Michael Reinsdorf is credited as the man who really began the push for the Chicago Bulls to begin their overhaul this month. Something that fans have clamored for going back literal years. Arturas Karnisovas arrived from Denver with the enthusiastic support of many around the NBA. Gar Forman was swiftly dismissed after that and the restructuring of the front office commenced. However, Reinsdorf was quick to make one thing clear. It wasn't the fans, vocal as they were, that convinced him it was time for changes. He gave credit for that to none other than John Paxson himself.
The former VP of Basketball Operations had a heart-to-heart with Reinsdorf as far back as December. What did he have to say? The COO revealed all during an interview on 670 The Score.
"For me, it was more about I was really listening to John (Paxson) and looking at the organization and thinking about our process and what was going to happen going forward. To me, it just seemed like now was definitely the right time make these changes...
...John and I had been talking for a long time. I wasn't thrilled with where we were as a team, as an organization. And I shared that information with John. We continued to try to effect change and improve the organization, but at some point, John did have that heart to heart with me and he just said, 'Mike, I'm not the right person to lead this organization for the next 10 to 15 years.' I think it's really important that you have the right person working with you, so that really was the kick-start to it."
In the end, John Paxson did what's best for the Bulls
It is okay for people to criticize Paxson. He's earned plenty of it. The man ran the organization for 17 years dating back to 2003. In that time he failed to make an NBA Finals and only reached the Conference Finals once. He helped build some good rosters but he also let the organization descend into a den of sharks where mistrust and backstabbing were the order of the day. Great players were allowed to leave and a team that looked like a perennial contender became a laughing stock.
Yet when looking back on his legacy with the organization, one thing people can never call Paxson is selfish. It was true in his playing days as he gladly shunned the limelight and settled for doing his job whenever Jordan and Pippen needed him to. Then when he became the GM in 2003, he was able to pull the organization out of the mud back to winning basketball. He was never a man that constantly looked to take all the credit.
This story should remind fans why the Bulls are keeping him around. He's always done what's best for this franchise.
