I present to you the all-time NBA team of Ivy Leaguers.
STARTING FIVE
■Forward, Bill Bradley (1967-77). Knicks. Princeton 1965. 6 feet 5 inches.
I mean, duh. Without question one of the top 10, perhaps even top five college players of all-time, the future United States Senator needed a little time before settling into his role with the Knicks. Once it was determined that he was not an NBA guard, he became a clever small forward and a key member of the 1970 and 1973 champion Knicks. An excellent midrange shooter, a superior passer and a dogged defender, Bradley attained folk hero status as the team’s indispensable glue guy. His career average of 12.1 points per game does not begin to state his value.
■Forward, Rudy LaRusso (1959-69). Lakers, Warriors. Dartmouth 1959. 6 feet 7 inches.
I can still hear Johnny Most ranting about “Roughhouse Rudy!’’ Well, maybe not. “He wasn’t so tough,’’ recalled Tom Heinsohn. “And he was a ‘fish’ on defense the first couple of years. But he was a much better offensive player than people remember. One night Elgin [Baylor] didn’t play, and Rudy got 50.’’ Correct, Tommy. That was on March 14, 1962, against the Hawks. LaRusso was a four-time All-Star with career averages of 15.6 points and 9.6 rebounds.
■Center, Chris Dudley (1987-2003). Cavaliers, Nets, Trail Blazers, Knicks. Yale 1987. 6 feet 11 inches.
Not exactly an elegant player, with career averages of 3.9 points and 6.2 rebounds a game, Dudley took up very useful space in the middle for 16 years. He could block shots, and in 1991-92, he led the league in offensive rebound percentage. Of course, there was that little problem at the free throw line (career .457). As a rookie, he was nicknamed “Quag’’ by Cavs general manager Wayne Embry, as in, “He rises out of the quagmire to get his rebounds.’’
■Guard, Geoff Petrie (1970-76). Trail Blazers. Princeton 1970. 6 feet 4 inches.
