“He Was a Nice Guy Who’s Done a Great Job”: Jerry West Presents a Different Side of Chicago Bulls GM Jerry Krause

The Last Dance was a great behind the scenes story of the all-time great Michael Jordan. But as Clyde Drexler said on the A-Team’s podcast, it was from Jordan’s point of view. Jordans’s animosity towards former Chicago Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause has been one of the talking points of the series.

In the 2014 book, ‘Michael Jordan: The Life‘ Krause was quoted as saying this about Jordan: “Michael doesn’t care who he hurts.” This is shown throughout the series, where Jordan takes digs at Krause’s weight, height, and general appearance. Many have come to Krause’s rescue ever since the latest being Hall of Famer Jerry West.

“I knew Jerry Krause for years. He had worked one time with us. He was a nice guy who’s done a great job in Chicago. The documentary was almost like a pinata for him. Getting things thrown at him along with derogatory remarks. Players are the ones who bring the ultimate success. But someone has got to put those pieces together,” said West while speaking on the Dan Patrick Show. Being a GM back in the day, he knows about how things work behind the scenes.

More players come to the rescue of the former Chicago Bulls GM

Krause was constantly vilified, even when team owner Jerry Reinsdorf shared the blame. According to 1993 MVP Charles Barkley, Reinsdorf was the actual villain. While making an appearance on the Dan Patrick show, Barkley said, “He (Krause) didn’t take them apart, and everybody who thinks that is a fool. That thing was orchestrated by Jerry Reinsdorf. Reinsdorf broke up the Bulls because he didn’t want to pay anybody. He let Horace Grant go because he became a free agent and didn’t want to pay him.”

Former Bull Ron Artest / Metta World Peace spoke to highly about Jerry Krause and his relationship with him. “For me, I loved Jerry Krause,” World Peace told The Athletic. “He drafted Michael Jordan. He went and found [Scottie Pippen]. That was one of the biggest honors, being drafted by Jerry Krause.”

One of Krause’s unearthed gems, Croatian Toni Kukoc also defended the man who drafted him. “I wish Jerry were here to say his part of the story,” Kukoc said via ESPN. “It’s easy to like Michael [Jordan] and Scottie [Pippen] and Dennis [Rodman] and Phil [Jackson], and I like them all. But you have to hear the other side. Jerry built the six-time champions. You have to give him credit.”

When it comes to basketball ability, we all want to ‘Be Like Mike.’ But when it comes to giving respect to your colleagues and especially people who helped you in your career, that might not be the best decision.