I'M YOUNG only 16 (17 on saturday) but after hearing all these years about ralph sampson i was wondering how good was this guy. i know him and hakeem both lead the rockets to the finals in 86 which was like dream's second year how many years was sampson with us? i keep hearing about how good we would have been if sampson would have had a normal career without so many injuries (i know in today's game the advances in sports medicine could have helped him) would the rockets have won like 10 rings and mj none. i keep hearing about how rockets only won the championship because mj was out for those years and if ralph stayed healthy mj would have had no rings just curious to ask some of the older fans truthfully if sampson would not have been injured would we have won a lot. one last thing what is the thing i always hear about us having a chance to have mj, clyde, hakeem, and sampson at the same time??? thanks. pleae excuse this post i know it is all a big "if" but i figured with the season down the drain it would be a good time to ask this question because i've always wondered how good was this guy ------------------ Shane "Save Our Rockets" "Life without basketball in Houston........without an arena that is what it will be"
I just turned 16 in Feb...and from what I know Sampson was very good but got injured and wasn't the same thereafter. He played like a guard and that frustrated a lot of coaches during that time as 7'0 guys were suppose to stay in the paint. About having Sampson, Dream, MJ, AND Drexler...You are close, we had a trade offer of Portland #2 and drexler for either the number 1 pick(Dream) or Sampson. Essentially we could have had MJ, Drexler, and Dream or Sampson. But then we also could have drafted Sam Bowie instead of MJ and that's that. Plus, this period were the years that the rockets seriously tank for two number 1 picks. Hope this helps. ------------------ A big time draft site has tried to stunt our growth, but we will succeed! The little draft site that could!
thanks for the help, i just like to learn whatever i can about the game and it's always helpful to hear any info possible. i guess i'm one of the few along with you that care about learning the game and not jsut about dunks etc. most young people i know just care about the dunk contest. thanks for the info and yeah that would have been awesome with drexler, hakeem, and mj but then again you never know. drexler and mj would have had to play different positions, maybe hakeem wouldn't have been such a legend if he had to share with other players etc. it's never helpful to play the if game but it's always fun ------------------ Shane "Save Our Rockets" "Life without basketball in Houston........without an arena that is what it will be"
thanks again and rocketsfan34 where you from? ------------------ Shane "Save Our Rockets" "Life without basketball in Houston........without an arena that is what it will be"
Ralph put up some good numbers in his first few years. He was also the college player of the year three years in a row (I think) at Virginia. But, Ralph's problem wasn't just his injuries. He was 7'4" and tried to play like a guard. That wasn't so bad, he still rebounded well and scored well. It was his lack of toughness (both physical and mental) that bothered many fans (like myself). His career really ended the day he and Jerry Sichting (sp?) got into a fight in the NBA Finals. Ralph scored a grand total of like 4 points in that game and the game in which he returned. That's when I lost nearly all respect for Ralph. Two things that amazed me about Ralph: 1. His shot to beat the mighty Lakers and send us to the Finals to meet the Boston Celtics. I remember where I was, do you? 2. He is the only player in the history of the NBA to dunk from the free-throw line in a game. (I challenge anyone to prove me wrong) ------------------ I have a dream.........his name's Hakeem.
I'm from Los Angeles...there's button with a question mark..see that? It mean's to view my profile. If you want to know why I'm a rockets fan in LA, well Shaq missed one too many free throws. Plus I am not going to bandwagon on them right when they are winning and rocks are doing horrible. I'm not the type. ------------------ A big time draft site has tried to stunt our growth, but we will succeed! The little draft site that could!
ya after 530 posts i'd think i would learn to check profiles. hmm i remmeber where i was when ralph hit that shot. let me see i was 3 years and about 32 and some odd days old and i was ASLEEP ------------------ Shane "Save Our Rockets" "Life without basketball in Houston........without an arena that is what it will be"
Quish Garnett and Duncan together and divide by 2 You have the young Ralph Sampson. . . Oh yeah . . .Add 4~5 inches Rocket River ------------------
Ralph Sampson was AWESOME. He could do it all, dribble, pass, shoot. He would have been one of the 50 best if his body had not given out on him. He and Hakeem were 20 and 10 players together. In fact, if not for the fact that we lost 3 guards in under a year to Cocaine (Lucas, Wiggens and LLoyd) we probably would have won a championship sooner. DaDakota ------------------
I was a season ticket holder through the 80's and saw every home game Sampson played as a Rocket. He was the biggest enigma to ever put on a uniform. DaDakota is right in that he could do it all, but only for very brief periods at a time. DREAMer is also right in that Sampson wanted to be the world's tallest point guard. He refused to develop a go-to move because he didn't want to be known as having just one move. Develop a skyhook like Kareem? No way. He hated the physical contact down low so his offense consisted mainly of jump shots and alley-oops. The ex-Chronicle writer, Ed Fowler, called him the world's tallest ghost because he would disappear for long stretches during games. His greatest moment as a Rocket was his 4th quarter against LA in the clincher in the '86 series. He carried that team on his back after Hakeem's ejection and made the miracle shot at the buzzer. Those type performances were few and far between for Sampson. ------------------
Sampson was a college superstar - he had one of the best collegiate careers ever. His game was a big problem - he was 7'4" and did not weant to bang in the middle. Coaches had no idea what to do with him. He really was like Garnett is now. Garnett is 7' and is not a banger, But Sampson was out of place. If he played now, people would have liked him more. His knees were really weak, though. And he had a bit of a bad attitude - always wanting to "bust up" people - mostly the refs. ------------------
Ralph's biggest problem was that people expected him to be the biggest talent out of college since God-knows-what. A 7'4" guy that could dribble, pass, score, rebound, etc. The reason people in Houston ended being frustrated with Ralph was two-fold: 1) He played whimpy. He wasn't a banger and seemed like he backed away from contact. He was content shooting 17 footers and sometimes even bringing the ball up the court. 2) The other thing people forget about Ralph was, yeah, he was a 20-10 guy during his heyday, but he was inconsistent. There were games where he'd get 30 pts and 15 rebs, but other games he would be completely non-existent. I remember a game against either Chicago or Utah where he had 2 points and no rebounds. And this was when he was healthy. After his knees gave out, it was all downhill. ------------------ <this space for rent>
He actually started playing in the CBA about two years ago. He said that finding Christ had healed his knees. ------------------
Fromobile...no disrespect intended, but Ralph Sampson hasn't PLAYED basketball in many years due to his knees. I'm not completely sure, but I don't believe he has ever been a part of a CBA organization. He used to be an assistant coach under Lefty Driesell (former long-time Maryland coach) at James Madison University. He is currently coach and general manager of the mighty Richmond Rhythm of the International Basketball League. Here is their website...check it out. http://www.richmondrhythm.com/ ------------------ Bring It!!
I pretty much agree with everyone's take on Ralph. He had amazing skills for a guy who was 7' 4". It always seemed to me that Ralph didn't really seem to love to play basketball. He struck me as a guy who played basketball because he was tall and had ability. I think he viewed it as more of a job. I never viewed Ralph (unlike Hakeem or Jordan) as a guy who would be out there playing ball if he wasn't getting paid to play. ------------------
aelliott, Pretty much agree about Ralph lacking the competitive fire compared to the superstars. I will remind you that he had more fire than J.B. Carroll, the center he was traded for. Would Ralph have done better with Rudy as the coach instead of Fitch? Mango ------------------ It could be worse ....... you could have been born a Jazz fan!!!!
fromobile is right... he did play in the CBA (and europe), but not for long. Knees could not hold out. He is now vice president and coach of an IBL team... ------------------
I had heard a few years ago, maybe around 1993 or 1994 that Sampson was working out foro the T'Wolves I believe. They said he was trying to make a comeback, and showed him "running" sprints. Of course, he was moving so slow it almost made me get teary eyed. That was the last and only time I had heard anything about Ralph playing ball again. I had not heard the CBA rumor. ------------------ HOOP-T Hey Shaq, Acme called, and they want their bricks back!
Pretty much agree about Ralph lacking the competitive fire compared to the superstars. I will remind you that he had more fire than J.B. Carroll, the center he was traded for. I totally agree, but saying someone has more fire than "Joe Barely Cares" is like saying that a guy is taller than Mugsy Bogues. Also, the center piece of the trade was Sleepy Floyd, J.B. was just filler. Unfortunately that deal didn't pan out for Houston or GS. ------------------
