This idea popped into my head when thinking about the Knicks. The big FA success stories have been the Knicks and Heat. Both teams are being lauded for their managerial chutzpah. And they both did what Krause tried to do 10 years earlier. The only difference is that he failed. Who knows if it was luck or not, but do recent events shed a friendlier night on the Ignoble One?
No. Those teams have won nothing. Even if they do, having a plan is great, but execution is most critical. Look how Dolan still has Isiah on his side. Can't say the same for MJ, Pip, and PJax and the Bulls.
The plan can work, but it works a heck of a lot better if you are a destination franchise. It seems like NBA players like playing / living in Miami and New York. Indianapolis couldn't do this quite as well. For whatever reason, many players don't seem all that gung ho about Chicago as well (idiots!)
As I recall, Krause was just looking for one young superstar who he was willing to pay significantly more than any other team could and then do his "build around the stud" voodoo that he do so well. Actually, it was a good strategy. Then the new CBA came in at the worst possible time for Krause, with its individual max salary and rules on raises that favored the the free agent's current team. All of a sudden, Krause not only couldn't grossly outbid a free agent's current team...he couldn't even match them. Krause's Plan B was to pretend that the new CBA rules didn't matter and that, if he couldn't outbid the competition, he'd simply sell the free agents on how wonderful and storied the Bulls organization was. This was completely delusional. We ended up with Ron Mercer. Then came giving up Brand for the kiddie towers. Then sending Brad Miller and Artest away for Jalen Rose, something about a motorcycle accident, etc. etc. Good times...NOT. Thanks for bringing it all back rosenthall.
Well, failing is a pretty big difference. I'd also note that Krause had a lot of "plans" going at once. In retrospect, he basically tried to throw as much crap against the wall as he could to get something to stick. There was the free agent plan, the team full of rookies plan, the twin towers plan, and so forth. He tried to do a lot of different things and didn't do any of them particularly well.
Eddy Curry is a damn shame. He had all of the talent! Just didnt want it that much. JK is not vindicated he still failed at plans a,b,c,etc;
Krause thought he was the mastermind and that he could do it all again. That was his biggest failing. If he had patched things up with Pippen and rebuilt around him he could have been successful, but his ego wouldn't let him. He was also unfortunate to be drafting in some epically bad drafts. But bottom line is that the bulls didn't have to get blown up the way they did and didn't have to hit rock bottom for as long as they did.
In fairness, all those things you say he did at once were actually sequential...so it was more a matter of throw shit at the wall (plop), throw more (plop), etc. until his arm got sore and he got fired....those last two did indeed happen simultaneously.
Not really.... he was drafting Dillybar and Jamdrop before they had pubes during the summer of TMac, and then trying to sell guys on coming to play with them.
