Rugged center Chris Dudley is consistently one of the NBA's better rebounders and shotblockers--and one of its worst free throw shooters. Although his inside play has been crucial to playoff teams in New Jersey, Portland and New York, Dudley is perhaps best known for the awkward free throw motion that has produced a sub-.500 career percentage.
After playing high school ball at Solana Beach, California, Dudley attended Yale, following his parents, grandfather and uncle at the prestigious Ivy League school. In four years at Yale he averaged 12.7 points and 9.5 rebounds and was a three-time First Team All-Ivy League selection. He led his team in scoring and rebounding in his junior and senior seasons, and he finished second all-time at Yale in rebounding. As a senior, Dudley averaged 17.8 points and 13.3 rebounds and was second in the nation in rebounding behind Pittsburgh's Jerome Lane.
Only the sixth Yale graduate ever drafted, Dudley was taken by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the fourth round (75th pick overall) of the 1987 NBA Draft. He served as a backup to Brad Daugherty in his first two seasons. Midway through the 1989-90 season he was traded to the New Jersey Nets for two draft choices. Although Dudley established himself as a strong figure in the post, his foul shooting problems did not help his cause. In 1988-89 he shot .364 from the line on 39-of-107 shooting; in 1989-90 he posted a .319 free throw percentage (58-of-182). Since then he has shot between .446 and .535 from the stripe in each season. Dudley drew more than 20 starting assignments in each of his next two seasons with New Jersey (1990-91 and 1991-92). He ranked among the league leaders in blocked shots both years while averaging a combined 8.7 rebounds, despite splitting time in the pivot with Sam Bowie. In 1992-93 Dudley was named the Nets' Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season after averaging a remarkable 7.2 rebounds and 1.45 blocked shots in only 19.7 minutes per game. A foot injury kept him out of the playoffs that season.
Dudley became a free agent in 1993 and signed with the Portland Trail Blazers. His first season with the Blazers was a washout, as he fractured his left ankle early in the 1993-94 campaign and missed all but six games. He bounced back to start all 82 games for Portland in 1994-95 and ranked 17th in the league in both rebounding (a career-high 9.3 rpg) and shotblocking (1.54 blocks per game). His 325 offensive rebounds represented the third-highest total in the league. Dudley had another strong season for Portland in 1995-96, splitting time in the pivot with star rookie Arvydas Sabonis and leading the team in rebounding (9.0 rpg) and blocked shots (1.25 bpg), ranking among the top 25 in the NBA in both categories. He played the same role in 1996-97, sharing time in the pivot with Sabonis and averaging 7.3 rebounds and 1.19 blocks to rank second on the club in both categories behind the Lithuanian center.
In the summer of 1997 Dudley exercised an opt-out clause in his contract to become a free agent, then re-signed with the Blazers only to be traded to New York in a three-way deal that also involved Toronto on October 10, 1997. He played in 51 games for the Knicks, making 22 starts in place of an injured Patrick Ewing, but missed the season's final 28 games due to a fractured fifth metatarsal of the right foot. With Ewing missing 12 games during the 1998-99 regular season and nine in the playoffs due to injury, Dudley again proved a valuable presence with his defense and rebounding. He played in 46 games and made 16 starts during the regular season, then appeared in 18 of 20 playoff games and made six starts as the Knicks went to the NBA Finals.
1999-2000 NOTES
Dudley grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds in a 96-81 loss in Phoenix on 11/19.
1998-99 NOTES
Dudley played in 46 games for New York, starting 16 games, 12 at center while Patrick Ewing was injured and four at power forward. He was a DNP-CD four times. He averaged 2.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.83 blocks shots in 14.9 minutes per game, shooting .440 from the field and .475 from the free throw line. He was third on the team in shotblocking and tied for fifth in rebounding. In his 16 starts, he averaged 3.6 points and 6.9 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per game. He led the Knicks off the glass six times, recording five double-figure rebounding games. He took down a season-high 13 boards against Charlotte on March 14, with seven points and two blocks in 33 minutes as New York's starting center. He also grabbed 11 rebounds at Milwaukee on March 15 and 10 against Orlando on March 18, giving him three double-figure performances in four games, all starts. He scored a season-high 10 points at Washington on April 14 and a season-high four blocks against Philadelphia on April 13.
Dudley had a key block against Alonzo Mourning in the Knicks' 82-80 comeback win at Miami on April 25, winning the Knicks six of the last eight games and securing the final Eastern Conference Playoff berth. Dudley started four games in that crucial period and twice had double-figure rebounds, collecting 12 at Charlotte on April 26 and 11 in the season finale against Miami on May 5. Dudley appeared in 18 of the Knicks' 20 playoff games, making six starts at center in place of the injured Patrick Ewing -- the last four games of the Conference Finals against Indiana and the first two games of the NBA Finals against San Antonio. He averaged 2.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game, shooting .421 from the field and .393 from the free throw line. He had eight rebounds in 17 minutes in Game 4 against Indiana.
Dudley averaged 6.9 rpg and 1.13 bpg in 16 starts, and posted 7 points and game-highs of 12 rebounds and 3 blocked shots in a 91-84 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on April 26. He grabbed his 5,000th career rebound, totaling 4 points and 7 rebounds, against the Detroit Pistons on April 16, and averaged 4.8 ppg, 10.0 rpg and 2.00 bpg as the Knicks won three-of-four games from March 14 to March 18. He recorded 7 points and a game-high 13 rebounds in a 94-86 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on March 14.
1997-98 NOTES
Dudley was acquired by New York in a three-way deal involving Toronto and Portland on October 10, 1997, in hopes of giving veteran Patrick Ewing some rest. He was pressed into starting duty after Ewing broke his right wrist, then missed the final 28 games of the season himself due to a fractured fifth metatarsal of the right foot. He suffered the injury in the third quarter of a game against Golden State on February 24 and spent the remainder of the regular season on the injured list.
In 51 games with the Knicks, including 22 starts, Dudley averaged 3.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.00 blocked shots in 16.8 minutes per game. He was New York's fourth-leading rebounder and second-leading shotblocker. He shot .406 from the field and .446 from the foul line, his poorest free throw shooting mark since 1989-90. He led the Knicks in rebounding 11 times and reached double figures eight times, including a season-high 13 boards against Boston on January 19. He posted a pair of double-doubles, getting 10 points and 11 rebounds at Toronto on November 12 and 10 points and 10 rebounds against Vancouver on November 23. The 10 points were a season high.
Though he had one of his poorest seasons from the foul line, Dudley sank a pair of clutch free throws with 51.7 seconds left in an 89-83 win over Miami on February 1, swishing the first and then banking the second in off the glass. Coming back from his broken foot, Dudley appeared in six playoff games for New York, making three starts. He averaged 1.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game.
1996-97 NOTES
Dudley once again teamed with Arvydas Sabonis at center, ranking second on the team behind Sabonis in rebounding and blocked shots with 7.3 rebounds and 1.19 blocks per game. He played in 81 games, making 14 starts, and averaged 3.9 ppg. Dudley reached double figures in rebounds 18 times and led the team off the boards in 27 games. He grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds Chicago on Feb. 4. He scored a season-high 12 points in a 120-84 loss at Toronto on Jan. 28, one of five double-figure scoring performances, and blocked a season-high five shots in a 98-70 defeat at Golden State on Dec. 1. In Portland's four playoff games, Dudley averaged 3.0 points and team-highs of 7.0 rebounds and 1.25 blocks in 17.3 minutes per game. He grabbed 11 rebounds in Game 1 against the Lakers and scored eight points and had seven rebounds in Game 2.
1995-96 NOTES
Dudley led Portland in rebounding (9.0 rpg) and blocked shots (1.25 bpg) in 1995-96, when he split time at center with rookie Arvydas Sabonis. He ranked 21st in the NBA in rebounding and 25th in blocked shots. Dudley started 61 of 80 games played, although he gave way to Sabonis as the starter late in the season, and averaged 24.1 minutes per game. He also averaged 5.1 points per game, matching his career scoring average. Dudley led the Blazers in rebounding in 42 games and reached double figures 31 times, with a season-high 19 at Charlotte on Dec. 14. He scored a season-high 13 points against Washington on Dec. 17 and blocked a season-high six shots at Minnesota on Nov. 10. He had a key block of an Alonzo Mourning shot at the buzzer to preserve a one-point Portland victory over Miami on Jan. 10. Dudley averaged 2.8 ppg and 5.4 rpg in the Blazers' five-game playoff series against Utah. He grabbed a playoff career-high 10 rebounds in Game 1 and matched his playoff career-high with six points in Game 2. Dudley was the winner of the prestigious J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in recognition of his off-court contributions.
1994-95 NOTES
Dudley was the man in the middle all season for the Portland Trail Blazers, as well as one of the better rebounders in the league. He started all 82 games and averaged 5.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.54 blocks. He finished 17th in the league in both rebounding and blocked shots. Portland led the league in rebounding, and Dudley was the best on the squad. His total of 325 offensive rebounds was third highest in the league, ranking him behind only the Dallas MavericksΓÇÖ Popeye Jones and the Orlando MagicΓÇÖs Shaquille OΓÇÖNeal.
On December 14, Dudley grabbed a season-high 20 boards against the Los Angeles Clippers. On February 15, he scored a season-high 17 points and pulled down 17 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns. For the year, he shot .406 from the field and .464 from the line, his lowest free-throw percentage since he posted his infamous .319 mark in 1989-90. The Blazers finished the season at 44-38 and met the Suns in the first round of the playoffs. Portland lost in three games, and Dudley averaged only 2.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in the series.
1993-94 NOTES
The summer of 1993 did not offer much rest for Dudley. An unrestricted free agent, he signed a six-year contract with the Portland Trail Blazers on August 3. The terms, however, allowed for Dudley to opt out of his contract after one year to test the lucrative free-agent market, a provision the NBA felt was an attempt by the Trail Blazers to circumvent the leagueΓÇÖs salary cap. The NBA contested the contract, but it was eventually upheld.
In a November 9 contest against the Los Angeles Lakers, Dudley pulled down three rebounds in the first four minutes of the game and then fractured his left ankle. He missed the next 77 games before returning to action for the final two regular-season contests on April 22 and 24. He also appeared in all four of PortlandΓÇÖs playoff games, scoring 9 total points and hauling in 15 rebounds. The Blazers lost to the Houston Rockets, three games to one.
1992-93 NOTES
This was DudleyΓÇÖs last season with the Nets, and it was a bittersweet one. Contract talks with the Nets stalled repeatedly, even as DudleyΓÇÖs career continued to blossom under new head coach Chuck Daly. The Nets were 11-5 with Dudley in the starting lineup, and Daly loved his work ethic. The major flaw in DudleyΓÇÖs game was his inability to make free throws, his career percentage up to this point was .450 but Daly often bit the bullet because he wanted Dudley in the lineup for his defense and rebounding. The Nets had plenty of offense with Derrick Coleman, Drazen Petrovic, Kenny Anderson, and Chris Morris.
Averaging 19.7 minutes over 71 appearances, Dudley contributed 3.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.45 blocked shots per game. He tied a career rebounding high with 21 boards against the New York Knicks on February 28 and was named the NetsΓÇÖ Defensive Player of the Year for a second straight season, but with almost 12 games left in the campaign, Dudley suffered a season-ending stress fracture in his right foot and didnΓÇÖt suit up as a Net again. He signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers on August 3.
1991-92 NOTES
Dudley was on hand to see the Nets make the playoffs for the first time since 1986. He was an iron horse for the club, appearing in every game as the Nets went 21-14 after the All-Star break to meet Cleveland in a first-round playoff series. The Cavs won the series, three games to one, but DudleyΓÇÖs stock was climbing rapidly. For the season, he led the Nets in rebounding (739) and averaged a career-best 9.0 rebounds. He blocked 7 shots against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 3, posted double figures in rebounding 33 times, and notched nine double-doubles. He scored a season-high 16 points versus the Golden State Warriors on March 28 and grabbed a season-high 19 rebounds against the Boston Celtics on February 25.
1990-91 NOTES
Dudley averaged a career-high 25.5 minutes this season, and with rookie Derrick Coleman in the fold, the Nets led the league in blocked shots with 600, 153 of them belonging to Dudley. Victories didnΓÇÖt come easily for the Nets, who finished at 26-56 despite DudleyΓÇÖs 7.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.51 blocked shots per game. He ranked fifth in the NBA in blocked shots and had 6 in a game on seven occasions. He played in 59 consecutive games to open the season before a bruised right thigh sidelined him for 21 contests. Midway through the season the Nets acquired Drazen Petrovic from the Portland Trail Blazers, and he and Dudley went on to develop a friendship. When Petrovic was killed in an auto accident in the spring of 1993, Dudley was one of two New Jersey players to travel to Croatia for the funeral.
1989-90 NOTES
Dudley became part of a busy February in Cleveland, during which the Cavs acquired Derrick Chievous from the Houston Rockets, traded Randolph Keys to the Charlotte Hornets, placed Reggie Williams on waivers, and shipped Dudley to the New Jersey Nets on February 21. It was the biggest break of DudleyΓÇÖs career. He had been in a logjam with the talented Cleveland front line, but the Nets didnΓÇÖt possess that kind of beef and put Dudley to work immediately. They wanted him to split time with oft-injured Sam Bowie, whoΓÇÖd been acquired during the summer in a trade for Buck Williams.
In 27 games with the Nets, Dudley averaged 6.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.15 blocked shots. He ranked second on the Nets in blocked shots and led the club eight times in that category. He pulled down a then career-high 20 rebounds in a game against the Orlando Magic on April 22. The season also had its low moments for Dudley however, on April 14 he missed 17 of 18 free throws in a 124-113 loss to the Indiana Pacers. In that game he broke Wilt ChamberlainΓÇÖs NBA record by missing 13 straight free throws, one of them an airball. Dudley wound up with a league-worst .319 free-throw percentage.
1988-89 NOTES
DudleyΓÇÖs 61 games were 6 more than he had played the previous season, and his statistics were similar: averages of 3.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 8.9 minutes per game. He again projected as the CavsΓÇÖ No. 1 rebounder over 48 minutes at 13.9 boards per game. He yanked down 12 rebounds on March 7 against the Kings at Sacramento and led the club in rebounding on four occasions. After having shot .563 from the free-throw line as a rookie, Dudley stumbled to a .364 mark in 1988-89. It marked the first of two straight seasons in which he would shoot better from the field than from the foul line.
On January 29, in a 122-117 loss to the Washington Bullets, Dudley missed five straight free-throw attempts on one trip to the charity stripe. This season the Cavs played the best basketball in the 19-year history of their franchise, finishing at 57-25 and tying the Los Angeles Lakers for the second-best record in the league. The club was known for its shotblocking front line of Larry Nance, Brad Daugherty, and John ΓÇ£Hot RodΓÇ¥ Williams; Dudley pitched in as well with 23 blocks for the season. There was great optimism as Cleveland faced the Chicago Bulls in the opening round of the playoffs for the second consecutive year and great dismay when, for the second consecutive year, they were ousted in five games.
1987-88 NOTES
The Cleveland Cavaliers went for wiry Chris Dudley in the fourth round of the 1987 NBA Draft on the strength of his fine numbers as a Yale senior. Dudley averaged 17.6 points that season on .569 shooting and was second in the nation in rebounding (13.3 rpg) behind PittsburghΓÇÖs Jerome Lane. He posted only a .512 mark from the free-throw line during his college career however, a sign of things to come as a professional.
At the beginning of his first NBA season, Dudley and Mark West served as backups to Brad Daugherty in the Cleveland frontcourt. DudleyΓÇÖs playing time increased when West was shipped to the Phoenix Suns midway through the season; he played in 26 of 28 games after that transaction. In 55 games Dudley averaged 3.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in 9.3 minutes. A 48-minute projection of DudleyΓÇÖs rebounding put him at a team-high 13.5 boards per contest. He shot .522 from the field in the final 11 games, posted a season-high 14 points versus the Bucks at Milwaukee on February 9, and pulled down a season-high 10 rebounds on two occasions against Milwaukee on November 11 and at Phoenix on February 25 in his lone start of the season.
