I didn't follow NBA until the mid 90s so I dunno much about Sampson. I just like to know what happened to him to deserve so much criticism and considering his stats why did he have a such short career? Who played Center wen he played with Hakeem?
Hakeem played center. He had really bad knees. Otherwise we the Rox would have probably given the Bulls a lot of good series in the finals.
My summary on Ralph: First, alot of people did critisize Ralph and questioned his heart and attitude. I think the whole Schisting fight (7'4'' guy punching a 6'4'' guy) really hurt him, media wise (old school fans will remember the "Sampson is a sissy" signs). Personally, I dont think most of it was fair. I think he may have had a little bit of a displaced attitude, but I have never questioned his heart/desire. He had surgery after surgery in order to keep playing. A lesser man would have given up and called it quits. Second, Ralph had every skill that Yao has, and more, although probably wasnt as dominant down low. He could do it all. He could play inside, he could shoot outside. He rebounded, blocked shots and was a hell of a passer. Dude could lead a break and dribble the ball like a guard. Very fluid player for the most part. He was the 1984 version of Kevin Garnett. He was on his way to changing the PF position and the way 7 footers played in the NBA. As far as his career being cut short, I believe it was either in late 86 or early 87 that he took a real nasty fall on the Boston Garden court. Messed up his back, although he continued to play. Eventually (the following is a rough outline of what I remember), his back injury caused his running style to change because he was compensating for the injury. This change in running style eventually caused his knees to go south, requiring multiple surgeries that never did fix the problems. The rest of it was pretty much history. He was never the same player after that fall though.
http://www.clutchfans.net/playerinfo.cfm?PlayerID=150 7-4 center and super-athlete who averaged 21pts, 11rebs, 2.4blocks per game his ROOKIE season. lead rockets to finals in his THIRD year. simply amazing. based on raw ability, one of the greatest NBA players of all time.
He was super skinny compared to the other players IIRC. The original "the shot" to sink LA in that one playoff series which was tres cool.
He had more potential then Yao!! Ralph is the reason I became a Rockets fan. He could handle the ball much better then Yao -- even as a rookie. I remember Hakeem saying that his goal was to be able to play like Ralph Sampson. If his knees wouldn't have given out him in his prime, he and Hakeem would have challenged the Bulls later on I remember a sports illustrated add that showed Kareem shooting a hook and Ralph blocking it. The caption said "How does it feel to be 7'2" and a little too short". I would love to find that ad again.
Back in 1984, Portland allegedly offered the no. 2 pick in the 1984 draft, plus Drexler, for Sampson. Houston could have had a lineup of Hakeem, Jordan, Drexler and McCray. That missed trade opportunity makes the Griffin for Jefferson or Griffin for Rashard missed trade opportunity look not as bad.
That is simply scary to imagine how good that team would have been. There would have been no Lakers showtime. No Lakers-Celtics rivalry. No Detroit Bad Boys. No Bulls Dynasty.
I think we've been over this before, but who's to say that the Rockets wouldn't have done the exact same thing as Portland and drafted Sam Bowie? At the time the incumbent power forward was the immortal james bailey, and the Rockets theoretically would have been set at the 1-2-3 spots with John Lucas, Clyde Drexler, and Rodney McCray (a number one from the year before) So if you make that deal and you are the Rockets, on draft night, you have your Center (Akeem), Shooting Guard (Drexler) positions set for 10 years, and a promising 2nd year Small Forward (McCray) along with a veteran Point Guard (Lucas), and a gaping hole at PF with really nobody to fill it. Your choices are: stud Power Forward to pair with Akeem or stud Shooting Guard (even though we already had a young star Drexler w/Robert Reid in reserve as well as eventually Lloyd and Wiggins for depth)? I have a feeling that we would have had the shame of Bowie too.
I think I remember reading Hakeem's autobiography and him having a chapter about Ralph Sampson. He seemed to put the blame for Ralph's injuries on Bill Fitch and the coaching staff. Hakeem talked about how Ralph was more of a face the basket kind of player and not a back to the basket player. Fitch forced him to play with his back to the basket and his body therefore took a lot more punishment. I don't know if I buy all of that, but it sure would have been nice to see Ralph and Hakeem, the REAL Twin Towers, play together for a lot longer than they did. They were absolutely ridiculous.
I've always wanted Yao to be more of a traditional center but this quote right here worries me a little bit. I remember reading the autobiography also and I wasn't sure if it was trully expert advice or just another shot because of his (rightful) resentment to the management/staff of that time. But can Yao play facing the basket? He's got a good shot and passing skills, but he isn't near as quick or has the handles from ralph sampson. I think we got to find a way to maximize Yao's abilities without hurting his body to much. I've always thought a pick and roll with Yao shooting a jumper would be great.
Ralph was unique. 7'4" and he could handle the ball like a guard. At that time, no one had ever seen an athlete with his combination of size and skill.
I went to high school with Ralph. Got a picture with him on my graduation. Ralph was the biggest thing to come out of Harrisonburg and there is still a park that is named after him. I always had the impression that he was somewhat of a introvert; maybe it's because of his upbringing in a small town. He had a ton of talent but his four years at UVA without a national title gave him the label of a "choker". He was often criticized for playing outside the paint and being soft. Nowadays, people look at Ralph as someone before his time.
One of Ralph's biggest problems was his rep was a product of over-hyping by the East Coast media. He was going to be the biggest, greatest thing since Wilt. This was unfair to Ralph and led to the general belief that he never lived up to expectations. Well, the expectations were somewhat unrealistic to begin with. He was a decent 20-10 guy who, had his career not been shortened, would have been an perenial all-star but not a superstar. In Houston, those of us who followed the college game, "knew" that Akeem was going to be better than Ralph. But Ralph got all the pub simply because of where he went to school while Akeem stayed somewhat under the radar despite 3 consecutive final 4s, I take issue with whoever described him as the '84 version of Garnett. That's a bit much. Garnett has an attitude, aggressiveness and level of confidence Ralph lacked. Garnett is a one-man team and can carry a team. Ralph was not in this class. He could not single-handedly carry the Rox or anyone else to the playoffs. Plus, Ralph was a bit too introspective, oversensitive and brooding. He blossomed only after Hakeem arrived to take over at center. It's true that Ralph thought he could handle the ball like a point guard but it drove people nuts when he dribbled up the court (which he loved to do). Nonetheless, like I say above, he was, when healthy, a 20-10 guy so nothing to sneeze at. Back in those early days, before we fully understood Ralph's limatations, the great fear of Rockets fans was that he would end up a Laker. I remember even once my grandmother mentioning it and she barely followed sports. There's a long history with the Lakers for old-time Rockets fans that is worthy of another thread. In short, the fear was that he would replace Kareem and they would just continue rolling to titles. I recall that LA did offer Worthy and something else for Ralph. Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, that would have been a good trade.
Ah, Ralph. Born to be a 5, or a 2/3. Wrong coach FOR HIM. Hakeem (then Akeem) went down with eye socket injury and RS went to announcers and wrote down 30-15 (pts/boards), then did 25/18, or somesuch. He was that good -- but hated being a 5. Magic 'won' the ASg MVP for RS. Resented being a freak. He and Fitch were water and oil. Then his knees died, his career, too. Just did not have the temperment. Probably too damned smart for his own good (like Ray Allen + a foot of height?). Yeah, should have made the Drexler/Jordan deal. PS RJ is a good 3, but ONLY when Jason has him running the wing. Otherwise he is middling. Really. The EG deal made sense, if EG had a heart (and brain). Not trading RS (to Portland)would have made sense if RS had proved to have more heart and sense, too.
