The Chicago Bulls were at the top of their game when they parted ways after The Last Dance in 1998.
Chicago had won six championships via two three-peats. They won three in a row from 1991 to 1993 before MJ's sudden retirement to play baseball. Mike returned in 1995, and the Bulls won three more chips from 1996 to 1998. But the breakup happened just as when they were on the cusp of immortality.
However, ESPN's Michael Wilbon said that if Michael Jordan really wanted to run it back, he could've bypassed Krause and gone straight to the Jerry Reinsdorf as he always did when he wanted things done his way.
"If you're gonna tell me that Michael couldn't get Scottie and Phil in a room and say, alright, let's go for seven, I mean, we're up there now. We're up in Celtics land. Nobody other than Russell has done this. You mean to tell me that I'm gonna bet against Michael Jordan?" said Wilbon.
Wilbon thinks Reinsdorf would listen to MJ
Their breakup was blamed on then-GM Jerry Krause, who made it clear before that 1997-98 season that head coach Phil Jackson wouldn't be returning in 1998-99. Then there was Scottie Pippen, who had been griping about his contract for years and wanted out of Chicago.
Krause also feared that his team would suffer the fate of the Celtics, who grew old after a dominant 80s run and experienced hard times during the 90s. Yet despite all these odds, Wilbon thinks Reindsdorf would've overridden the rebuilding plans if Jordan himself personally talked to him.
"First of all, they all loved to line up against Jerry Krause anyway. And if they had gone directly to Jerry Reinsdorf, over Krause's head, and they went to Reinsdorf like Michael did when he negotiated those two years - he and David Falk, I am not betting against Michael," he added.
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Mike might have been forced to retire
The Zen Master ended up getting replaced by Tim Floyd, while Pippen was traded to the Houston Rockets. Dennis Rodman signed with the Lakers and Jordan retired a second time. MJ never attempted to stop Krause's rebuilding plans, despite saying during the Last Dance that he wanted to win a seventh ring.
Several reasons were given for Jordan's second retirement. The main one was that he didn't want to play for another coach. Then there were talks that he was burned out and had enough with his teammates, especially Pippen, because of his contract issues. But as Wilbon said, he could've easily convinced the two to return for one more run. But he didn't lift a finger to stop Krause's plans. And the reason may be, well, a finger.
Not many know that MJ suffered a gruesome finger injury that could have forced him to retire. While celebrating his sixth title in the Bahamas, Jordan severed his right index finger with a cigar cutter. After having surgery, he admitted that he could no longer grip the ball like he used to.
He would've also missed the first couple of months of the shortened season recovering from surgery. MJ denied that the finger injury played a factor in his decision to retire. Still, there were enough reasons to think that maybe it did.
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