What back-stabbing? // Steaming Krause defends Bulls' professionalism

Bulls general manager Jerry Krause was talking about the team's12-man playoff roster Monday - reserve center Joe Kleine is the oddman out - when the subject matter became far more interesting: thesoap-opera atmosphere that has surrounded the team all season.

Krause did his best to dance around the issue until TNT's CraigSager asked the following question:

"When you look at this team, the chemistry seems to be so gooddespite all the uncertainty, the (Dennis) Rodman experience seems tohave worked out. Are you surprised that the team has stayed togetherand the chemistry has been that good with all the back-stabbingbetween you and coach (Phil Jackson) and everything else?"After a long pause, Krause said: "First of all, there's noback-stabbing going on here. OK? Understand me when I say that?The second part of it is, I'm not surprised and I'm even amazed thatyou would even make a statement like that. I'm not surprised at allbecause this team is composed of professionals, composed of guys whounderstand what they have to do and who are winners . . . unlike thecomment you made. Gentlemen, good night."And with that, Krause's media session was over as he stormedaway.Before his abrupt departure, Krause was asked for his thoughtson the end of an era."All I know is we're preparing to enter the playoffs," Krausesaid. "I'm going to take it day by day and I'm not going to talkabout the end of anything or the beginning of anything or all thatstuff."I'm concerned about a young New Jersey team that'll be freshand feel they have nothing to lose and they've got a couple ofveterans on that team that are pretty good players, so I'm not goingto get into that. I'm worried about New Jersey and then the nextseries."As for the playoff roster, Krause said it was Jackson's decisionto select forward/center Dickey Simpkins and center Bill Wenningtonfor the final two spots and leave Kleine inactive."It was a tough decision for Phil and it was a tough time forboth of us talking to Joe," Krause said. "Joe is a pro and a veteranand understands this game and understands this business. He's givenus a great year."This is the first time Simpkins has been chosen for the playoffroster. He was the odd man out in each of the last three seasons.He finally made the playoff roster at the end of a season that beganwith the Bulls trading him to Golden State.Krause said Simpkins, who was re-signed in March after beingwaived by the Warriors, was chosen because of the flexibility heprovides in the frontcourt."He plays small centers really well," Krause said. "When we gotDickey back, that was one of the things we talked about at somelength, that Dickey has the ability to play smaller centers.(Jackson) felt that we were going to run up against smaller centersat least in the first few rounds of the playoffs. He felt that(Simpkins) has done a fine job of proving himself to be able to dothat."