Chicago Bulls: Former GM Jerry Krause Deserved More Credit For Title Years

Former Chicago Bulls GM Jerry Krause passed away Tuesday at the age of 77. It’s unfortunate that he never received his due credit for the Bulls teams that won six titles in eight seasons during the 1990s.

Former Chicago Bulls general manager, Jerry Krause, recently passed away at the age of 77 after battling multiple health issues, per Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson.

When you think about the Chicago Bulls, you think about the 1990s — a period in which the team from the Windy City finally came into its own.

In looking back at those glory years, it would be easy to remember having the greatest player to grace the basketball court in Michael Jordan along with a versatile point forward in Scottie Pippen.

But there was more to those teams than the players on the court. Jerry Krause, who began his tenure with the team in 1985, played a crucial role in assembling a core of players that Bulls fans came to see and root for on a nightly basis.

"“The entire Bulls organization is deeply saddened by the passing of Jerry Krause,” Reinsdorf said in a statement, via ESPN. “Jerry was one of the hardest working guys I have ever been around, and he was one of the best talent evaluators ever. Jerry played an integral role in our run of six championships in eight years. He truly was the architect of all our great teams in the ’90s. I would not have been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame if it were not for Jerry.”"

Being that Jordan was an amazing talent, Krause knew he would have to find the right kind of players to build around the team’s superstar if the Bulls were going to become a legitimate title contender.

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That being said, Krause began the Bulls’ long journey toward championship glory by acquiring John Paxson from the San Antonio Spurs, who at the time, owed the Bulls $200,000.

"“I said to the Spurs, ‘Keep it and let me take Paxson,’ ” Krause told the Chicago Tribune, recalling one of his first transactions. “They said, ‘Done.’“That’s some of the best money we ever spent.”"

In 1987, Krause executed a draft-day trade to acquire the rights to Pippen in exchange for Olden Polynice. Krause also selected Horace Grant out of Clemson.

Although Krause had netted a group of players who would become an integral part of the Bulls first trio of championships, he wasn’t done yet.

The following year, Krause made an unpopular move by trading Charles Oakley to the New York Knicks for Bill Cartwright. This became the starting lineup of the team that would eventually realize its championship potential.

Now that Krause had the players he wanted, he had to put the right coaches in place to get the most out of those talented players, correct?

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In 1986, Krause hired Doug Collins, who did not have any prior coaching experience, and would later bring on Phil Jackson to serve on Collins’ staff. The Bulls reached their pinnacle under Collins’ direction when the team advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1989.

Krause then made the decision to replace Collins with Jackson, while adding two notable assistant coaches to the fold — Tex Winter and Johnny Bach.

Winter helped implement the triangle offense, while Bach was the NBA version of a defensive coordinator during the team’s first three-peat.

Although Jackson guided the Bulls to their second conference finals appearance in as many seasons, the Bulls fell to the Detroit Pistons in seven games.

After being eliminated from the playoffs by the Pistons in three consecutive years (1988-90), the Bulls finally got past their nemesis in 1991 on their way to winning the first of six championships.

Krause would later acquire solid role players that helped the Bulls win another trio of titles from 1996-98. The list included Toni Kukoc,  Steve Kerr, Ron Harper and the rebounding machine known as Dennis Rodman, just to name a few.

Aside from the Boston Celtics (who won eight straight titles from 1959-66) and the Los Angeles Lakers (who won five titles during the 1980s) — no team had dominated an era the way the Bulls ruled the ’90s.

However, in spite of the team’s success during those title years, Krause never got the credit he so richly deserved for putting together a team that went on to win six titles in the span of eight seasons.

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Krause is a finalist for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in the contributor category and his status will be revealed next month. Once can only hope he will be awarded with an honor that was due to him many years ago, even if he is not here to enjoy it.