Lost amid the news Monday night that Michael Jordan is expected to announce his retirement Wednesday were the comments of Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause earlier in the day saying he wants to bring back as many of the defending champions as possible–even with Jordan’s departure.
Sources close to Jordan told the Tribune that Jordan met with a few of his teammates Monday after his return to Chicago from the Bahamas, where he was vacationing when the NBA lockout ended last week. Jordan told them he will announce his retirement officially for the second time in his career during a Wednesday press conference probably at the United Center.
Krause could not be reached for comment on the latest development regarding Jordan. But earlier Monday, while briefly addressing the media assembled at the Berto Center on the first unofficial day of business since the lockout ended, Krause outlined three plans for the future of the team.
One plan revolved around Jordan’s return, now moot. The other two contingencies are now operative.
Reading from a prepared statement, Krause said getting Jordan re-signed is a priority. But Krause said he also would try to re-sign the rest of the team’s 10 free agents, building the team around Scottie Pippen if Jordan chose to retire.
“The No. 1 objective we have here as a franchise is to bring Michael Jordan back (and) to bring the championship team back,” Krause said. “That is definitely our main thought. When Michael lets us know what he’s going to do, certainly, if he comes back, we intend to make a very concerted and very serious effort to bring the rest of the championship team back.”
Now that Jordan’s intentions are clearer, Krause will have to put in place his second plan of action, what he called “Plan B.” Under that plan, the Bulls will try to re-sign Pippen and the rest of the team’s free agents, a group which includes Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley, Steve Kerr and Bill Wennington. Krause already has contacted the agents representing all the Bulls’ free agents.
With that nucleus, Krause believes the Bulls also would be able to sign a young, impact free agent, with Phoenix’s Antonio McDyess high on Krause’s list. Portland’s Damon Stoudamire and Washington’s Rod Strickland also are believed to be the cream of the free-agent crop after Pippen.
“We think that we have enough under the cap to go out and compete for the outstanding free agents,” Krause said, “and at that time also, because of cap rules, bring our own guys back.”
Krause said his final option–or “Plan C”–would be a total overhaul of the team, keeping the Bulls’ younger players and signing other younger players for this abbreviated season. The Bulls then would make a run at two of next season’s top free agents, a class that is likely to include Boston’s Antoine Walker, Milwaukee’s Ray Allen, Charlotte’s Glen Rice and Vancouver’s Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
“The guys we have back are basically young,” Krause said. “(We’ll) add more youth to them and see where we go from there–obviously to build another championship-type team.”
Whatever direction Krause takes depends on Jordan’s announcement. Jordan could have made $21.2 million or the prorated portion of $34.8 million for this short season. Under terms of the new collective-bargaining agreement, Jordan could have received a raise of 105 percent over his 1997-98 salary of $33 million.
That all seems a moot point right now, with Jordan set to walk away from the Bulls, as he did after they won their third championship in 1993. Jordan spent more than a full season away from the game before returning late in the 1994-95 season.
This time, however, Jordan’s retirement appears to be final.
That could put Pippen in the forefront again, a position in which he found himself when Jordan retired the first time. Pippen’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, said the Bulls already have contacted him in an attempt to re-sign his client, who could receive a prorated portion of the league’s new maximum salary of $14 million for a 10-year veteran.
Pippen, 33, is looking for a three- or four-year deal but the Bulls are believed to be interested in signing Pippen for just two years. As for Rodman, his agent, Dwight Manley, said Rodman wants to return to the Bulls. Rodman likely would sign a one-year deal if he comes back but given the team’s interest in McDyess, Rodman could be gone too.
