There are good interviews, and there are great interviews. Earlier today, The Vertical‘s Adrian Wojnarowksi dropped his latest podcast with guest Jerry Krause, general manager and architect of the Bulls during the 1990s dynasty. A few weeks ago, Wojnarowski posted a video essay on Twitter, arguing that Krause’s omission from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is the worst omission in professional sports. They talk about that and much more, as Krause shared stories and insights about Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson and the rest of the pieces that went into making one of the greatest dynasties in sports history.
Let’s dive into some of the best material, starting with one of Krause’s more famously disputed decisions relating to Jordan.
“I Was Afraid”
Just three games into his second NBA season (which was Krause’s first full season as the team’s GM) Michael broke his foot. He missed 64 games, but was eager to come back. Jerry, following the advice of the five different doctors he consulted, urged Michael not to come back that season. In Krause’s mind, that marked the beginning of the disconnect between himself and his franchise player.
“All five [doctors] said, ‘Don’t play him. Jerry, don’t let him play.’ …I didn’t want him to play. Michael, being Michael, said. ‘That’s nuts. I’m going to play.’ …There was a line between Michael and I at that point. I said, ‘Michael, you work for this team. I work for this team. We are employees of this team.’ He didn’t like that. He got mad when I said that.” – Jerry Krause
When Jordan insisted on coming back, the same doctors told Krause to limit him to 10-15 minutes per game. Krause relayed those instructions to coach Stan Albeck, who followed orders and eased Michael back into action. To this day, Krause is relieved that MJ didn’t re-break the bone in his foot.
“Thank God. If Michael had broken that foot again, today [we’d be saying], ‘Who was that guy, he played a year or two with the Bulls? Yeah, I remember him. But he never played after that.’ And that’s what I was afraid of. I was afraid that he’d break that thing again. And I was afraid that I would be the guy who gave him permission to break it. And I didn’t want to be that human being. Because I could see greatness in the young man.” – Jerry Krause
Something Special
Krause expanded upon that last point about greatness, and highlighted the competitive drive he saw in Michael from the beginning.
“I could see a drive in him that was different. There are very, very few people I’ve ever known who had a drive in them like Michael had…The arrogance that he carried with him was a plus, because he knew that he could do things that other people couldn’t do.” – Jerry Krause
Bulls fans know all about the magical things Jordan could do on the basketball court. Sure, skill and athleticism were key to his greatness. But people often overlook just how physically tough he was. Krause told one story in particular that really shed light on exactly how tough the guy was. And guess what? It’s also a foot story. Weak stomachs beware…
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