The release of ‘The Last Dance’ yesterday took a lot of us basketball fans back to a time before social media, where having unlimited access to an NBA team was something of note.

It’s a great reminder of how things have changed in the two decades since Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won their last championship.

These days, we’re spoiled with all of the updates that come on a consistent basis. Athletes simply reveal much more of themselves now thanks to Twitter and Instagram, and so there’s a little bit less mystique surrounding them.

One of the things that stuck with me during the first two episodes, though, is how much shit Jerry Krause got for getting quoted as saying ‘Players and coaches don’t win championships; organizations win championships.’

His claim is that the writer omitted a single word: alone. That was enough to change the context of a quote to and make him one of the most hated figures in basketball history.

If it was true, and he was misquoted, then you must feel for him a little bit. That’s because there is a grain of truth in his words.

The man may have been inherently dislikable due to his body language and obsession with getting credit, but the man pulled off some great things. He’s a guy that was responsible for trading up for Scottie Pippen and making the tough decision to get rid of Michael Jordan’s best friend, Charles Oakley, for a player that simply fit better with the way the Bulls wanted to play. He also brought in Horace Grant, BJ Armstrong, who played key roles in that first three-peat.

He then brought Dennis Rodman and Toni Kukoc to town for the second three-peat, and the Bulls certainly got a lot of help from them during those title runs.

I think it’s a little strange that Krause is still hated for that quote, too, because we lavish so much praise and attention on how organizations operate now. We love the Golden State Warriors for how they drafted and built the team around Steph Curry, we marvel at how the Milwaukee Bucks built a team around Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the we even marvel at how the Portland Trail Blazers turned things around from the ‘Jail Blazer’ era. We also marveled at Daryl Morey’s analytically-driven approach to team mangement.

Krause may have not made it easy for himself, but the man does deserve a little bit of credit. He helped build a winner, even if the way he and Jerry Reinsdorf conducted business was devoid of empathy.

I don’t think anyone in their right mind would say that Krause was a saint. He was a bit of a dick, and his move of not inviting Phil Jackson to a wedding while inviting his replacement, Tim Floyd, was classless.

However, for all of his publicized spats with players, it was telling that Bill Wennington, one of the role players on the Bulls, was willing to say on camera that Krause wasn’t a bad person. He just couldn’t get out of his own way – especially with his obsession with receiving credit and a little love.

History will be unkind to Krause, but I think it’s also fair to acknowledge that the man had an eye for talent. He was still able to draft well after that 1997-98 season.

Here’s a list of some of the notable people he brought to the Bulls by draft or trade before he resigned in 2003: Brad Miller, Elton Brand, Ron Artest, Tyson Chandler, Jamal Crawford, Jalen Rose, and Jay Williams.

Sure, all of those guys found most of their success after they left the Bulls, but it’s hard to argue that Krause couldn’t identify talent. Of course, it didn’t help that the Bulls never really got close to contention before he resigned in 2003, but this was also during the rise of other dynasties like the Lakers and Spurs.

It’s telling that, a few years before Krause died, even his adversary Phil Jackson said that Krause deserved a berth in the Hall of Fame. This eventually happened in 2017, where he was inducted posthumously.

The most compelling stories always need a villain, and unfortunately for Krause, he fits the profile. I just hope that people do acknowledge that he had a pivotal role in building that Bulls dynasty.

Let’s all remember that GMs and organizations still make mistakes to this day. Want a recent example? The Oklahoma City Thunder drafted three MVPs, and as of this year, none of them are on the roster and one of them won his titles somewhere else.

The truth, as always, isn’t black and white. Krause deserves a lot of the flak that has gone his way, but he is not some grand villain that deserves all of the blame.