Let’s hope Bulls halftime debacle ends all Krause controversy forever

Jerry and Thelma Krause met in 1978. One of their first dates was a Bulls game at Chicago Stadium.

Krause was scouting the contest for the Seattle SuperSonics, so he left Thelma alone in the seats while he sat on the floor. But afterward they went to the Pump Room and had a great time.

Married less than a year later, Krause scouted baseball games during their honeymoon while Thelma brought a book to read.

In a 2000 interview with the Daily Herald, Thelma described the pain she felt when her husband was booed or insulted, saying the breaking point came when Krause was jeered during the Michael Jordan tribute event in 1994 after the first retirement.

"I just lost it. I was sobbing uncontrollably," Thelma said. "It was so embarrassing and humiliating, and it was such a major disappointment. After the three championships, I just felt Jerry deserved more.

“That experience was so painful I vowed right then and there that I could never let anything like that get to me again. I had to become like a snake that got new skin every year. I had to do that for Jerry. He needed my support.”

Easier said than done.

Jerry Krause passed away in 2017, and Thelma attended Friday's Ring of Honor ceremony at United Center on his behalf.

By now, the heartbreaking video has made the rounds on television and social media. When Krause's name was announced, fans at United Center booed. When the camera cut to Thelma, she was in tears and waving her arms as if to signal, “no more.”

Ron Harper walked up from behind and tried to console her, but it was a painful scene for anyone who witnessed it.

“It's shameful," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said after the game. “It's absolutely shameful. I cannot believe it. I'm devastated for Thelma, for the Krause family. What can we possibly be thinking?”

Kerr took a break from his halftime speech and took the court during the ceremony. Harper spoke to reporters after leaving the floor.

“First of all, fans, we don't boo Jerry Krause,” Harper said. "The man's done a lot of great things here. He may not be your favorite person, but we cheer to respect the man. I didn't really appreciate that part. But for the whole ceremony, it was awesome.”

Team shares blame

Fans did the booing, but blame ultimately lies with the Bulls. Someone, at some point, needed to step up and make sure this didn't happen. The history of derision for Krause is well-known, well-documented and still fresh in the minds of many Bulls fans because of the “Last Dance” documentary.

The people being honored walked onto the floor in darkness. Nobody in the stands knew Thelma Krause was in attendance until after she was shown on the videoboard, already in tears.

The introductions were generic and seemingly in random order. Artis Gilmore, who was in attendance, was the first person announced, followed by a couple of deceased honorees, Johnny “Red” Kerr and original owner Dick Klein, represented by descendants.

If the script read by Neil Funk began with, “Let's give a warm welcome to Thelma Krause,” there would likely have been cheers and Krause's legacy could have been properly honored.

Making things worse, Phil Jackson was introduced a few seconds after Krause, and received thunderous cheers. Why not build to a crescendo and announce Jackson last? Ultimately, the only individual Ring of Honor inductees in attendance were Jackson, Gilmore, Toni Kukoc and Bob Love.

Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman did not attend. Jordan made a video thanking the Bulls and fans. Rodman sent a video saying he tried to make it but was thwarted by the bad weather. Pippen did not have a video.

A disappointment

How could a Ring of Honor ceremony turn into such a disaster? Well, this is just how things go with the Bulls. Jordan has never had much of a relationship with his old team since he stopped playing. Pippen seems to carry hard feelings after ending his stint as an official Bulls ambassador.

Most players from the 1995-96 team, which also was inducted, were on hand, but they were never introduced. As the ceremony ended, Harper, Kerr, Luc Longley and John Salley were showed on the video board, drawing some cheers, but fans were left wondering who exactly was there from the 72-win team. I saw James Edwards in the hallway, if anyone was looking for him.

The ceremony ended with awkward silence before everyone cleared the court. When the game resumed, the Bulls were outscored 48-20 by the Warriors in the third quarter and lost.

Current Bulls players didn't watch the ceremony, but I asked DeMar DeRozan if he felt the negative energy lingering in the building after halftime.

“No, not at all,” he said. “Usually you see the crowd filtering back in. The crowd was still out there, obviously, from watching the Ring of Honor. So the energy was there. It was a dogfight. Tonight was one of those fun, competitive games where we were going back and forth. If Steph (Curry) or Klay (Thompson) miss a couple shots, we've got an opportunity to win.”

Maybe Friday's episode can finally close the door on all Krause controversy. He's often blamed for hastening the breakup of the championship group, but there were a variety of forces that brought the dynasty to a close.

Krause deserves credit for hiring Jackson out of the CBA to be a Bulls assistant coach, when other NBA teams were unsure of Jackson's free-spirited personality. Then Krause's 1987 draft haul of Pippen and Horace Grant, plus drafting Kukoc, changed the course of NBA history.

"You'd think after all of Jerry's accomplishments, people would at least give him the respect you'd give anyone else," Thelma Krause said in the 2000 interview. "But that probably won't happen, and we've stopped expecting it.

"He may not be appreciated by everyone, but I'll tell you this: He's appreciated by the people who really matter.”

Twitter: @McGrawDHSports