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TechnographSports column: Breaking MJ's curse
By Mike Szwaja
Posted: 2/11/05 Section: Sports
Okay, let's get this straight. The Chicago Bulls won 23 games last season.
On Tuesday night, they beat the Dallas Mavericks in impressive fashion, on the road, for their 23rd victory of this season.
On Wednesday, ESPN aired the third part of their five-part series on life after Michael Jordan, which suggested that a curse on all Chicago sports teams set in when Jordan retired from the Bulls in 1999. As we all know, the number 23 goes hand-in-hand with His Airness like the number 24 goes with Jack Bauer.
Coincidence? Probably, but there's something to be said for Jordan contributing to the Bulls' current successes and past failures.
People rush to judgment when they blame former GM Jerry Krause for the breakup of the Bulls seven years ago. Krause had a hand in the breakup, but both Phil Jackson and Jordan played their own roles.
Jackson went on a power trip and wanted more input in the decision-making process. Krause laughed at his coach and told him not to let the United Center doors hit his rear end on the way out. Jordan couldn't fathom playing for another coach at that point in his career and hated Krause for letting Jackson walk, so MJ took his rings and strutted out of the building he built knowing nobody would dare blame him for any of it.
Krause then went on a power trip of his own, ridding himself of what was left like it was yesterday's garbage, from Scottie Pippen to Randy Brown to trainer Chip Schaefer to PA announcer Ray Clay. What did Ray Clay ever do?
Anyway, back to the point at hand. In Jordan's absence, he wouldn't keep his mouth shut about how bad Krause had screwed up and about how the Bulls were going nowhere as long as he was around.
Meanwhile, there was Elton Brand - Krause's first lottery, post-Jordan draft pick - listening to Jordan's rants. And by the end of Brand's second year as a Bull, his agent, David Faulk, had convinced him the Bulls were nothing but a stepping stone. Brand was out of there at the first sign of free agency. What was fishy about this situation?
On Tuesday night, they beat the Dallas Mavericks in impressive fashion, on the road, for their 23rd victory of this season.
On Wednesday, ESPN aired the third part of their five-part series on life after Michael Jordan, which suggested that a curse on all Chicago sports teams set in when Jordan retired from the Bulls in 1999. As we all know, the number 23 goes hand-in-hand with His Airness like the number 24 goes with Jack Bauer.
Coincidence? Probably, but there's something to be said for Jordan contributing to the Bulls' current successes and past failures.
People rush to judgment when they blame former GM Jerry Krause for the breakup of the Bulls seven years ago. Krause had a hand in the breakup, but both Phil Jackson and Jordan played their own roles.
Jackson went on a power trip and wanted more input in the decision-making process. Krause laughed at his coach and told him not to let the United Center doors hit his rear end on the way out. Jordan couldn't fathom playing for another coach at that point in his career and hated Krause for letting Jackson walk, so MJ took his rings and strutted out of the building he built knowing nobody would dare blame him for any of it.
Krause then went on a power trip of his own, ridding himself of what was left like it was yesterday's garbage, from Scottie Pippen to Randy Brown to trainer Chip Schaefer to PA announcer Ray Clay. What did Ray Clay ever do?
Anyway, back to the point at hand. In Jordan's absence, he wouldn't keep his mouth shut about how bad Krause had screwed up and about how the Bulls were going nowhere as long as he was around.
Meanwhile, there was Elton Brand - Krause's first lottery, post-Jordan draft pick - listening to Jordan's rants. And by the end of Brand's second year as a Bull, his agent, David Faulk, had convinced him the Bulls were nothing but a stepping stone. Brand was out of there at the first sign of free agency. What was fishy about this situation?
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