Jerry Reinsdorf took over as the Bulls’ managing partner in February 1985. At the time, he told reporters he wanted to leave the basketball decisions up to general manager Rod Thorn and focus on the business end of the team. Alas, Reinsdorf had a quick change of heart: He fired Thorn the following month.
For Reinsdorf, that bit of Steinbrenner-ism was an enormous aberration. He hired White Sox scout Jerry Krause to replace Thorn, and Krause stayed on the job until he retired in 2003. Bulls guard John Paxson took over for Krause, and Paxson had been on the job since then.