Warriors Trade Sampson to Sacramento for Petersen

The Golden State Warriors, who described Ralph Sampson as a franchise player when they acquired him two years ago, traded him to the Sacramento Kings Wednesday night for journeyman forward-center Jim Petersen.

The trade relieves the Warriors of Sampson’s huge salary and a player who didn’t fit into their plans, and gives guard-strong Sacramento a front line of Sampson, Waymon Tisdale and No. 1 draft pick Pervis Ellison.

“The tough part of the trade is you always lose a player, and in this case it is especially tough because we lost an outstanding player who is also a terrific person,” Sacramento Coach Jerry Reynolds said.

“As for acquiring Ralph, I’m extremely thrilled. I know he’ll make a valuable contribution to our team.”

The 7-foot-4 Sampson has been dogged by knee injuries ever since he arrived from Houston with Steve Harris in a December 1987 trade for Joe Barry Carroll and Eric (Sleepy) Floyd. He averaged just 9.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 22.7 minutes in 90 games as a Warrior.

Last spring, Golden State General Manager and Coach Don Nelson said the 1989-90 season would be “Sampson’s year.” But the former University of Virginia star never fit into the Warriors’ small-sized, up-tempo style, and the summer acquisitions of 7-footers Alton Lister and Uwe Blab made him even more expendable.

“There’s a time to hang on and a time to let go,” Nelson said during a news conference at the Oakland Coliseum Arena. “It just seemed like the time to let go and go another way with our ballclub.”

The 6-10 Petersen, who has averaged 8.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in five years with the Rockets and Kings, will miss the first month or two of the regular season after undergoing surgery to remove scar tissue from his right knee on Sept. 18. He has begun a rehabilitation program and is scheduled to participate in on-court basketball drills by mid-November.

The trade is contingent upon both players passing physicals to the satisfaction of their new clubs, but Nelson professed no concern that either would fail.

“What I like about Petersen is his big body,” Nelson said. “He doesn’t try to do things that are out of his ability. He sets a good screen, has a good sense of timing.

“I’m not going to tell you that we’re going to get a superstar, or make somebody into a superstar . . . He’s a journeyman who knows how to play well.”

Petersen, 27, is a Minneapolis native and product of the University of Minnesota. A third-round draft pick by Houston in the 1984 NBA draft, he spent his first four seasons primarily as a backup to the Rockets’ “Twin Towers” of Akeen Olajuwon and Sampson.

He was traded with Rodney McCray to Sacramento for Otis Thorpe last Oct. 11. Last season, he started 40 times in 66 games and averaged 10.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 24.7 minutes a game.

Nelson said neither Sampson’s hefty salary nor his knees were a factor in the trade.

“When I say Ralph’s going to have a good year, I’m serious,” Nelson said. “Can Ralph get back to playing the way that he did four or five years ago? I believe he can--close to that. I don’t know that he’ll ever be the same because he is older, but I think he can have those kinds of years again.”