League Shaken, the Year of Jordan?

"I've said it before! The Bulls don't belong to one person or two people!"

"The Bulls' achievements came from every single member of the organization! From the team owner to the cleaning staff! It was everyone's hard work that made the Bulls a five-time championship team!"

"Five championships in eight years! And we're on our way to a sixth!"

"We are a mature team! Now, we will challenge for the title of greatest team in history!"

"Welcome our new additions! I believe Joe and Brian will be happy with this team!"

The Bulls' general manager, the obese white Jewish man Jerry Krause, sat at the press conference table with the Bulls' new additions, Joe Smith and Brian Shaw.

The portly Krause wore a smug, delighted expression.

Having practically robbed the Warriors to snatch Joe Smith away from them was undoubtedly the most glorious moment of his career as a general manager.

This was Joe Smith's third year in the league as a first overall pick. For one, he still had plenty of untapped potential, which fit Krause's team-building philosophy of rebuilding and making the roster younger.

Second, Joe Smith's arrival could shift the media's attention toward the other members of the Bulls rather than crediting all of the Bulls' honors to Jordan. This was something Krause had always been determined to accomplish.

The reason Krause had been stirring up so much trouble with the Bulls was because he wanted to divide the glory that had drawn the world's attention away from Jordan and toward himself and the team owner.

Third, with this year's showdown between the Bulls and the Lakers, Krause, a legendary executive, naturally understood that the Bulls had already fallen slightly behind the Lakers in terms of raw strength! He also knew perfectly well why Jordan and Pippen