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Michael Jordan’s Nemesis Isiah Thomas Takes Cheeky Dig: ‘Bulls Never Win A Single Championship Without Jerry Krause'
Isiah Thomas recently made several posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) where he praised Jerry Krause for their success and didn't mention Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls set the bar for NBA success with two three-peats in eight years. Isiah Thomas commented on what made the team dominant in the 1990s, citing former general manager Jerry Krause as the main reason for their championship victories. Thomas and Michael Jordan’s beef is known to the world and it wasn’t surprising to see him not mentioning His Airness’ name.
Thomas shared his opinions during a fan interaction on X. The 63-year-old stated that the Bulls wouldn't have won any titles without Krause's contribution to building the team.
“This is a bold statement coming: The Chicago Bulls never win a Championship without Jerry Krause. Let it be known”. The tweet from Thomas felt like a way of restoring Krause's reputation. Zeke admired the Chicago native's ability to bring the right players to the team. It all started when Krause hired his long-time friend Tex Winter as an assistant coach in 1985. Winter's triangle offense heavily influenced Phil Jackson, who adopted it as the team's core identity during their championship years.
Additionally, Krause was instrumental in bringing Horace Grant and Scottie Pippen together in 1987. Then, he daringly traded Bill Cartwright for Charles Oakley, a fan favorite. B.J. Armstrong arrived in Chicago a year later. Each quickly established themselves as a key squad member, aiding the team in achieving its first three-peat in 1991–1993.
Not long after, Kukoc and Steve Kerr joined the Bulls. Point guard Ron Harper and rebound specialist Dennis Rodman were added by Krause to further bolster the team. Without a doubt, these additions were essential to their second three-peat run, which ran from 1995 to 1998.
While these events demonstrated Karuse's genius as a general manager, some of his choices also caused division within the team. To put things in perspective, in 1998 MJ, Pippen, Rodman, and Jackson left the Bulls due to his insistence on rebuilding the team. The franchise had a difficult time getting over this.
In the ensuing years, Krause was unable to duplicate his prior achievements. The draft selections made by the Bulls did not live up to the hype, and the head coach changes did not yield the expected outcomes. He finally resigned in 2003, citing minor health problems. Thus, Thomas correctly noted Krause's contribution to the establishment of the Bulls dynasty. But his failure in the post-Jordan era demonstrated that both the players and the coaching staff were critical to their historic run.
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