The Bulls’ Ring of Honor night was ill-conceived and hastily put together from the very start. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were the headliners, but neither was ever going to show up because they hate each other. By picking a game in the middle of January for the ceremony, the Bulls also risked weather-related travel issues, which was exactly the reason Dennis Rodman couldn’t be in attendance either as a winter storm pounded Chicago. The absence of the three most iconic players to ever wear a Bulls jersey would have been embarrassing enough on its own, but instead this Ring of Honor night drew headlines around the world for something far more unnerving.
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The Bulls should have seen this coming. Krause has long been considered the man who broke up the Bulls’ dynasty in 1998 because that’s the way Jordan, Pippen, and head coach Phil Jackson wanted it told. Pippen loathed Krause because he viewed him as the man who wouldn’t give him a new contract despite knowing he was criminally underpaid. The relationship between Jackson and Krause soured even more, leading to the legendary coach announcing 1997-1998 would be his final season with the team before the year started. Jordan was caught in the middle knowing he needed Pippen and Jackson to win titles, forcing him into a second early retirement even though he wasn’t ready to walk away from the game.
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In reality, Krause would be celebrated as one of the greatest team-builders in NBA history. Krause became the team’s general manager in the 1985-86 season one year after the franchise drafted Jordan. His first move was to hire Tex Winter, the creator of the Triangle Offense and one of the top tactical minds the league had ever seen, as an assistant coach. A couple years later, he fired head coach Doug Collins and chose to promote his young assistant, Phil Jackson, to the lead chair.
During the 1987 NBA Draft, Krause made a bold, risky trade that turned into a masterstroke. He traded the rights to No. 8 overall pick Olden Polynice and future draft assets to the Seattle SuperSonics to acquire the rights to No. 5 overall pick Scottie Pippen. The Bulls also owned the No. 10 pick in that draft, which they kept it to select Clemson power forward Horace Grant. The next offseason, Krause traded MJ’s buddy Charles Oakley for center Bill Cartwright. The foundation for the first three championships had been set.
Following Jordan’s retirement in 1993 and comeback in 1995, Krause had to reshape the roster once again. Nearly every move he made was brilliant. He traded center Will Perdue to San Antonio for Dennis Rodman. He signed Ron Harper and Steve Kerr to free agent deals. He traded Stacey King for big man Luc Longley. He also brought in Toni Kukoc, his draft pick from 1990, and integrated him on a team with Jordan and Pippen despite the two stars resenting the “Croatian Sensation” due to Krause’s infatuation with him.
The Bulls won 72 games in 1995-1996, the all-time record at the time, to start another three-peat. The team walked away on a high note in 1998 with Jordan hitting the game-winning shot over Bryon Russell. It was a Hollywood ending for Jordan and the Bulls dynasty, only everyone involved still had more basketball in them. Their egos just all got in the way from it continuing in Chicago.
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The real villain of the Bulls dynasty is Jerry Reinsdorf, the penny-pinching, union-busting owner overseeing the franchise. Jordan may be fond of Reinsdorf because he paid him a record salary for his final seasons with the team, but Reinsdorf willingly made Krause his meat shield for all the decisions he really controlled. Reinsdorf is the reason the Bulls have lost their status as a glamour franchise in the years since the dynasty ended while wandering the abyss of mediocrity. Reinsdorf is the reason his other franchise, MLB’s Chicago White Sox, are one of the most hapless and humiliating organizations in their sport.
The hatred sent to Krause on Friday night should have been reserved for the other Jerry for 40 years of running Chicago sports franchises like small market teams. Unfortunately, billionaires tend to find a way to tell their own stories, and for Reinsdorf that meant making Krause the bad guy. Decades later, that narrative would lead to his widow shown in tears as the team attempted to honor its former championship architect.
Bulls fans are stupid and vile for booing Krause, but in truth they meant to boo his photo on the jumbotron, not his widow. That Thelma Krause got caught up in it only shows how poorly executed this entire event was.
This amounts to one big self-inflicted wound for the Bulls. They have no one to blame but themselves. The franchise rushed to plan the ceremony, didn’t put enough thought into who would attend and how it would be received, and ended up putting on huge stain on its only era of greatness.
That the day ended in another Bulls loss to a sinking Warriors team was the perfect closing note. It was a night emblematic of the low-rent organization Reinsdorf has let the Bulls become since the dynasty ended. The blood on those horns remains as fresh as ever, but unfortunately the Bulls can’t stop mauling themselves.
by sewsgup
20 Comments
What makes no sense to me is how much value is lost from being stingy with these valuable franchises. You have to think that a slightly more expensive championship Bulls would easily return that value in ticket/merch sales, licensing, etc.
Most GMs and presidents take all the heat and flack for the owner being cheap, comes with the job.
The incessant need to find somebody to blame for only winning 6 rings is so bizzare
Krause got the right pieces. He got Pippen, Grant, Kukoc, Cartwright, Rodman and Phil. He’s the reason the dynasty got put together. Reinsdorf probably should get as much blame as Krause for blowing up the team.
Krause never got his credit for putting the team together. That dynasty doesn’t happen without him.
Hey, how about we all stoping hating on elderly and/or dead sports executives?
Sound hood?
To be fair to Chicago fans Reinsforf looked like George Steinbrenner if you compared him to Dollar Bill who almost drove the blackhawks to be in danger of folding purely out of stubbornness.
> Bulls fans are stupid and vile for booing Krause, but in truth they meant to boo his photo on the jumbotron, not his widow
So many bulls fans are complete meatheads and even boo’d Rose in his first game back in Chicago, and yes it was absolutely shameful to boo Krause in a ceremony meant to honor him, but I think it’s wrong to start this narrative that Chicagoans are evil people that boo at widows.
With mob mentality, it just takes a few drunk dumbasses not grasping the moment to start booing when they see Krause’s picture on the screen. Krause has been absolutely hated in Chicago for so long that it’s many peoples first reactions, especially following the Last Dance. I’m willing to bet that most of the dumbasses booing didnt think about the fact that he passed or simply forgot in the moment, and in no way did the crowd have the intent to boo his widowed wife.
As soon as she was shown on the screen, reality struck the crowd and everyone started cheering. It all happened in a matter of seconds, but unfortunately the damage was done and it’s become a national story.
Easily the most embarrassing moment of my Chicago fandom and it’s a shit situation, but I think people are going too far with this
Can’t wait for everyone to get over this non story
I find it really pathetic when someone takes the moral high ground of “how could you hate that man” to “you should definitely hate this other man and here’s why”. Sports journalism has no morals anymore, they should stop pretending.
In a strange way I think Krause saved/ bettered MJ’s legacy.
There’s very little chance the Bulls could’ve won in the lockout shortened, cramped ’99 season.
By retiring in ’98 MJ retired with an unbeaten record in the finals (which is what most people bring up).
If Krause hadn’t correctly foreseen that the Bulls roster was hanging on by a thread (& had irreconcilable disagreements with Bulls players & coach) they would’ve struggled the following year.
Even if they’d somehow made the finals they’d realistically have little chance against Duncan & Robinson.
That would’ve taken away from the narrative that MJ left the game ‘on top’ (Wizards years not withstanding).
It’s sports. There are no villains. If you’re an adult and calling people villains because over your favorite sports team you need to get into model airplanes or something.
Chicago fan here. We all fucking hate Reinsdorf
Tbh that’s who I thought they were booing lol
I wouldn’t be surprised if half mixed them up.
Seeing the picture / video of his widow crying has genuinely made me upset. They didn’t deserve that.
And you get a lot of young bandwagon basement dweller fans (not just Bulls) crying “respect is earned!” As some shithead excuse for them to be crap to others. But that ignores the golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. You may not immediately have to respect someone, but that doesn’t mean (1) don’t be a good person, regardless of respect; or (2) be an asshole.
People should be judged not just how they treat equals, but what is telling is how they treat those they don’t respect or view as a lesser (which is problematic in its own right).
Or just don’t hate the people that brought you 6 championships
Boo-hoo goddamn
Nah. As MJ and Scottie have always shown, it’s much easier to pick on the fat-looking goober.
Jerry and his son Michael Reinsdorf who has failed in his career at every step but was made the Bulls CEO at age 41 with no other front office experience.
Don’t worry. We hate Reinsdorf.