5. Traded Charles Oakley For Bill Cartwright
Jordan fought Krause hard on this one. Jordan and Charles Oakley had become not just in-sync teammates but very good friends off the court. But in the summer of 1988, Krause traded Oakley to the New York Knicks for veteran center Bill Cartwright.
Cartwright wanted a change of scenery after years of playing behind Patrick Ewing in New York. The Bulls had long coveted a legitimate starting center who could score in the low post and shore up the interior defense. Oakley was a superb rebounder (he led the NBA in total rebounds in ’87 and ’88) but he was only 6’8. At 7’1, Cartwright gave the Bulls some much-needed size and toughness to contend with the giants (McHale, Parish, Laimbeer, Mahorn) of Eastern Conference powerhouses Boston and Detroit.
Jordan may have hated the trade at the time, but he has since admitted it was the right move. If Krause doesn’t pull the trigger on that deal and finally get the Bulls a reliable center, odds are they don’t get that first threepeat.
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