thats right, people who dont know Ralph dont know the REAL TRANSFORMERS. they'll know that CRAP Jerry Bruckheimer is putting out. they'll know Bumble Bee as a Camaro or some trash car. Not the true BUMBLEBEE that we know as an old VW Bug. They dont know that Transformers should NOT be CGI Jar Jar Binks. REAL TRANSFORMERS ARE DRAWN BY A BUNCH OF JAPANESE DUDES. Thats REAL. just like the 1986 Rockets, that was REAL BASKETBALL. They dont know about LEATHER BASKETBALLS EITHER!!!
As much as I'll stand up and defend the mid-80's Rox and NBA I have to say there was a lot of crap in the 80s and I never want to see 80's big hair styles and Glam Rock return.
You made some damn fine posts back there, Sishir. I remember being excited about the Rockets coming to Houston as much for getting to see Elvin as for getting the team in H-town. Of course, they lost him after a year. Great point about Sampson and college zones. He managed to be player of the year in college 3 straight years playing against zones. Man, people have short memories, or no memories at all.
if you never saw Ralph play, you can watch the Lakers team of the 80s, they show them all the time on ESPN Classic or NBA TV. That's the team we beat with Ralph. This team with Tmac and Yao would get swept by that 80s Lakers team. Respect and recognize the heroes of Rockets history.
Would have to agree with most of that Back to Ralph. He was the true description of finesse big man (or finesse tall guy) and criticized plenty for it. Still he was an impactful, versatile player on the court. It's dreamified but it'da been nice to see Ralph last longer in the league still kickin it with the Rockets in their playoff years against the Sonics and late Showtime Lakers instead of Joe Barely Cares and OT early on (and the year they missed the playoffs by a game ) . Not his fault for being hurt but they couldnt get out the first round after he left. That alone MUCH more than Yao or T-Mac can say
He was good, but not in Yao's league, IMHO...Only time will tell, but it's not even close after this long...
Yao could be the best regular season center of all time. many people here want that. I only want championships and great playoff memories. when you say Hakeem, what memories do you remember? when he beat the Hornets in the regular season? NO when you say Robert Horry, do you talk about his 3s in the pre-season, NO Too many people here have Houston Oilers mentality, oh how awesome we are and how great we will be. and the same crap happens in the playoffs What the haters and low Rocket IQ people here forget is that the beating of the 1986 Lakers was not a 5 game deal. It took years to develop that team and chemistry and hard work and heart to reach that point. To reach the NBA finals. That team was the worst team in the league before Ralph, then slowly adding more good players and developing chemistry. For the REAL ROCKETS FANS, you know that the 1st championship didn't happen in one playoff series. It took many years of adding players like Kenny/Otis, Mario, drafting Horry, getting Sam Hell, its started when we fired Don Cheney! Remember the playoff lost to Seattle the year before? or that crap game vs San Antonio when Robinson scored a basket 10seconds after the game was over? Lets say something happened to Yao, like something happened to Ralph with his knees. (hope it never happens), but then what? Ralph led the Rockets from worst to the NBA Finals. Yao would have led us to just the 1st round. Sorry I just believe that you are a better player if you actually do something in the playoffs.
Observation: There are mainly two types of people on this thread: Yao-lovers - people who love Yao's potential, not that he actually reached that level yet (though I do believe he will soon) 80's Lovers - People who love the 80's, and in your mind probably still living in the 80's, and NBA basketball of that era, and absolutely refuse to give an inch to anything that argues otherwise. I'm too young to know that era, but from what I've seen on ESPN classic, their athleticism is WAY overrated. The only thing that really impressed me from the games I've seen was that role players actually knew their roles, and good fundamentals all around. Defense was WAY better in the 90's and maybe even now (although teams are still adjusting to the new zone rules and perimeter bias is making hard to play tough defense sometimes).
Actually in the eighties you had an unbelievable combination of athleticism and fundamentals. Once the NBA started taking kids right out of high school and all those underclassmen the skill level went down and the league suffered mightily. The globalization of the Association has helped bring about a resurgence.
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i was just a wee lad living in LA back then... and i loved my Showtime, which i still think is the greatest team of all time (at least up there with Jordan's Bulls).... the twin towers demolished them... leading a last place team to crush the Showtime Lakers in their prime... would make ANYONE a legend... being 3 times college player of the year, 7-4 with handles and enough hops to pick a coin off the top of the backboard... and enough speed and agility to play forward... even if we play with semantics and say that he was not an nba legend, it is safe to say he had more than enough tools to be one. of course akeem was kicking butt as well during that time.. had they stayed together, Rockets would have dominated the late 80s. Yao and TMac are in their prime right now and yet... aren't even the best duo in today's NBA... Wade/Shaq Nash/Marion(orAmare) Parker/Duncan Hopefully they can prove me wrong!
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/rox/3665930.html By the time then-Rockets owner Charlie Thomas called "heads" in a coin flip to win the rights to make him the No. 1 pick in the 1983 NBA draft, the hype had turned Sampson into a combination of Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Paul Bunyan. Here was the new breed of big man who could leap high above the rim to catch a lob pass and slam it home with authority, could outrun guards on the fast break, could dribble the ball between his legs or behind his back and could stick the 20-foot jumper in your face. ....... "Playing with Ralph was a lot of fun," Olajuwon said in an e-mail from Amman, Jordan. "He never showed me any jealousy over the position. We were a great complement to each other's game, and I believe we were way ahead of our time. I blocked so many shots because I was able to come from the weak side and behind Ralph. He gave me opportunities for tip-in dunks with his play around the rim. Those were fun years, and I only wish he would not have had the knee injuries. It was sad to see him not reach all of his potential." ....... "But injuries are part of the game. I wish I could have played at that high level for many more years. I wish I could have spent more time playing with Hakeem. Obviously, if I'd have had a 15-year career at that early level, there's another perspective on everything. "When I played, people said big men are not supposed to be playing away from the basket. Now I see Kevin Garnett all over the floor. Hey, I had my time. I played my game."
