His coach calls him lazy and out of shape. The team captain says he is soft. His teammates say he needs to learn to shut up and show up on time. He has no friends on the team. In extensive interviews with Tyler, his teammates, coaches, his father and advisers, the consensus is that he is so naïve and immature that he has no idea how naïve and immature he is. So enamored with his vast potential, Tyler has not developed the work ethic necessary to tap it.
Tyler still talks openly about retiring with $200 million in the bank after a 15-year N.B.A. career. He also talks about modeling, the documentary being made about him, and how he and his girlfriend, Erin Wright, the daughter of the rapper Eazy-E, will grow up to be an American power couple. But he scored just 1 point in his first two games, and his coach was baffled that a player with such great potential could arrive without basic skills like boxing out and rotating on defense.
For missing a workout and showing up late to an interview, Tyler was fined $1,000, the largest penalty the team had levied in three years. Tyler said he would be fined $1,000 for each subsequent violation, no matter how small, a sign the team is losing patience.
“These are all men out here,” Rich said. “The way you earn respect is by keeping your mouth shut and going to work and being a professional.”
At his apartment, Tyler said, neighbors have called the police three times with complaints that he was playing music too loud. Discussing his problems, Tyler tended to point fingers. Asked about his immaturity, he said his teammates should treat him like a man. Asked about his reluctance to work and listen to his coaches, he said he was skeptical of their knowledge and methods. Tyler, the captain and focus of his high school’s offense, said he was still adjusting to a new role.
Tyler complained that Haifa had failed to fulfill promises. He said that the driver the team provided did not want to take him anywhere and that the apartment he was given was dim and sparse, with a hallway light that hung by a wire from the ceiling.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/sport ... tyler.html
TL;DR This guy is a grade-A idiot.
