Probably one of the most controversial figures in Chicago sports history is Jerry Krause. The late former GM of the Chicago Bulls had a major hand in building the dynasty of the 1990s. He brought in Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant for the first three-peat. Then he rebuilt the team with Dennis Rodman and Toni Kukoc for the second. His eye for talent was undeniable. Yet he’s reviled by fans to this day. Why?
For the first time, people got a closer look during the first two episodes of “The Last Dance” documentary for ESPN covering the Bulls’ 1997-1998 run to their sixth and final championship. Krause was at the center of it, and not in a good way. Owner Jerry Reinsdorf revealed that the GM was anxious to start rebuilding what he felt was an aging team that was out of gas. Bad blood had developed already and it was only getting worse.
Phil Jackson barely spoke to him anymore. Michael Jordan made fun of him openly on several occasions. Yet none had a bigger ax to grind that Scottie Pippen. The Hall of Fame forward was severely underpaid going into that season. So one can imagine the disrespect he felt when Krause openly admitted he’d entertained trade offers for him. This led to a lot of animosity including some ugly words spoken between the two.
Jerry Krause couldn’t get out of his own way
The explanation regarding Krause was that he had a fatal flaw. He was a brilliant talent evaluator. However, his ability to connect with people was a glaring weakness. He saw players and coaches as nothing more than cogs in a machine he could replace and move around at will. Combine that with a severe inferiority complex? It’s little wonder he developed a massive case of jealousy of Jordan, Pippen, and Jackson.
In the end, he got his way. After the 1998 title victory, all three men were gone along with Rodman. Krause got his clean slate to rebuild the team in his image. It turned out that players and coaches weren’t the gears he’d thought. The Bulls failed to win more than 30 games in any of the remaining seasons he was the GM. Jackson went on to win five more titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. Pippen had lots of success in Portland with the Trailblazers. Jordan finished up his career with the Wizards.
No one will ever know how much further that trio could’ve gone had Krause tried to retool around them for a little longer.
