"He was a genius" - Isiah Thomas deems GM maligned by Michael Jordan in "The Last Dance" disrespected by Bulls
Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas recently took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to stick up for former Chicago Bulls GM Jerry Krause. Throughout Krause's tenure as the general manager of the Chicago Bulls, he was frequently made out to be the bad guy in the eyes of fans.
In addition, behind the scenes, Michael Jordan didn't do Krause any favors, with The Last Dance showing how Jordan enjoyed having fun at Krause's expense. While Krause passed away in 2017, the release of The Last Dance shined a spotlight on the back-and-forth that took place between the front office and Jordan.
On one occasion, Jordan had a problem with Krause saying that players don't win championships, organizations win championships. The point became a major source of divisiveness given that Jordan believed wholeheartedly that he could win by himself, without the help of the Bulls' front office.
While Krause was made out to be the 'villain' in Chicago, as the guy who split up the Bulls' dynasty, Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas feels as though Krause was wrongly made out to be the villain. In a post on X Thursday, Isiah Thomas stuck up for Krause, writing:
"I have great respect for Jerry Krause. He was a genius who deserved way more respect than the Bulls sadly gave him."
Looking at Jerry Krause's Hall of Fame resume, and the division within the Bulls organization that led to Isiah Thomas' post
As a GM, Jerry Krause boasts one of the best resumes in NBA history, winning six NBA championships and two NBA Executive of the Year awards throughout his career. Despite that, as Isiah Thomas pointed out, the general sentiment around Krause in Chicago is a negative one, with fans even booing his widow last season.
Despite that, Krause's impact on the Bulls can't be denied. For example, although Phil Jackson is widely credited as the man who brought the triangle offense to Chicago, it was Tex Winter, who Krause hired as an assistant coach who brought the triangle offense to Chicago.
Despite that, Krause and the Bulls' roster were unable to get on the same page at several key junctions. In addition to his feud with Michael Jordan, which largely contributed to the narrative surrounding Krause's tenure as GM of the Bulls, he also found himself at odds with Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson.
Krause notably signed Pippen to a seven-year contract that quickly resulted in Pippen becoming one of the most underpaid players in the league given his dominance.
At the same time, Krause was very high on Croatian star Toni Kukoc, which resulted in the team offering Pippen a smaller contract in hopes of luring Kukoc over to the NBA.
When it came to Phil Jackson, he too found himself at an impasse with Krause when it came to contract negotiations, ultimately parting ways with the franchise after the 1997-98 season amid failed contract negotiations.
While there was plenty of division between Krause and the Bulls' roster, over time, the animosity toward Krause among Chicago fans is considered by Isiah Thomas, and many members of the NBA community, to be excessive.