"He didn’t have Jordan and Pippen needling him every time he came around" - John Jackson recalls Jerry Krause's increased involvement following Michael Jordan's departure
Like most dynasties that have taken flight in the NBA, the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls' dynasty during the 1990s came to an acrimonious end. The Bulls dynasty didn't fizzle out but imploded from within the organization. The exits of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Phil Jackson marked the end of perhaps the most influential dynasty in NBA history.
The Chicago Sun-Times' John Jackson reflected on Michael Jordan's well-known feud with then-Bulls general manager Jerry Krause. He said:
“Krause was looking forward to the rebuild after the championship run just to prove how valuable he was. … Krause was a hands-on guy; he went on a lot of road trips, he always made sure he was on the team bus and the team plane."
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"He was around all the time that year. To be honest, Krause was around more that year because he didn’t have Jordan and Pippen needling him every time he came around.” (via) HoopsHype
Michael Jordan and Jerry Krause's tumultuous relationship
Michael Jordan and Jerry Krause feuded throughout Jordan's tenure with the Bulls. One of the first instances of animosity can be traced back to 1985. Jordan suffered a broken foot, and Krause sat him down despite Jordan's protest.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated's Rick Telander in 1993, Krause stated:
“When he had the broken foot back in 1985, I told him he couldn’t play. … This kid has had his butt kissed by everybody in the world except his parents and me."
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Jerry Krause on Michael Jordan:
“He never came to me and asked for other players.. to draft a player. He never came to me and asked me to trade for a player. Never once did that happen. Part of it was he thought he was so darn good he could win without 'em.” https://t.co/O1BI2Qk6bP
"If we listened to him, we’d have [former Tar Heel guard] Buzz Peterson on the team! My goal is not to be his friend. My goal is to win titles.”
As Jordan himself recalled, Krause referred to him as "the Bulls' property," which marked the beginning of a decade-long feud. Jordan and Krause were at odds while deciding who to draft and who to trade for.
Jordan harshly objected to Krause's decision to trade Charles Oakley for Bill Cartwright. He harbored animosity towards Toni Kukoc because Krause had "discovered" him. Jordan didn't want the Bulls to draft Brad Sellers in 1986, who was Krause's choice.
Their relationship was detailed in Netflix's docu-series "The Last Dance." Many cite their feud as the primary reason for the Bulls' break up at the end of the 1997-98 NBA season.