Jordan's "Last Dance" Rules
Was it as good as expected? Ask the audience. Sure, if there wasn't a worldwide pandemic forcing people to stay inside, there would not have been ratings of 6.3 million for the first episode and 5.8 million for the second, making it ESPN's most-watched documentary.
The Last Dance featuring Michael Jordan premiered on ESPN and ESPN2 on Sunday night with the first two of 10 episodes. The best part of the first two episodes was the fact that Jordan wasn't the only person featured. Yes, he is the main subject matter and the straw the stirs the drink, but he couldn't start winning championships until Jerry Krause drafted Scottie Pippen at number five (trade with Seattle) and Horace Grant with the 10th pick in the 1987 draft.
Krause was the villain of the first two episodes and was ridiculed by Pippen and Jordan as far as we know, in the 1997-98 season. There's no doubt that Krause was the architect of the championship teams, but also the one who demolished it. Sure, he was very fortunate that Portland felt they didn't need Jordan because they had Clyde Drexler (ouch) after Houston took Hakeem Olajuwon. This seems like a ludicrous idea in this era of basketball, but back then, big men mattered. That's one reason why Krause dealt away 6-9 Charles Oakley (Jordan's on-the-court bodyguard) for 7-1 immobile Bill Cartwright on draft day in 1988. While Cartwright wasn't a star, he was a big, physical post player that could match up with the rest of the Eastern Conference centers.
Trading Olden Polynice and future draft options for Pippen was a work of art for Krause. Pippen became a Hall of Famer, while Polynice averaged 7.8 points per game in his career and about five points with the Sonics.
But Episode Two also dealt with Pippen's contract and dissatisfaction with his contract. A deal he wasn't forced to sign, but did accept a seven-year, $18 million deal. In the 1997-98 season, it was a crime that Pippen was the sixth-highest paid Bull and 122nd highest NBA player. If this was Jordan, obviously Krause and owner Jerry Reinsdorf would have renegotiated the deal. However, Krause was also dealing with a salary cap. Jordan was making a fortune off the court, while Pippen wasn't.
Let's not cry for Pippen who made around $107 million in his career, but of course, he should have made more. He was a fantastic player who wound up limping his way with Houston and Portland, before returning to the Bulls for just 23 games in the 2003-04 season.
The Krause that acquired Pippen, Grant, and Cartwright, and later added Toni Kukoc and Dennis Rodman, also pushed Phil Jackson out the door. Did Krause's ego just get so big that he thought anybody could coach the Bulls? He did say, "I don't care if it's 82-and-0 this year, you're f***ing gone."
Jordan was the star and Pippen was Robin, but Krause was the genius who put it all together. At the beginning, he had all the right ingredients and then ego took over. The band broke up and the Bulls went on to a 13-37 record in a lockout-shortened 1998-99 season.
