Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 9, 1994 TAG: 9409090066
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: PHILADELPHIA LENGTH: Medium
Sixers general manager John Lucas said the 7-foot-4 Sampson will be in Philadelphia for two days of workouts beginning Sept. 28. Lucas will decide whether to invite Sampson to training camp after the workouts.
``We'll bring him in for a look - just to look and see,'' Lucas said.
Sampson, 34, was riddled with knee injuries in the late 1980s and has not played in the NBA since the 1991-92 season, when he struggled to get up and down the court with Washington.
Sampson's knees have improved and he has gained 20 pounds since he left the NBA, said Sampson's agent Alan Dial. Sampson has been working with trainer Mackie Shilstone.
``He's not the Ralph Sampson he was in the last year or so in the NBA,'' Dial said. ``He's moving good. ... He's developed a nice jump hook, and he's knocking down his intermediate jumper, too.''
Sampson contacted Lucas, a former teammate in Houston, and five other teams about making a final comeback, said Dial, who refused to name the other teams interested.
If Sampson sticks with the Sixers, he would back up 7-foot-6 center Shawn Bradley. Sampson said he wants to go to a team where he will contribute rather than sit on the bench.
Sampson last played in 1992 in Europe, before joining the staff of Lefty Driesell at James Madison as an assistant for the 1992-93 season.
Sampson averaged more than 20 points in his first three seasons with the Houston Rockets after he was the top pick in the 1983 draft. He averaged 15.4 points per game for his career.
by CNB