On Friday night, the Chicago Bulls decided to hold its first-ever Ring of Honor ceremony during halftime of their contest against the Golden State Warriors. During the ceremony, the Bulls decided to honor members of the 1995-96 team that won a then-record setting 72 games as well as the first of three consecutive championships. In doing so, the organization also decided to give the late Jerry Krause, the architect of the Bulls' two-time three-peat winning teams, his due props.
This, however, did not have the intended effect. Bulls fans at United Center erupted into loud boos at the mention of Krause's name. That alone was already slammed as a disrespectful act by many. But the fact that Krause's widow, Thelma, was there only made their reaction that much worse.
Even current Bulls star DeMar DeRozan thought that the fans were way out of line in booing Jerry Krause, especially in light of everything he did for the franchise in their most successful stretch.
“That man has family, friends that are still here and ought to be appreciated. He shouldn't be disrespected in no type of way by hearing boos. It just sucks that his family has to endure something like that. You can never take away what he created,” DeRozan said, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
Indeed, Jerry Krause should be treated as a Bulls legend. He may have had Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, but how many executives have struggled to put together a championship-level team even with all the talent on the roster? Moreover, how many executives can proudly say that they had a huge hand in building six championship-winning teams?
What DeMar DeRozan said simply echoes what Bulls CEO Michael Reinsdorf said; Krause had a Hall of Fame career, and nearly seven years after his passing, it's only appropriate to appreciate what he has done in helping grow the franchise to where it is today.
Alas, Krause's reputation was severely damaged by The Last Dance documentary that was released nearly four years ago, and it's up to members of the Bulls organization — or maybe even Michael Jordan — to rectify that.