Monday, June 25, 2007

Does Krause need defending?

Dave Berri takes on an strange straw man in his post today "Defending Jerry Krause."

"Jordan’s brilliance has caused people to question the contribution of the architect of these championship teams, Jerry Krause. With but one exception, every player on these title teams was chosen by Krause. The one exception was MJ, who just happened to be there when Krause became GM. And again, since anyone could have won with Jordan, why should we credit Krause with doing anything?"

Through an analysis of efficiency differential in the late '80s and wins produced in the mid '90s, Berri comes to the conclusion that without Pippen and Grant (and later Rodman), Jordan is another KG, an unreal player stuck on a team with no chance of a championship. But for a Bulls fan that watched those teams, this doesn't seem like anything new. It seems to me that Krause's contribution is discredited only for his role in dismantling the dynasty. I've had many conversations defending Pippen's selection on the NBA Top 50 (and arguing for his M.V.P. worthy '94 season) or recalling the contributions of every non-center that played on those teams, including Harp, Toni, Horace etc. And we know Krause had a hand in bringing aboard almost all of those guys. Jordan as savior is a prevalent concept in marketing schemes and highlight reels, not really in Bulls fans' heads.

1 Comments:

Blogger Eddie Basden said...

And honestly, the man lured Jud away from volleyball for a few years. Genius.

In all seriousness, I agree wholeheartedly.

10:36 PM  

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