joehoo2
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« on: May 28, 2010, 12:52:47 pm » |
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know people are keying in on Wade's word. "Loyalty." Dwyane Wade suggested that the Bulls were not loyal because "hey, where is Jordan, where is Pippen?"
It goes back to the feud that reigned from 1990-98 between Jackson/Jordan and Krause. Krause wanted to control everything and was desperate for approval and credit. Jordan and Jackson viewed him as a fat geek who didn't nearly do as much to seal their championship fate as he thought. Both sides were wrong.
Jerry Krause traded for Pippen and Rodman in masterful deals. Without that, Jordan might have been what Lebron James has been in Cleveland. A great player all alone. So to that end, Jackson and Jordan were wrong.
Jordan still was the greatest player ever, so Krause was wrong to try to micromanage and take credit, when he could have been viewed as a swell guy for just stepping back and letting professionals work.
So here's the real story....
After years of feuding, Jackson went to Reinsdorf and said, "listen, I'm sick of Jerry. I want to run the team. Make me coach and GM or I'm leaving and Michael has told me he'll go if I go."
To that, Reinsdorf's reply was something along the lines of "Phil, you've made a lot of money here, if you're going to make demands like this, then you fan F off and walk for all I care."
Reinsdorf chose Krause.
Now, to say Krause was unnecessary is stupid. The Pippen trade alone was one of the greatest heists ever. The Rodman trade was needed for the second run.
But, by fall 97, Reinsdorf could have re-assigned Krause to the White Sox. After the trade for Rodman it turns out, Jerry Krause never makes a brilliant move again. And, by then, the dynasty was sealed. Reinsdorf could have sided with Jackson and Jordan and earned their loyalty.
At the end of the day Jackson and Jordan viewed Reinsdorf's decision as Jerry basically giving the credit to Krause.
Is it right? No. But, when choosing between a mostly irrelevant fat man (and that's what he was by 97, when the dynasty was already sealed) and a perhaps irrational and obsessive living legend and his father-figure coach (let's not even get into the dynamic that existed between Phil and Michael after Michael's Dad died), you pick the living legend.
So fans of the Bulls "Right Way"/John Paxson era, will respond by saying "they've brought back Wennington, Paxson, Armstrong, Cartwright, Myers."
They miss a major point. Dwyane Wade is obviously looking to go somewhere or stay somewhere where he will become a figurehead and be welcomed to step into a partial ownership role after his career is over.
Do you think he cares if the Bulls brought back Bill Wennington to be their radio guy? Or do you think he looks at the fact that Jordan owns the Bobcats and not the Bulls, as it SHOULD HAVE BEEN.
Wade identifies with Jordan and Pippen, not John Paxson. Right or wrong, rational or irrational, he probably looks at Paxson like "Jordan wants nothing to do with these guys, and yet they've given free reign to an unqualified white role player... hmm."
The Knicks, if not the Heat, will sell Lebron and Wade on the chance to become Jordanesque moguls. And in a time where NBA free agents can only get so much money, and so it basically becomes like college football recruiting... they're going to do what coaches do in college... and recruit negatively. They're going to say "you think you're going to become a team owner one day if you go to Chicago?" "They didn't do that for Jordan!" "You're more likely to be looking around in the far corners of the NBA for a team who will let you be part-owner while the Bulls do everything they can to enrich Kirk Hinrich after his playing days are done."
Right or wrong, the Bulls made choices. They can bring back Jud Buechler, Steve Kerr, Antonio Davis and Jalen Rose and it won't matter. They can say that they treated Michael well and to these guys it won't matter. They didn't treat Michael the way the Wizards and Bobcats have and THAT's what matters to these guys.
Blame Krause all you want. 11 years later, REINSDORF's decision to ratify Krause's behavior is potentially going to rob the Bulls of 3-4 more O'Brien Trophies.
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