Jerry Krause: Al Vermeil was one reason I said organizations win championships

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The numbers are astonishing.

Michael Jordan missed six regular-season games during the Bulls’ first three-peat, none during the second three-peat and none of the 116 playoff games over six title runs.

Until Scottie Pippen admittedly delayed his offseason foot surgery to push his 1997-98 debut until January 1998, he missed six regular-season games in the first five championship seasons. He also appeared in all 116 playoff games.

B.J. Armstrong didn’t miss a game during the first three-peat. Ron Harper missed only eight during the second three-peat. And on and on and on.

This speaks to the players’ commitment, on and off the court, as well as their ability to play through nagging pain. It also speaks to the impact of Al Vermeil, the Bulls’ longtime strength and conditioning coach.

The Bulls’ ability to navigate the physical play of the Pistons and Knicks is detailed during ESPN’s “The Last Dance” documentary. Vermeil was one of Jerry Krause’s first hires in 1985---and a pioneering one at that.

Krause's family has shared with NBC Sports Chicago select excerpts of Krause's unpublished and unfinished memoir. Here’s part of what Krause wrote about Vermeil, the brother of longtime NFL coach Dick Vermeil:

Al never wanted or was in the media spotlight. But he was extremely bright, tough as nails, always trying to improve his methods and find new ways to condition and test athletes. We fitted the Berto Center’s strength and conditioning room with mirrors surrounding it. Al wanted to have the players see how much better they looked and gain confidence.

He was able to help veteran players stretch their careers---among them Dave Corzine, Bill Cartwright, John Paxson, Steve Kerr and others. He helped skinny draftees like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant and, with their work ethics, made them stronger and quicker. He got players to believe that strength and conditioning work could win championships and make them a lot of money, helped to convince players to stay in Chicago most of the offseason and work as a unit to get better and stronger.

From the 1986-87 season to our last title run in 1998, we had few major injuries. Phil (Jackson) was a factor in that too because he had an uncanny ability to see a guy needed a day or two off or his minutes reduced at times during the season. And I’m not going to tell you that MJ (Michael Jordan) was among Al’s wonders because he was not. The greatest athlete in the world, with more stamina than any athlete I’ve ever seen, worked in his own way privately to gain bulk. Later he hired a personal trainer [Tim Grover] to help guide him. The other players, quickly aware of what Al could do for them and their careers, never mentioned MJ’s situation and I had no problem with it because I knew MJ was going to find a way to do what he had to do.

Al was huge in his development of computerized physical testing of both potential draft choices and our own players. He had studied bodies for so many years that he had the ability to see things that even veteran coaches and scouts could not see. He originated drills for the specific things NBA players had to do on the court to become successful. He designed drills for each different position, each different body type, each type of personality.

Al was extremely introspective, a great family man, a guy who a player could confide in and who I could throw ideas at and get sound answers. He was much more than a strength and conditioning coach. When I got ripped for saying, 'Players and coaches alone don’t win championships, organizations do'-----he was one of the people I was talking about.

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