John Paxson On The Late Jerry Krause: 'Enjoyed The Grind' Like Few Others, A 'Shame' He's In Hall Of Fame Yet
(CBS) When Jerry Krause is remembered those close to him, it's his love of scouting and what went into every day that's a common theme. The former Bulls general manager who built the franchise's six championship teams, Krause passed away Tuesday at 77.
"Think about how he grew up in the business -- baseball and that type of thing, you got to go to the little towns and you've just got to sit there all day and watch baseball players play," former Bulls player and current executive John Paxson said on the Mully & Hanley Show on Wednesday morning in remembering Krause, who started his career in baseball. "He enjoyed the grind of the business, and that's what made him really good and made him very successful. I think the other thing was he had great confidence in his ability."
Krause inherited Michael Jordan upon taking over the Bulls' basketball operations in March 1985, then went about building a championship roster around him. His work helped create a Bulls dynasty that the city hasn't seen in any other sport.
Krause is a finalist to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the contributor category, but it's the past decisions to keep him out that rankle some like Paxson.
"Red Auerbach is the only other executive that has six or more championships," Paxson said. "It's really a shame in (Krause's) lifetime that he was not afforded the opportunity to enjoy that moment of being enshrined into the Hall of Fame ... He'll get in, and his family will be there for the moment and get to enjoy it, but it's unfortunate that he won't.
"His legacy is up in the rafters and always will be."
Listen to Paxson's full interview below with Mully & Hanley.
Paxson also joined David Schuster on Tuesday night. Listen to that interview below.