[truebluefan]

there was a time not too long ago that many of us fellow bulls fans were looking for positive things to believe in about the bulls and grasps hold of and never let go. Well here is one fans take on the past and future. He belongs to another board. I have his permission to post it here. I thought it was good reading. As every other post on here its open for discussion. Here it is. The article is as written. I didnt change anything.

http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?topic=59945&forum=10&3


Thursday June 13, 2002

By: BullsChiTown

What would Jerry Krause be doing at this very minute if Jay Will chose to enter last year's draft? It's ironic how Krause's master plan just seems to keep building one on top of another. The pieces of the puzzle are coming together. The window of opportunity for the Bulls is clearing up from that 4 season darkness brought upon Chicago following the MJ era. Don't believe it? Well, for one, who would have thought that the Bulls could actually be in for another run at fame and stardom.

It has been a long, rough journey the last 4 years watching the lowly Bulls get bashed night in and night out. From the "enter-the-Dragan-Tarlac Era" to Matt Maloney Baloney, I have restored my faith, in the Bulls that is. We were all doubters one point or another, but then came the unthinkable.

It all started when Jerry "the sleuth" Krause planned for the future. We were all accusers towards the Bulls' organization claiming that it was Krause and Reinsdorf that ran Jackson, Jordan, and Pippen out of Chicago.

Then for three and 1/2 years, the Bulls' future simply looked darker and darker. First, Krause replaced "Zen Master" Jackson with "I'm not Jerry's buddy" Floyd. Who could ever respect a man only popular in the college ranks in the NBA. Thanks to Oakley, Floyd's future with the Bulls is no more.

Then, came the "what-on-earth-is-Krause-doing?" period when all signs pointed to Krause's failure(s). Elton Brand, Rookie of the year and now All-star, was traded to the Clippers for an unknown high school project with plenty of potential and a partner in crime, a local product from Chicago.

Oh, right. And what about the 2000-2001 draft class? Fizer, Crawford, and even Bagaric have found their roles on the Bulls, as for now. Krause had once dreamed of drafting Darius Miles but it was just too good to be true if the Bulls had gotten the #1 in consecutive years. This would have spelled "Conspiracy Theory".

So, just what did Krause have left in the tank? Was his magic running out? Did Krause finally come to a dead end?

No.

Instead, Jerry Krause has turned the once-lowly Bulls back into possible playoff contenders. With the departure of Brand and the arrival of Chandler and Curry, the sky is the limit for the Bulls and the youngsters.

I have seen every single Chicago Bulls game televised from the good days to the bad days. But a young man by the name of Jay was quoted as saying that great teams have down years. The last several days have been more than pleasant in Bulls news. I think we all can stop speculating who the Bulls will draft. It just seems likely that the Rockets will indeed draft Yao Ming. Rudy T travels to China, why? Okay, and Krause is simply trying to throw people off with draft predictions by looking busy on the camera during the pre-draft camps. Krause will take Jay Will.

Krause has been after this kid, Williams, for 2 years now and it seems that Krause has been blessed. Had Jay entered the draft a season or 2 ago, we might not have had the chance to draft such a unique player as Jay Williams. We, Bulls fans, should be very very very grateful that Jay Will had not elected to enter the previous draft.

However, let's look at the positives. Ever since Brand was traded to the Clippers, the Bulls' future ironically looked bright to me. A team full of youthful, talented, hearty players and a new coach to replace pretty Boy Floyd added more light to the picture. The "Master Plan" as it is often regarded as is unfolding in our very eyes. For 4 "down years", we shouldn't complain. Krause has a reason for everything. It might sound complex and yet absurd, but he will prevail in the end. No, I am not just glorifying Krause on a job well done. Rather, I think we need to pay homage this this man who is often criticized by the public.

It was Krause who got us Chandler and Curry. Krause was the one to select Cartwright as the man to lead us back into the promised land. Some will say that Krause certainly does his homework, and I believe that is the case every single day. We will not be the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat, the Denver Nuggets, or even the Golden State Warriors. A good GM will keep his franchise intact for years to come, i.e. Boston and L.A.. Don't count Mr. Krause out just yet.

This man has indeed turned this franchise around after 4 years missing the playoffs by a long shot. He brought us Jalen Rose, who has been unbelieveably appreciative, respectful, loyal, and mature about the situation that he was brought in. He only brought in Brand, Mercer, Miller, and Artest to hold the leak. He needed to fill the gap temporarily. A good GM will always be successful in the present as well as in the future.

Let's look at the overall scheme of things one last time. With Krause most likely drafting Jay Williams, there is no doubt that the Bulls will and SHOULD dominate the eastern conference for years to come.

The first wave of recent dynasty-esque championship teams revolved around a SG and a SF.

The second wave revolved around a C and a SG.

The third wave will revolve around a C and a PF.

Say what you will about this article. Sure it probably sounds like someone rambling at midnight, bored out of his mind. Well, you would be correct. But one thing is for sure:

The Bulls are Back baby!!!

 

[Wishbone]

that really was a very positive article -- i remember seeing it on RealGM before you pointed it out.

he didn't mention the team that won it between the SG/SF combo and the SG/C combo --

also a PF/C combo that lead its team to a championship

does that mean the Bulls should follow the pattern of the Spurs in '99 as their own path. not neccesarily: the current idea the Bulls seem to be building towards is to run the triangle.

with a couple of talented big men, and a few talented ball handlers/creators -- on paper the offense should beat just about anyone.

the thing what will be interesting to watch - who becomes the role players that fill in the gaps between our 'star' players. be they free-agents, trade or draft - the next few players aquired should be thought of in this manner. This team has quite a bit of potential already, and what it needs now are players who may only be one-dimensional, but they fill the need that our stars can't

 

[truebluefan]

i dont really know wishbone. I tried to get him to come over here and post it himself but he said that i could do it. Never declinded or accepted the invitation. I guess for that answer you would have to ask him on the other board.

Yeah since i was voted the most positive by my friends and peers i thought i would live up to my image here and post this positive article!! lol :grinning: :laugh:

Some of our fellow bulls fans are getting quite bored arent they!!

 

[Lizzy]

This is a great article. I like what he was saying about Krause never turning Chicago into the Warriors, Heat and Knicks. I think that's really true.

I think the past 4 years will be a comical footnote in the future. Like the "George Lynch" years and the "Rick Patino" years. Those will be the "Tim Floyd" years. Poor guy. :shy:

 

[pduh02]

Originally posted by Lizzy
This is a great article. I like what he was saying about Krause never turning Chicago into the Warriors, Heat and Knicks. I think that's really true.

I think the past 4 years will be a comical footnote in the future. Like the "George Lynch" years and the "Rick Patino" years. Those will be the "Tim Floyd" years. Poor guy. :shy:

Tim Who??? :laugh:

 

[Wishbone]

OMG this is SO true!!

poor Tim Floyd indeed -- not only does he have the distinction of the WORST all time W/L stat, he will only be remembered for holding the reigns of a distinctive franchise through it's most miserable period

was this PART of the Krause plan?? did he intend to ruin his 'buddy's' reputation until such a time that his franchise would rebound, and he could the place a legitimate coach in charge

was Floyd nothing more than a whipping boy??!??!



well, i can't honestly say I believe that Krause set him out to fail completely -- I'm sure Krause thought that Floyd would ride out a few rough years, and then put this team together, and still be at the helm 7 or 8 years down the road

but, the way things turned out... three and a half years was far too many... and i doubt he'll have the oppourtunity to coach at the NBA level again... i dunno maybe an assitant coach... maybe...

 

[Songcycle]

I don't think Krause set him up as much as it just worked out that way. The first 3 years, the Bulls did play hard and didn't quit under Floyd, they just didn't have the horses. If the Free agent thing had worked, it would be a different story. Floyd did quit at just the right time from my standpoint The losing got to him and Reinsdorf and Krause tried to talked him out of it. Between things like his resignation and Rice screwing us, we got lucky when it counted. Floyd lost it early in the year and coould have been the beneficiary of our turn around if he kept it together, which he didn't. His resignatioo came at just the right time. Sometimes you need to get lucky and we did.

 

[Michael Jackson]

YOu have to remmeber also that the CBA threw a wrench into Krauses plans. Then being snubbed (for good reasons) by some FA's. Krause did not setup Tim Floyd IMO just happened that tim was here during the bad years. Someone had to be that guy

 

[Sep]

Ultimately, Krause has done a good job, but he's made a few mistakes to go along with his bad luck. It was a mistake to assume that max money + big market = sure free agent pickup. He wasn't as aggressive as Orlando, for example, in recruiting free agents (although Orlando is frequently accused of tampering). He probably relied on the draft a little too much, although it finally seems to be paying dividends. Hiring a college coach was a definite mistake - name one college coach (other than Larry Brown) who has been a good pro coach. Everyone knows that former players are the best coaches, and it took Krause a couple tries to get that. I also think he has made, and is still making, a mistake by pushing the triangle offense. Nobody on the team knows it well enough, and our personnel is better suited for the pick and roll.

He's had some good luck too. It was good luck that Tim Thomas, Glen Rice, and even Eddie Jones turned down max contracts. It was good luck that Chandler and Curry developed so much during their rookie years. It was great luck that Jay Williams stayed in college, and that we landed the #2 pick this year.

Of course, even great GM's make mistakes. Jerry West is the guy who traded Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell for Glen Rice, who had been injured all year. He probably could've found an all-star caliber PF for that price. Joe Dumars hanged his hat on signing free agents who refused to even visit. Scott Layden did a great job in Utah, and look how he's messed up NY. We should be happy with Krause, while still recognizing that he's made plenty of mistakes.

 

[Louie]

Bulls past, present, future

That post about Jerry's plan and the Bulls future was like the best thing I've ever read. It's good to see people who can see beyond the Bulls' win total. I hope that guy who wrote it comes to this forum.

 

[Wishbone]

**bump**


so here we are, 5 years later. completely different roster, coach, philosophy and... actually winning some games.

I'm actually pretty happy with the way things have gone down more or less. It kinda bugs me a bit that the franchise really did 'lose' a few years of development and that it wasn't until the next year, with the addition of Hinrich and Skiles that things actually became bearable again.

but I remember being really really excited by the prospects of that team back in 2002. It made putting up with the losing somewhat okay because one day real soon those guys we had were going to turn potential into consistent NBA dominance. don't you remember that feeling? that sure feeling that the young core (primarily Chandler Curry Crawford and Williams) were all going to become upper echelon players and that a couple of them were going to be superstars?

I find it remarkable to look back upon that, feel so much hope for the future of that roster -- and now to look upon the current roster and see that it took building with players who have lesser physical gifts but greater heart to become a legitimate contender.

I'm so much happier with the team as it is right now than I am with the potential that was 5 years ago. winning just feels great, and while the losing stings too, it doesn't seem like it's the same old 'here we go again' feeling it was back then. but y'know - I'll always look back at that time whistfully, sort of imagining what it could have been like if that team had stayed together. healthy and together - and really did become a dominant force. because something in the back of my head tells me I would have enjoyed cheering for that team even more than the current situation -- had they truly fulfilled their lofty potential

 

[dougthonus]

I was so happy when the Bulls drafted Jay Williams. I thought he was going to turn around the franchise, and that the Bulls would be back.

I was absolutely crushed when I saw him play in the NBA for a season, and I never felt he would have ended up becoming an elite player after seeing his rookie year. I guess anything is possible as Deron Williams had a pretty awful rookie campaign, but you don't see many players look as poor as Williams did with as much playing time progress to become great players down the road.

Anyway, I'm obvioulsy quite happy with where the Bulls are now. I don't really understand how fans could be unhappy with where the Bulls are now, but apparently there are a few out there

 

[yodurk]

It's mindblowing reading that article right now in 2007. Absolutely nothing mentioned reflects the current state of the team. It's a reflection of how swiftly Paxson gutted and transformed this team into a winning franchise again.

Agreed about Jay Williams. I think everyone was convinced he'd be an immediate star (sorta how Chris Paul was a star from day 1), so it was a blow to see him be average at best. Obviously he would've improved with time, but probably not to superstar status like many thought.

 

[transplant]

:lol:

In 2002, I was the most prolific staff writer (that means I wrote a lot, not necessarily well) for bulls4ever.com (now defunct). I remember writing an article after the Brand trade stating that it was time to take the "conservative" tag off of Krause forever. I wasn't all that high on JWill. As I recall, I was much more excited about the Rose acquisition (it was just so nice to have a guy who could hit free throws late in games).

It was a unique time. I mean, we OWNED the 90s. My out-of-town friends envied me because of the Bulls. Then phhhht, it was all gone and we sucked to high heaven. For those who knew how big a Bulls fan I was, it was definitely payback time and I was defenseless. Us diehards, much like BullsChiTown, desperately looked for the light at the end of the tunnel, sometimes mistaking activity for true progress.

As Bulls fans, we weren't just looking to crawl back to respectability. We aimed for a return to greatness. This is how the Brand trade was sold. Brand lacked upside...he'd only be good, never great. So Krause swung for the fences, and while he didn't necessarily completely miss, he didn't sufficiently understand the 18 year old psyches of the kids he drafted and he seriously underestimated the length of the competency curve.

By the time Paxson came on the scene, many Bulls fans had lowered their sites some, or at least had gained a keen understanding that reaching a level of respectability was both desirable and difficult. When Paxson first took over, he had trouble controlling his gag reflex while watching "his team." He may not have known what he was doing at the time, but he knew things had to radically change, starting with what it meant to be a Chicago Bull (the problem was that it had come to mean nothing).

Personally, while it has taken an inordinately long time, it's nice to have a team that is no longer the butt of jokes. A team for whom "potential" is a reason to expect further progress rather than an end in itself. It's great to expect to make the playoffs and even to be disappointed when we fail to win our conference. Yeah, this is MUCH better...not quite as good as I want it to be, but the "dark days" taught me patience.

Thanks for the stroll down memory lane.