Ralph Sampson, Hall of Famer (Ball Don’t Lie)

Former Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets general manager Ray Patterson enjoyed a long and respected career as an NBA executive, and we'd prefer not to sully his legacy just by highlighting one bit of hyperbole, but his on record expectations regarding how well Ralph Sampson would fare in the NBA has to set the tone for how you regard the career of the former Rockets big man. From Fran Blinebury's piece on Ralph , here's Patterson's quote: "Sampson is not going to be the player of the decade. He's going to be the player of the century -- the century. Ralph will dominate the league and change basketball. Forget about every other big man you've ever heard about. This is the guy who will be better than them all." Nearly three decades later, we're well aware that Sampson hasn't turned into "the player of the century." And we highlight this quote not to embarrass Sampson, as he prepares to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday, but to highlight just how significant his talents were, and point out the endless amounts of nonsense that dogged a frustrating NBA career.