10. Jack Haley
The Bulls needed to find a way to keep Dennis Rodman in check during the second three-peat.
His name was Jack Haley.
Haley was one of the unsung heroes on the Chicago Bulls throughout the 1995-96 season.
And he played exactly ONE game.
His only responsibility was to keep Rodman in check during the year and he succeeded admirably.
Note to the GMs of the NBA: If you want to sign me to a $1 million deal just to babysit one of your players, sign me up immediately.
9. Roger Powell Jr.
Ask Illini fans to name a player on the 2005 roster and you’ll probably hear Deron Williams, Dee Brown, Luther Head, maybe even James Augustine.
But how long would it take them to reach Powell?
He was the glue. The guy who did the dirty work and stepped up when it mattered most.
8. Jim Hendry
It’s got to be tough to work with a 100-year curse beating you over the head every single day.
Yet, Hendry has put the club in prime position to win the World Series on two separate occasions. The first, in 2004, which I don’t think we need to rehash. And despite their first round sweep last season, that Cubs team was more than capable of making a deep playoff run.
You can’t deny Hendry’s aggresiveness and it’s a reason why, if all goes as expected, the Cubs are in prime position for another run at ending the drought.
7. Kenny Williams
Every time I doubt Kenny Williams, he proves me wrong.
Signing guys like Tadahito Iguchi, Alexei Ramirez, Bobby Jenks and trading for guys like Jon Danks and Gavin Floyd have been strokes of genius. Yet, at the start of every season the doubts start to creep in.
He should be regarded as one of the best, most shrewd general managers in baseball and yet, he isn’t.
6. Virginia McKaskey
For firing Michael McCaskey.
5. Rocky Wirtz
Every time you turn on the TV and watch a Hawks game, you should always thank Rocky Wirtz.
4. Bill Self
Mention Bill Self to a die hard Illini fan and don’t be surprised to see venom shooting from the mouth instantaneously.He always acted too big time for the gig, but luckily for his replacement, he recruited big time talent before departing for the cornfields of Kansas.
Without Bill Self the Illini never even sniff that National Championship appearance in 2005.
3. Buddy Ryan
He was the mastermind behind the most dominant and feared defense in NFL history.
Yet it’s Mike Ditka who we heap endless praise upon whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Why?
2. Jerry Krause
The architect of the Bulls dynasty is despised in this city. He destroyed the greatest team Chicago will ever know primarily because of his inflated ego.
Michael Jordan was the greatest player of all time and is the reason why the Bulls won six championships in eight season.
But Krause put the pieces in place around Jordan, drafting a relatively unknown Scottie Pippen, some Croatian named Toni Kukoc – before international players became commonplace – and a goggle-eyed Horace Grant.
Without Krause, the best six years of sports in Chicago wouldn’t have ever happened.
1. Jerry Reinsdorf
He’s the man behind it all, and yet, it’s tough to say we really know that much about him.
But what I can tell you is that he brought Chicago six NBA championships and the first World Series trophy since 1917 with the Chicago White Sox.
If you truly start to think about it, we’re lucky he’s the owner of the Bulls and White Sox.
1 comment:
I thought I posted this sooner but nice list. I just watched that show "5 reasons you can't blame... Jerry Krause." Some compelling arguments and what is sad is that he truly was only looking to get that fame he deserved. Though it's funny because he can only blame his ego for the reason he never obtained that "pat on the back."
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