Jerry Krause passed away on Tuesday at the age of 77. He will forever be remembered as the man who built one of the greatest dynasties in the history of American sports, even if he didn’t get enough credit while he was alive. His omission from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is a travesty; one that will hopefully be remedied this year. Krause is on the ballot again in the contributor category, and his death will likely be the final push he needs to get enough votes. It’s undeniably sad that he won’t get to enjoy that moment when his name is finally called. In this case, “better late than never” won’t really apply.
Krause accomplished so much in his long career, serving as a scout for both the NBA and MLB before being named general manager of the Chicago Bulls in 1985. Jerry was never the most popular guy in the Bulls locker room, and he constantly felt disrespected and shunned by the players and coaches who benefited from all of his hard work. The friction between Krause and his two most important employees – Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson – was no secret to the public.
Many Bulls fans still blame Krause for the breakup of the dynasty without knowing all of the facts. Jackson had already decided he was leaving before the quest for their second threepeat began in the fall of 1997. Dennis Rodman’s body was falling apart. So was Luc Longley’s. The role players around the Big Three were hitting free agency and the Bulls couldn’t afford to pay them. Jordan was open to playing another year, but required a massive one-year contract that would’ve eaten up a huge portion of the team’s cap space. Scottie Pippen didn’t want to stay without Michael or Phil.
Keeping the band together was impossible, but for some reason fans still blamed Krause. Perhaps because the public already saw him as the organization’s punching bag; a short, chubby guy whom Jordan nicknamed “Crumbs” for his poor eating habits and slovenly appearance. Back in the good ol’ days, it was hard for fans to side with anyone other than MJ. The man was a living god in Chicago. If he hated Krause, we had to hate him too. By default. It was misguided hate and frustration from a fanbase that so badly wanted to see the dynasty continue.
Now that Krause is gone and so much time has passed, it’s necessary to remember and appreciate all of his work that made the dynasty possible. In honor of his memory, let’s look back at some of Jerry’s best moves as general manager of the Bulls during the ’80s and ’90s.
Counting down the Top 10:
10. Signed John Paxson & Ron Harper
Finding a point guard who can play alongside the best shooting guard in the game is no easy task, but Krause hit it out of the park twice. That’s why there’s a tie at #10.
In October of 1985, just six months into his GM job, Jerry signed free agent John Paxson. Upon Paxson’s arrival, Jordan was being placed on the shelf with the broken foot he suffered at the beginning of his second season. When MJ returned later that season, he and Paxson initially clashed in the backcourt. But Paxson adjusted to Jordan, who demanded the ball much more than the average shooting guard. On some possessions, he initiated the triangle offense. On others, he served as an off-guard around the perimeter for a kick-out when MJ or Pippen drove and were double-teamed. And of course – most importantly – sometimes he swallowed his pride and just let Jordan be Jordan.
Paxson wasn’t a hot commodity after his first two NBA seasons in San Antonio. But like so many other times throughout his career, Krause saw something special that other scouts or managers didn’t. Paxson spent nine seasons in Chicago, playing a crucial role on the first three championship teams. Despite fans’ current frustrations with Pax in his front office position, no one will ever forget: “Paxson…Yaaas! He hit the 3!”
In the fall of 1994, with Jordan playing baseball and John Paxson readying for retirement, Krause signed free agent guard Ron Harper. Krause loved Harper for his length, athleticism and defensive prowess. He wasn’t a great range shooter, but he was deadly from midrange and could attack the basket and distribute beautifully in traffic.
Upon Jordan’s return in 1995, Harper – just like Paxson – took a back seat to his backcourt teammate. Harper was used to being a primary scorer on his previous teams in Los Angeles and Cleveland. But between Jordan and Pippen’s touches, Harper’s scoring numbers fell dramatically in Chicago. He didn’t complain, just played his role. With all of their length and tenacity, MJ, Pip and Harper created the league’s most maddeningly stingy perimeter defense that helped the team to its second threepeat. And Krause was right to love Harper’s toughness, despite having the dreaded ACL tear on his injury resume. Ron played 80, 76 and 82 regular season games in those threepeat years.
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