafted Dream the next season. During the 85-86 season Dream was injured and Ralph had to play center for a good stretch. He was a different player. He demanded the ball in the low post, was more aggresive on the boards, more involved in the game. To see just how good Ralph could have been, get a copy of the 1985 All-Star game.
Ralph definately aint modest: "But they (the fans and media) had never seen a big man who played like that, so they knocked me, calling me `soft.' I've heard guys like (NBA analyst) Bill Walton talking me down on TV. I don't know. I guess they wanted me to be like Manute or (Muresan). Now you see big men doing the same things I was doing back then, and they're cheered for it. It's funny." "I was way before my time as far as my abilities are concerned," Sampson said. "Had I been coming out today, a three-time College Player of the Year, my salary would be $200 million." http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/bk/bkn/1475925
