Ralph Sampson calls Wemby "Ralph the second" and that he'd drop 30 and 20 in today's game

[DavidSterned]

Dude had degenerative knees. With his frame, that's not getting any better today, even with the modest improvements in sports science.

Only difference is he'd be in the NBA at a younger age than he was then and obviously not go all four years in college, so he might break down even faster with those three additional pro seasons.

[ropjhk]

Don't think he could average 20 rebounds a game but he would be a very good player. This is assuming he doesn't have career debilitating health issues.

[Ryoga Hibiki]

I think Khabib got this confidence thing right. When he was fighting, he was talking like this:

Watch on YouTube

once retired, he's not going to say that he was better than the active fighters, as he had no way to back it up

Watch on YouTube

That's how a truly confident man talks.
You can see the same in many players as well, just listen to Bird talking about Jokic, for instance.

[Warspite]

Old heads just need to stop.

This guy was averaging 15/8/2 across his career from 84-92. Just stop talking. How is he going to double his ppg when he shot 58 threes in his career? Would he just be played in the post 24/7 in 2025 and some team would say gee, I want my offence to be based on someone shooting 48% on 2s?

He would magically grab SEVEN more boards a game than Rodman, one of the greatest modern rebounding guys?

I know we can't dump on these guys, but the hubris they spout off to me makes me think these guys deserve to be brought back down to Earth.

He’s not wrong

20 rebounds a game on AVERAGE meaning he is grabbing more than 20 a game to offset any game where he only got 15 etc? What are you on about man.

Because he watches the games and he sees what we all see. Its plumbers and midgets playing YMCA style basketball. To be honest I watch it today and it looks like my Chicago rec league in 1994. I'm sure Ralph watches it and he doesn't see a KAJ or a Magic or a Bird or a Moses and certainly there is no DRJ or MJ. He sees about 4 players playing today that could make an all-star team in his day and he thinks man I would dominate these kids. He watches LBJ and Steph dominate this league when they should be retired or bench players at their age yet there isn't enough talent in today's league to force them out of the spotlight. In my day a 40 yr old that can play with a high school team was a retired NBA player. Today he is an All-star. If the league had enough talent and was so much more athletic than old men wouldn't be able to play in it so he concludes that he would do very well considering that he is so much bigger, skilled, tested and polished than today's contemporaries. Im not saying I 100% agree with him but I can see his argument.

Every playground legend from 85-05 thinks they could play in the YMCA style rules with todays soft, effeminized, low bbIQ, 3&D specialists NBA players. They believe they were simply born at the wrong time. I played with a guy in 93 that dunked on 2 players while wearing a suite with gucci loafers and 2 handguns holstered on his belt. If that drug dealer is still alive, I'll bet, he thinks he too could have played today.

[LuDux1]

RealGRMP

[Zadeh]

Ralph Sampson body couldnt hold up in a slower paced 80s his body definitely wouldn't hold up in today's game. Wemb's 8ft wingspan overall skillset and athleticism puts him in a totally different tier as a player from ralph who was a good prospect at that time.

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80'es much more faster than today's game. It is not even close. Today games also has at least 20 more artificial possessions because 24 seconds clock only reset to 14.

Ignorance is bliss as you can see, ideas without knowledge, just empty ignorant talk.

[FrodoBaggins]

Ralph's size wasn't as great as one would expect. He was closer to 7'1.5" to 7'2" barefoot, had a slight/gracile/thin-boned build, and had proportionately short arms and a long neck with lower-set shoulders. Bill Russell, Kevin McHale, and Hakeem Olajuwon all had greater standing reaches despite all standing around 6'10" without shoes. Kevin and Hakeem had clearly longer wingspans.

[FrodoBaggins]

Sampson would definitely be a great player today imo, but i don't recall him having Wembanyamarms.

Sampson had notoriously short arms. He'd be 60% of the player Wemby is in today's league if that.

There's a story of Bill Russell comparing his standing reach with Ralph Samson and it was higher

SNPA told the Ralph story; it was from Sacramento Kings coach/announcer, Jerry Reynolds. There are also stories about Bill having a greater standing reach than Kareem and even Wilt. FWIW, Abdul-Jabbar was a similar height to Ralph (7'1.5 to 7'2" barefoot) with a 7'5" wingspan and lower-set shoulders. Wilt was 7'0.5 to 7'1" barefoot with a 7'8" wingspan and 9'6" standing reach.

There was a segment during the halftime show of the NBA Finals where Russell, McHale, & Olajuwon all stood together. The three were roughly the same height (6'10" barefoot) with similar standing reaches (around 9'6" probably.) I think it was one of the Bulls NBA Finals in the '90s.

[tsherkin]

Sampson's remark is pretty stupid.

[DaFan334]

Hopefully, Wemby doesn't have the same health issues... Dumb comments by a guy who couldn't stay healthy past his second year in the league.

Is this what Embiid is going to be saying in 20 years?

[MMyhre]

Old heads just need to stop.

This guy was averaging 15/8/2 across his career from 84-92. Just stop talking. How is he going to double his ppg when he shot 58 threes in his career? Would he just be played in the post 24/7 in 2025 and some team would say gee, I want my offence to be based on someone shooting 48% on 2s?

He would magically grab SEVEN more boards a game than Rodman, one of the greatest modern rebounding guys?

I know we can't dump on these guys, but the hubris they spout off to me makes me think these guys deserve to be brought back down to Earth.

He’s not wrong

20 rebounds a game on AVERAGE meaning he is grabbing more than 20 a game to offset any game where he only got 15 etc? What are you on about man.

Because he watches the games and he sees what we all see. Its plumbers and midgets playing YMCA style basketball. To be honest I watch it today and it looks like my Chicago rec league in 1994. I'm sure Ralph watches it and he doesn't see a KAJ or a Magic or a Bird or a Moses and certainly there is no DRJ or MJ. He sees about 4 players playing today that could make an all-star team in his day and he thinks man I would dominate these kids. He watches LBJ and Steph dominate this league when they should be retired or bench players at their age yet there isn't enough talent in today's league to force them out of the spotlight. In my day a 40 yr old that can play with a high school team was a retired NBA player. Today he is an All-star. If the league had enough talent and was so much more athletic than old men wouldn't be able to play in it so he concludes that he would do very well considering that he is so much bigger, skilled, tested and polished than today's contemporaries. Im not saying I 100% agree with him but I can see his argument.

Every playground legend from 85-05 thinks they could play in the YMCA style rules with todays soft, effeminized, low bbIQ, 3&D specialists NBA players. They believe they were simply born at the wrong time. I played with a guy in 93 that dunked on 2 players while wearing a suite with gucci loafers and 2 handguns holstered on his belt. If that drug dealer is still alive, I'll bet, he thinks he too could have played today.

Using literally the best player of all time, and the best shooter of all time as your examples of "old guys" that can still play is certainly a choice. This era is infinitely more athletic, and its just better basketball players in general. Smarter basketball, smarter coaching/better tactics.

Ralph Sampson is not on the same tier as Bird/Magic or KAJ, thats why he should be humble and realize he failed to live up to his potential in his own era, which does not make him do anything different in this era. Those slower bigs he used to go by so easily? Well now that is Wemby, JJJ, Chet, Bam +++ and they are easily keeping up with you and most of them are stronger than you as well with longer or long wingspans. For someone with so little 3 point shooting in his own time to say he would have it easy is just delusional stuff people make up to make themselves feel better.

[MMyhre]

Hopefully, Wemby doesn't have the same health issues... Dumb comments by a guy who couldn't stay healthy past his second year in the league.

Is this what Embiid is going to be saying in 20 years?

100 % you nailed it. Embiid in 2045 "I would have been the GOAT in this era" - people link up his stats from dominating the barely 20 win spurs or the Jordan Poole led Wizards... IN THE REGULAR SEASON!! Harden will be the same, when people look up his regular season stuff and ignore all context/dont research it... we will have to be ready for them in that time!

[brackdan70]

Sampson for sure would be good in this era…but he wasn’t a good shooter and peaked his rookie year at age 24. He had 4 good years before really dropping off. His impact stats were not very good even in his first 4 years. Wemby is really good.
Sampson would be more of a poor shooting but more durable Porzingis in this era. A good player, but not 30/20 lol.

[D.Brasco]

Hopefully, Wemby doesn't have the same health issues... Dumb comments by a guy who couldn't stay healthy past his second year in the league.

Is this what Embiid is going to be saying in 20 years?

100 % you nailed it. Embiid in 2045 "I would have been the GOAT in this era" - people link up his stats from dominating the barely 20 win spurs or the Jordan Poole led Wizards... IN THE REGULAR SEASON!! Harden will be the same, when people look up his regular season stuff and ignore all context/dont research it... we will have to be ready for them in that time!

Boogie Cousins played in the 2010s and he's already making similar comments now.

[NoDopeOnSundays]

Former NBA players have to be the most insecure group of athletes in any major sport.

[MMyhre]

Hopefully, Wemby doesn't have the same health issues... Dumb comments by a guy who couldn't stay healthy past his second year in the league.

Is this what Embiid is going to be saying in 20 years?

100 % you nailed it. Embiid in 2045 "I would have been the GOAT in this era" - people link up his stats from dominating the barely 20 win spurs or the Jordan Poole led Wizards... IN THE REGULAR SEASON!! Harden will be the same, when people look up his regular season stuff and ignore all context/dont research it... we will have to be ready for them in that time!

Boogie Cousins played in the 2010s and he's already making similar comments now.

Haha, he couldnt even finish higher in MVP voting than his 5-8 former teammate Isaiah Thomas. Heck I just checked it up, he wasnt even in the MVP race one time, lol. Not even ONE top 15 finish. Why are we talking? Self-delusion is the biggest enemy of growth.

[Sixers in 4]

The pace and lack of defense in today's NBA make it a completely different game. I mean, when Ralph Simpson averaged 22 points in '85, at a time when half the league was averaging under 110 points a game, his Houston Rockets, which averaged 111.2 points (9th), would have ranked 22nd, just ahead of the Toronto Raptors last year.

These old-timers would have definitely scored more. How much more is the question

[Bergmaniac]

The pace and lack of defense in today's NBA make it a completely different game. I mean, when Ralph Simpson averaged 22 points in '85, at a time when half the league was averaging under 110 points a game, his Houston Rockets, which averaged 111.2 points (9th), would have ranked 22nd, just ahead of the Toronto Raptors last year.

These old-timers would have definitely scored more. How much more is the question

The pace was higher in the 80s than it is today. And today's defences are a lot better.

[Sign5]

Threads like these really expose people. How or why are some folks implying the 80s were slow paced like the late 90s, early 00s?