Why is Ralph Sampson in the HOF?

a8bil · Post #1 » by **a8bil** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 1:20 am

There are lot of players who can point to his career and acceptance into the HOF as justification for their inclusion. His numbers are good, but HOF? dilutes the HOF in my view.

gmoney411 · Post #2 » by **gmoney411** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 1:26 am

There are not lots of players with his numbers and accomplishments. He was a 3 time college player of the year, a rookie of the the year, a 4 time all star, and an all star MVP. The list of players with that basketball career is very short.

Knightfall · Post #3 » by **Knightfall** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 1:30 am

gmoney411 wrote:There are not lots of players with his numbers and accomplishments. He was a 3 time college player of the year, a rookie of the the year, a 4 time all star, and an all star MVP. The list of players with that basketball career is very short.

As you said it's a very decorated career. And he did that all in a very short time span.

BK_2020 · Post #4 » by **BK_2020** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 1:33 am

NBA was extremely weak until the mid 2000s or so.

Woodsanity · Post #5 » by **Woodsanity** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 1:38 am

Basketball hall of fame not nba hall of fame. He is in due to college achievements.

BK_2020 · Post #6 » by **BK_2020** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 1:41 am

College achievements should never be enough to get one into a HOF of a sport. What's next, AAU MVPs are getting in?

gmoney411 · Post #7 » by **gmoney411** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 1:49 am

BK_2020 wrote:College achievements should never be enough to get one into a HOF of a sport. What's next, AAU MVPs are getting in?

They should take Coach K, John Wooden and Dean Smith out?

a8bil · Post #8 » by **a8bil** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 1:59 am

gmoney411 wrote:There are not lots of players with his numbers and accomplishments. He was a 3 time college player of the year, a rookie of the the year, a 4 time all star, and an all star MVP. The list of players with that basketball career is very short.

College should mean nothing... My bias trends toward giving more weight to all nba selections over all star selection. All star game recognitions get no weight. Most importantly, I don't give much weight to the "he did this in only ___ years". The window for all star recognition for anyone besides the fan favorite superstars is pretty narrow. It's the lebrons, Kobes, etc. who get All stars on reputation. The rest fight with a new upcoming crop each year to garner recognition. With that bias disclosed....look at some of the player on the outside looking in and tell me Sampson deserves his spot.

Shawn Marion -- 4x All star, 2x all NBA, all rookie team, and NBA champion -- No HOF
Chauncey Billups -- 5x all star, 3x all nba, 2x all defensive, Nba champion, and finals MVP -- No HOF
Buck Williams -- 3x all star, 4x all defensive, 1x all NBA, ROY, All rookie - no HOF
Rasheed -- 4x all star, nba champ -- No HOF
Tim Hardaway -- 5x all star, 5x all nba -- No HOF
Shawn Kemp -- 6x All star, 3x all nba -- No HOF
Marquez Johnson -- Five-time NBA All-Star, All-NBA First Team (1979), Two-time All-NBA Second Team, NBA All-Rookie First Team (1978)-- No HOF

Having watched Sampson in college and his entire career in the pros, my view is he was mostly hyped, and recognitions aside, his numbers show it. His ppg, his TS% and pretty much every other metric were terrible for an uber athletic 7'4" athletic freak. So many other great players have been excluded.

Big J · Post #9 » by **Big J** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 2:08 am

My thing with these guys from the past is to say the guys name out loud. With Ralph he's a known commodity and the name holds a lot of gravitas. It's a no brainer.

Ballerhogger · Post #10 » by **Ballerhogger** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 2:09 am

in his peak years in the nba he was double double guy. avg 7.4 DRB so a notable nba career at most but his college career really got him in 3x college player of the year.

TMac Culloch · Post #11 » by **TMac Culloch** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 2:13 am

Most for his College career and some for early NBA

QPR · Post #12 » by **QPR** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 2:20 am

BK_2020 wrote:College achievements should never be enough to get one into a HOF of a sport. What's next, AAU MVPs are getting in?

He's not in there just for his college achievements.

nfmos · Post #13 » by **nfmos** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 2:21 am

a8bil wrote:
gmoney411 wrote:There are not lots of players with his numbers and accomplishments. He was a 3 time college player of the year, a rookie of the the year, a 4 time all star, and an all star MVP. The list of players with that basketball career is very short.

College should mean nothing... My bias trends toward giving more weight to all nba selections over all star selection. All star game recognitions get no weight. Most importantly, I don't give much weight to the "he did this in only ___ years". The window for all star recognition for anyone besides the fan favorite superstars is pretty narrow. It's the lebrons, Kobes, etc. who get All stars on reputation. The rest fight with a new upcoming crop each year to garner recognition. With that bias disclosed....look at some of the player on the outside looking in and tell me Samp

Shawn Marion -- 4x All star, 2x all NBA, all rookie team, and NBA champion -- No HOF
Chauncey Billups -- 5x all star, 3x all nba, 2x all defensive, Nba champion, and finals MVP -- No HOF
Buck Williams -- 3x all star, 4x all defensive, 1x all NBA, ROY, All rookie - no HOF
Rasheed -- 4x all star, nba champ -- No HOF
Tim Hardaway -- 5x all star, 5x all nba -- No HOF
Shawn Kemp -- 6x All star, 3x all nba -- No HOF
Marquez Johnson -- Five-time NBA All-Star, All-NBA First Team (1979), Two-time All-NBA Second Team, NBA All-Rookie First Team (1978)-- No HOF

Having watched Sampson in college and his entire career in the pros, my view is he was mostly hyped, and recognitions aside, his numbers show it. His ppg, his TS% and pretty much every other metric were terrible for an uber athletic 7'4" athletic freak. So many other great players have been excluded.

Its literally the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, named after the inventor of the sport who by the way never participated in any professional version of the sport, and the first HOF class was in 1959, way before the NBA became the most popular basketball league.

It isnt called the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame.

Learn and respect the history.

jokeboy86 · Post #14 » by **jokeboy86** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 2:22 am

Why is Jadakiss as hard as it gets?

JRoy · Post #15 » by **JRoy** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 2:33 am

He was a hell of a player, would have done more but career shortened by injuries.

Dominant ncaa player.

kuclas · Post #16 » by **kuclas** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 2:33 am

Injuries derailed his career. Him and Hakeem took down the Los Angeles Lakers at their absolute peak in 1986. If that tells you how good Sampson was. Houston would have won 4-5 titles if Sampson and Hakeem both played together. He would have been the perfect complement to Hakeem. The twin towers actually worked. Remember those days the Celtics started 6 9 larry bird, 6 11 Kevin M and 7 foot Robert F

Lakers started 7 2 Kareem, Magic was 6 9, James W was 6 8. Teams played big during those times.

But Sampson got in due to college accomplishments. He didn't have a bad NBA career until his knees became bad.

Post #17 » by **floppymoose** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 2:39 am

If there were an nba HoF, Sampson would not be in it. He is deserving of the basketball HoF since it includes college.

dhsilv2 · Post #18 » by **dhsilv2** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 2:46 am

a8bil wrote:
gmoney411 wrote:There are not lots of players with his numbers and accomplishments. He was a 3 time college player of the year, a rookie of the the year, a 4 time all star, and an all star MVP. The list of players with that basketball career is very short.

College should mean nothing...

That's an opinion that is hall doesn't agree with in the slightest.

a8bil · Post #19 » by **a8bil** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 3:00 am

dhsilv2 wrote:
a8bil wrote:
gmoney411 wrote:There are not lots of players with his numbers and accomplishments. He was a 3 time college player of the year, a rookie of the the year, a 4 time all star, and an all star MVP. The list of players with that basketball career is very short.

College should mean nothing...

That's an opinion that is hall doesn't agree with in the slightest.

Okay, so where is Hank Gathers? Christian Laettner? Joe Smith? Shane Battier? Glenn Robinson? Marcus Camby? ... there are so many great college players who have NO chance of ever getting into the HOF. Realistically...at best college experience is the cherry on top of what must have been an HOF NBA career. It is, respectfully, a terribly weak argument that has no evidentiary support.

dhsilv2 · Post #20 » by **dhsilv2** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 3:07 am

a8bil wrote:
dhsilv2 wrote:
a8bil wrote:
College should mean nothing...

That's an opinion that is hall doesn't agree with in the slightest.
Okay, so where is Hank Gathers? Christian Laettner? Joe Smith? Shane Battier? Glenn Robinson? Marcus Camby? ... there are so many great college players who have NO chance of ever getting into the HOF. Realistically...at best college experience is the cherry on top of what must have been an HOF NBA career. It is, respectfully, a terribly weak argument that has no evidentiary support.

Do you have anyone with a comparable college career for the purpose of this?