103: Option 067: Choose One of Two 103: Option 067: Choose One of Two The 1994 NBA Finals were a fervent affair.
As Rockets guard Vernon Maxwell said, “Kenny has been traded many times, Thorpe has been traded many times, and I was given up by the Spurs; we three are typical journeyman players.
But now, we are champions!”
As Tomjanovich said, “I just tell my players not to take shortcuts, and, never forget the heart of a champion.”
As Jerry Krause commented on Roger, “The most beautiful part of Roger’s rookie season isn’t a jump shot or a buzzer beater, the most beautiful is the story he wrote against the world with his running, collisions, blood, and indomitability.”
The perfect story, the perfect script, everything about the ’93-’94 season was in line with David Stern’s expectations.
But there was one bad news: the viewership rating for the 1994 NBA Finals was only 12, in comparison, the previous season’s Finals had a viewership rating of 17.9.
The Finals viewership had retreated to the levels of a decade earlier.
Of course, one couldn’t blame Roger or Olajuwon; they played a round of exciting playoffs.
The reason for this phenomenon was only one: the league still needed Michael Jordan.
Having Jordan’s successor wasn’t enough; people needed the real Michael Jordan.
If you think that a few rookies could shake the years of accumulation and cultivation of Jordan and Nike in just one season’s time, it’s simply a fool’s dream.
So, would Michael Jordan come back?
This was a topic of discussion every single day.
They didn’t know yet that Michael Jordan had already begun preparing for this.
Because Michael Jordan was angry.
After Roger shattered his orbital bone, there was no direct dialogue between Jordan and Roger anymore.
“No longer needing Michael,” “Entering the Roger era with the Bulls,” such assertions were spoken by the media.
Yet after the Finals, Roger admitted during an interview that he himself had said these words before.
Indeed, before the media, Pippen had called Jordan to inform him about Roger’s actions.
It was also him who told the media about it.
One can imagine how Jordan felt; he considered this an open declaration of war by Roger.
So, he decided to make a comeback in the next season.
This resolution was made earlier than in the original history.
He had no reason to wait anymore; apart from the championship, Roger had already gained everything possible with the Bulls.
Was he really supposed to wait until Roger told the whole world that the Bulls could win the championship without Michael Jordan before making his return?
As to when exactly he would return in the next season, Jordan hadn’t decided yet.
Because before that, Jordan needed to meet with the Bulls’ management.
He needed some assurances, and he was confident he would get everything he wanted.
Before the draft began, Jerry Krause and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf met in the Berto Center’s office.
Also present was the Chief Financial Officer Sasha Smith.
Sasha gave Krause and Reinsdorf an overview of the Bulls’ revenue for this season, and as expected, in terms of merchandise and ticket sales, the Bulls’ revenue was much decrease from the previous year.
Roger’s jersey was the best-seller for the Bulls this year, but it still couldn’t compare to sales of that number 23 jersey.
Although tickets were still sold out, it was because the prices had been lowered.
During those glorious years when the Bulls won championships, many couldn’t afford tickets; now they could finally come and see what had happened here.
In fact, it wasn’t just the Bulls that were affected.
Nike’s sales had dipped too, and the NBA’s overall viewership had declined.
In such an environment, the fact the Bulls were still profitable was very impressive.
So Krause believed the owner should be satisfied with this year’s marketing performance.
After Sasha finished speaking, Krause immediately began his pitch: “Jerry, this season we were just one step away from the championship.
I have a plan that can help us overcome the hurdle that is the Houston Rockets!”
“I’m thinking of trading Scott this summer for Seattle’s Shawn Kemp!
Our frontcourt needs that kind of strength, and Scott, you saw what he did in the playoffs this year, his act of abandoning the team at the crucial moment is cowardly, unforgivable!
He betrayed his teammates, he betrayed us!
If not for Roger, we would have fallen in the Eastern Conference Finals because of his childish behavior!
What Hakeem Olajuwon fears most is the SuperSonics’ frontcourt, and if we beef up our own frontcourt next season, we’ll have a chance to take down those bastards from Space City!
Yes, Roger failed this year, but a 27-year-old Jordan with Pippen couldn’t win the championship either.
An 18-year-old Roger has already achieved what a 27-year-old Jordan could.
So, I believe Roger will lead us into the next golden era.”
Krause was eager to get rid of the troublemaker, the one who never respected him; that defiant fellow would disappear from his sight forever!
But Krause knew that his opinion on a trade involving Pippen didn’t matter; what mattered was Reinsdorf’s opinion.
No matter how much Krause disliked Pippen, it wouldn’t change one fact – Pippen was a valuable asset to the team.
Krause could deal with Cartwright or Kukoc as he pleased.
But to move Pippen, he needed the owner’s personal approval.