I get what you are saying...Krause did well in putting in some complimentary pieces, but the other way of looking at is: how many titles does Krause win without Jordan? Do the Bulls win titles with Pippen and Grant as the #1 and #2 players? Would Dennis Rodman been kept under control without Jordan? Jordan was still the huge reason for the titles. I think the more interesting question would be if Jordan would have won titles without Pippen and Grant.
You have to make things analogous. Is it fair to Krause to say "I will take away your BEST player, give you ZERO in return, and expect you to win" .. which is what you're doing..?
Krause couldn't win a ring if he lost Jordan with ZERO in return just like Auerbach couldn't lose Russell for ZERO in return and West couldn't have lost the Diesel for ZERO in return.
Do you really think RC Buford is losing Duncan for... drum roll.. f-ing nobody in return and winning a ring?
What you do is make the situation analogous...
Krause inherited Jordan through no merit of his own. He was already on the team when Krause joined the Bulls as GM. JUST LIKE... Paxson had a 1.7% chance at Rose and totally lucked into that situation. So, we start with...
Team "Krause that had nothing to do with Krause's GM skill"
SG Michael Jordan
Team "Paxson that had absolutely f-ing nothing to do with Paxson's GM skill"
PG Derrick Rose
So, now that we've actually made things even and not started with the idea that, "hey, Jerry, because I want a certain result since after all, you are FAT.. you lose Michael for nothing and now must prove your worth" (LOL).. let's take a look at what each GM did to surround the one superstar that had nothing to do with their actual skill as a GM.
Krause -
Acquired Scottie Pippen, roughly the 25th-30th best player ever.. with an 8th pick and a future first. I ask you this.. name me the better players in NBA HISTORY that have been acquired with a pick 8 or lower?
Paxson -
His best non-luck acquisition appears to be Joakim Noah. In fact, a perfect comparison would be this years team v. the 94 Bulls... the 94 Bulls lost Michael Jordan, the best player ever, and had to scrap to replace him with Pete freaking Myers. This years team lost Derrick Rose.
The 94 Bulls won 55 games and took the eventual Eastern Finalist Knicks to 7 games. If not for Hugh Hollins, the Bulls likely beat New York in 6 and head on to defeat the Pacers before going into an all out war with the Houston Rockets... who likely would have just overwhelmed Chicago because of the stark advantage Olajuwon would have had on Bill Cartwright, Scott Williams and Luc Longley.
Now, let me just promise you this... you can like the Bulls; heck, I haven't followed your posts; maybe you hate where this organization is going for all I know.
Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant would have just embarrassed this team and Scottie Pippen would be telling the entire team all about it while Horace did every funny stupid dance you could ever imagine on a basketball court prior to the complete seizures of Fatty Walker in Boston.
Pippen - Better than any player Paxson ever has or ever will acquire without lucking into a #1 pick in a great draft (and he was also better than Rose, just so you know)
Grant - Krause's SECOND best draftee ever.. is STILL a player I'd take over Joakim Noah. It's close and probably a matter of preference, but Paxson's best acquisitions are probably more in Horace Grant's league than Scottie Pippen.
Rodman - For my money, because of his age, Krause's third best acquisition (the league was much weaker when Dennis joined the Bulls.. unlike Grant's Bulls prime when the two time world champion Pistons, who were not old yet in 1992 were a damn 5th seed!)... would you really take Noah in a slam dunk over Rodman?
Look, I can frame Jerry Krause accurately because I don't emotionally tie myself to anyone. Everything is merit based. Take my like for DeMarcus Cousins.. I happen to think he's as big of a douche personally as a lot of people here do.. but the Bulls need to convert "try hard" into SOME "shoot for the ceiling" talent risk. If they already had Jordan and Pippen, of course I'd want Noah over Cousins, but that's not the case.
Krause was overbearing, but as long as he had a superstar he could find big time talent. He's as good as anyone .. as good as Jack McCloskey, West, Auerbach at getting superstar talent or damn near it without needing a top 3-4 pick in a top draft (see.. McCloskey getting Dumars for like a 15th pick and Rodman in the 2nd round). As good as he was from 86 to 98, he was equally bad from 99-03. But.. it's the same defense that was an ACCURATE defense of Paxson before he got Rose.. NO GM WINS WITHOUT A SUPERSTAR.
Believe it or not, Krause did the right THING from 99-03, he just went way overboard and handled it poorly. When you don't have a superstar, you tank, you stockpile cap room and you wait to get a superstar.. sometimes you wait forever like the Clippers who still haven't gotten one I'd say you build around for TITLES... but trying to build title teams without a legit superstar is fruitless. BEST CASE scenario? In between a slew of titles won by superstars.. you get ONE year where the Lakers implode because Kobe hates Shaq, Karl Malone blows his knee out in the playoffs and you get Rasheed Wallace for NOTHING.. that's your BEST shot.
Believe it or not I have no predisposition to hate Paxson. Before he was GM my biggest memory was him just drowning the Lakers with jumper after jumper in 1991 and then of course the three v. Phoenix. My hatred has everything to do with his actions that feed short-sighted fans who are in it to watch a team that "plays their way" more than a winner.