'The Last Dance' Possible Episode 11 Storyline Could Reportedly Prove Jerry Krause Was Right

ESPN’s “The Last Dance” has ended, but if it went on to have an episode 11, its storyline could possibly prove that the late Bulls GM Jerry Krause was right, a reporter claims.

The 10-part documentary “The Last Dance,” for the most part, suggested that former Bulls GM Krause was the antagonist. However, had ESPN created an episode 11 of the Michael Jordan docuseries, it could have revealed that Krause was a brilliant manager after all.

NBC Sports journalist K.C. Johnson published a series of articles containing excerpts of Krause’s unfinished and unpublished memoirs hours after the last two episodes of “The Last Dance” were aired. In it, he unraveled the real reason behind Krause’s most questionable decision of breaking up the winning ’97-’98 Chicago Bulls. The excerpts were so on point that Basketball Network suggested that it could have been the storyline if “The Last Dance” had an episode 11.

Looking back at the Bulls dynasty, many, including MJ himself, were convinced that he ’96-’98 Bulls could have won a couple more NBA titles following the ‘97-‘98 season. However, according to Krause, the team was aging -- Jordan was 35 and Scottie Pippen was 33. On top of that, he also thought that Jordan was the only player in the team who could still perform at the highest level.

This forced Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf and Krause to make a business decision. In early July of 1998, the pair arranged a meeting in Reinsdorf’s house and gathered around the group that featured all of the prominent names from the Bulls’ organization – Reinsdorf, Krause, assistant general manager Jim Stack, strength and conditioning coach Al Vermeil, the team doctors and surgeons, VP of Finance Irwin Mandel and assistant to the GM Karen Stack.

After the meeting, Krause and Reinsdorf concluded that the team will undergo rebuilding with the assumption that coach Phil Jackson and Jordan are likely to leave.

“Put yourself in our shoes as we walk out of that room. What would you do? Did we break up a dynasty, or was the dynasty breaking up of age, natural attrition of NBA players with little time to recuperate, and the salary-cap rules that govern the game?” Krause said.

Flashback to what happened after the '97-'98 season, it turned out that Krause was right. Bulls’ then big men Luc Longley and Dennis Rodman both faded and eventually left the league. Rodman only played a total of 35 games with the Lakers and the Mavs. Longley lasted for three more seasons as an average big man for the Suns and the Knicks.

Pippen was traded to the Houston Rockets but failed to win another NBA championship. Steve Kerr and Jud Buechler both received better financial deals from other teams but were never the same players as they were in Chicago.

Krause stressed out that even if Jackson and Jordan agreed to play for another season, it will be impossible for the duo to win. And the cherry on top, there was no chance for MJ to immediately return in the very next season as he allegedly “sliced his finger with a cigar cutter.”

“Could we get Phil to coach without a proven center, power forward, probably Pippen, a basically new bench and crazy expectations that ‘in Michael, we trust’ can win without help? Not a chance,” Krause pointed out.

“When the lockout was over, I still couldn’t talk Phil into coming back. And the big thing is Michael had cut his finger with a cigar cutter, and he couldn’t have played. So what’s all this talk about bringing everybody back when Michael couldn’t have come back?” he added.