Jeremy Tyler worked out for the Portland Trail Blazers today. Afterwards, he did something I have...

Jeremy Tyler worked out for the Portland Trail Blazers today. Afterwards, he did something I have never seen before.

Asked if he had crossed paths with Blazers coach Nate McMillan over the years, Tyler responded, "Nate McMillan? No... What college is that?" Reminded who McMillan was, Tyler then said, "Oh... I'm tripping."

The exchange literally dropped the jaws of multiple media members attending. You can hear audible laughter on the tape as well.

Here's the video via CSNNW.com.

In Tyler's defense, he was speaking after a workout that left him exhausted and he said he had recently made two cross-country trips for workouts.

Then again, McMillan was present this morning for the workout, shook hands and briefly chatted with the prospects afterwards and was answering questions roughly 30 feet away from Tyler when this exchange occurred.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter

12 months ago Ben Golliver 43 comments 0 recs |

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Comments

maybe if Coach Mac won a playoff series

people would recognize him?

by tkblazeys on Jun 16, 2011 5:13 PM PDT reply actions

haha come one guys

this tyler guy has style. I like it!

For sure, you can drag back out that old W-A-L-L-A-C-E Blazers jersey you confiscated from your kid a few years ago. The thing takes on a new meaning today.
-John Canzano

by My_Name_A_Rudy on Jun 16, 2011 8:49 PM PDT up reply actions

"Tommy McMillan? Great post player. I'm glad to see him doing well in the coaching profession."

-Hubie Brown

"Ted Thompson's running Brett Favre out of Green Bay was the biggest mistake by a GM in the history of the league."

-Skip Bayless, November 2008

by The Cactus Leaguer on Jun 16, 2011 5:30 PM PDT reply actions

Well

He did drop out of HIGH SCHOOL to play basketball. I would have to say he is probably not the brightest crayon in the box.

by AR-15 on Jun 16, 2011 5:37 PM PDT reply actions

What about his decision makes him less intelligent?

by caesar on Jun 16, 2011 6:43 PM PDT up reply actions

Well, he just tried out for a team and couldn't remember the head coach's name,

and if he didn’t go to school his senior year, he has a k-11 education. Unless he is a natural genius, that isn’t exactly a path that offers intelligence. Rather a path that should give him an advantage on the court, not the class room.

by AR-15 on Jun 16, 2011 6:56 PM PDT up reply actions

it definitely does not help to his cause

If he’d dropped out to design the first water powered engine, you might have a point.

"Sasha? That's a sissy name." -Mike Rice

by koyote on Jun 16, 2011 7:59 PM PDT up reply actions

less education usually means less smarts.

"Ain't nothin' in this world for free."

by Arby on Jun 16, 2011 8:50 PM PDT up reply actions

i dont think you need to finish high school to know who the coach of a team you are working out for is

FIRE BUCHANAN!!

by thomasikehara on Jun 17, 2011 4:10 AM PDT up reply actions

It certainly doesn't hurt your memory

to spend more time in school.

by AR-15 on Jun 17, 2011 7:22 AM PDT up reply actions

So, if he'd finished high school...

he’d have memorized all the head coaches in the NBA along with U.S. presidents and state capitals, right?

"The silent bear no witness against themselves." - Aldous Huxley

by snapbrim on Jun 17, 2011 9:56 AM PDT up reply actions

Nope

but he might be professional enough to make sure he knows the coach’s name of which team he was trying out for. He also could have developed his memory to help him memorize a name after he shakes someone’s hand. He could have even further developed his memory and intellect had he attended college.

by AR-15 on Jun 17, 2011 11:07 AM PDT up reply actions

But instead he wasted his time...

immersing himself in unfamiliar cultures, learning foreign languages. Say, I wonder if learning a language improves one’s memory. I wonder if experiencing different cultures could be considered educational. Hmmm…

"The silent bear no witness against themselves." - Aldous Huxley

by snapbrim on Jun 17, 2011 12:32 PM PDT up reply actions

He dropped out of high school

I am not sure why you are defending him…

Trade John Canzano

by richardb on Jun 17, 2011 5:24 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm gonna take a wild guess

and say the Blazers won’t be drafting Jeremy Tyler

Say it ain't Cho

by Sean in Vancouver on Jun 16, 2011 5:47 PM PDT reply actions

The kid was just nervous...give him a break.

by stavrogin on Jun 16, 2011 6:05 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs

Agree

Very young with cameras in his face, right after a workout. No big deal. He thought about colleges for a second and that’s where his mind went.

by JeffePortland on Jun 16, 2011 6:13 PM PDT up reply actions

exactly

by Sonic Boom on Jun 16, 2011 7:57 PM PDT up reply actions

Let's see,

does the NBA use the Wunderlich tests?

by hercher on Jun 16, 2011 6:15 PM PDT reply actions

I'm unaware of the NBA having anything similar to the Wonderlic. Even if it does, though, I'd argue that ...

basketball is a way less cerebral game than football; therefore, overall intelligence is an insignificant factor when analyzing someone’s on-court ability. So, even though court awareness and basketball IQ are indeed important, book smarts and everyday intelligence mean next to nothing in the field of pro basketball.

In essence, talent trumps all. For Jeremy Tyler, it’ll be his mediocre talent that fails him at the NBA level.

"They say it has no memory. That’s where I want to live the rest of my life. A warm place with no memory."

by AK1984 on Jun 16, 2011 7:03 PM PDT up reply actions

Mark Cuban said Devin Harris tested very high

re: mental toughness, on whatever the test the Mavs give to their rookie prospects

When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Jun 16, 2011 9:34 PM PDT up reply actions

I wonder how they gauge mental fortitude.

I figure that must be a tough one to quantify.

"They say it has no memory. That’s where I want to live the rest of my life. A warm place with no memory."

by AK1984 on Jun 16, 2011 10:15 PM PDT up reply actions

Actually it's a rather simple formula

X = Y/Z

X = .21 or higher – Chuck Norris
.20 – .11 – Willis Reed Game 7
.10 – .01 – Tiger Woods 4th round 2008 US Open
Y = # of Chris Paul trade proposals posed by BEdgers responded to in earnest
Z = time in minutes (minimum 60 minutes)

by Just Another Fan on Jun 16, 2011 10:47 PM PDT up reply actions

Klingon pain sticks

When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Jun 17, 2011 12:24 PM PDT up reply actions

that's an interview fail.

Jeff Pendergraph:
FGM - 3
FGA - 111
Min - 30
Reb - 10

by Tofu Anonymous on Jun 16, 2011 6:17 PM PDT reply actions

Two words:

Smokescreen. :)

by JonathanPDX on Jun 16, 2011 6:21 PM PDT reply actions

"Ricky thinks

Ricky used to play with another guy who wore a helmet while playing first base."

wha??

by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jun 16, 2011 6:53 PM PDT reply actions

JR reference FTW

I am not giving up on Greg or Brandon.
#52
#7

by musicdaniel on Jun 17, 2011 11:31 AM PDT up reply actions

Seriously?

Dude knows him as “coach”. One of the dozen or so he visited in a week. Ben Molehill, your mountain is calling..

by Visionary2 on Jun 16, 2011 7:24 PM PDT reply actions

he must be better with faces than names

I do that sort of thing about once a week.

"Sasha? That's a sissy name." -Mike Rice

by koyote on Jun 16, 2011 7:57 PM PDT reply actions

As Stephen Wright would say

“I’m like that all the time”

When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Jun 16, 2011 9:35 PM PDT up reply actions

yeah..but you probably remember WHO someone is if GIVEN the name.

I have trouble remembering names…

by Natsthecat on Jun 17, 2011 12:12 PM PDT up reply actions

Who's Jeremy Tyler?

by BlazerDavid on Jun 16, 2011 8:06 PM PDT reply actions

Some scrub that plays basketball in Japan

by AR-15 on Jun 16, 2011 8:28 PM PDT up reply actions

If San Antonio picks this kid up, you won't be calling him a scrub a year from now.

by Eric Loftin on Jun 16, 2011 9:11 PM PDT up reply actions

I disagree

by AR-15 on Jun 16, 2011 9:23 PM PDT up reply actions

I doubt San Antonio takes Jeremy Tyler after drafting overseas project Ryan Richards last year.

"They say it has no memory. That’s where I want to live the rest of my life. A warm place with no memory."

by AK1984 on Jun 16, 2011 10:18 PM PDT up reply actions

who cares?

he is 7’ tall, with a 7’5 wingspan, has a ridiculous standing reach, and can play D.

what else can you ask for in this crappy draft at the 21st pick?

PHILLY!

by CleBlazer on Jun 16, 2011 9:30 PM PDT reply actions

a 40 inch vertical and a defensive mindset

Oh wait….he’s got that too.

by Eric Loftin on Jun 16, 2011 9:46 PM PDT up reply actions

And issues.

Somehow I think spacing the head coach he’s working out for shows he hasn’t progressed much from this…

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5008825

either.

"You can pretty much flip a coin to see which Portland team will show up: the dark-horse world-beaters or the mixed-up eggbeaters" - Dave

by conspirator5 on Jun 16, 2011 10:50 PM PDT up reply actions

I disagree

Having watched him in other intrerviews, he seems like a respectful enough kid. It’s a big whirlwind for these guys, and while it may be a faux pas, it’s not like he called McMillan a jerk, or said fans are a lesser species of human being. He had a brain fart. It happens.

This kid is going to be this year’s DeJuan Blair. He’s going to make every team that passed on him kick themselves in the rear.

by Eric Loftin on Jun 17, 2011 10:02 AM PDT up reply actions