To prove his management capabilities, he is a championship-level general manager, not just someone lucky to have Jordan.
Without Jordan, he can still win a championship and build a strong roster.
The second thing, however, is precisely related to Jordan, which is that his appetite was spoiled by Jordan.
What level is Jordan? Averaging over 25 points in his rookie season, an achievement many players can't reach in their entire careers.
Why was Artest traded away by the Bulls, even though he was a nice guy?
Because in Jerry Krause's view, his offense was too poor. Let alone averaging 25 points, reaching 20 at his peak was a problem.
For Krause, who was used to Jordan, how could he endure it? Simply trade him away, trade them all away!
Also, Jordan was a perimeter star, so Krause desperately built the core around inside players over the years.
Brand, Chandler, Eddie Curry—he didn't want to pick a so-called "Jordan successor". He didn't want to continue living in Jordan's shadow.
