Jerome Richard Krause (April 6, 1939 – March 21, 2017) was an American sports scout and executive who was the general manager of the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1985 to 2003.
[1] His tenure with the Bulls included their six NBA championships between 1991 and 1998, led by superstar players Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
[2] While with the Bullets, Krause urged the team to pick North Dakota forward Phil Jackson in the 1967 NBA draft.
[3] After a few years with Baltimore, Krause worked as a scout with the Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Chicago Bulls in the 1970s.
Krause replaced Rod Thorn as Chicago Bulls General Manager ahead of the 1985–86 NBA season.
Winter had learned the triangle offense as a college player at USC under then head coach Sam Barry, and later used it to successfully guide Kansas State to a number one ranking.
The Bulls picked Stacey King and B. J. Armstrong in the 1989 NBA draft and later signed undrafted big man Scott Williams.
[9] Just before Jordan announced his retirement, Krause persuaded 1990 draft pick Toni Kukoč to buy himself out of his European contract and join the Bulls.
[13] After Jordan returned to the NBA, the Bulls won a then-NBA record 72 games in the 1995–1996 season,[14] and Krause was named Executive of the Year for the second time.
Krause announced the signing in what Chicago media widely considered to be a mean-spirited manner, emphasizing that Jackson would not be rehired even if the Bulls won the 1997–98 title.
[citation needed] After the Bulls' final title of the Jordan era in 1998, Reinsdorf offered Jackson the opportunity to come back the following year as head coach, but made it clear that the team would have to go into a rebuild.
[22] After the 1998 title, deciding that the Bulls were aging and facing an uncertain future, Krause chose to unload the veterans and rebuild.
[23] The draft brought prolific collegiate players such as Elton Brand, Ron Artest, Marcus Fizer, Jamal Crawford, and Jay Williams to the Bulls.
After the Bulls finished 15–67 during the 2000–2001 season, Krause decided to trade away his best player (Brand) for high schooler Tyson Chandler, who was hyped as "the next Kevin Garnett".
A mid-season trade the following year brought scorer Jalen Rose to the Bulls in exchange for Brad Miller and Artest, clearing playing time for Chandler and Curry.
"[24] The Bulls fell to 23–59 in the next season, and Krause's dream of a talented young athletic team imploded; all of his acquisitions were traded or out of the league within three years.
On January 12, 2024, in the Chicago Bulls home game against the Golden State Warriors, Krause's widow, Thelma, attended his Ring of Honor induction on his behalf for his contributions to the franchise's success.