Uncle Drew

[Henderson]

This is one of the top three NBA player ad campaigns of all time. If you haven't seen it, google "Uncle Drew" and check it out. Kevin gets my "Love" for playing along. And Byron Scott's bobblehead conversation is classic.

The other two:

Mars Blackmon -- "Money money it's gotta be the shoes."
Little Penny -- "Hey Tyra, you left your toothbrush at my house."

Anything better?

[Cameron]

This might be No. 3 behind Mars Blackmon and Lil' Penny.

http://www.terezowens.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/larry-johnson-grandmama.jpg

[davekay1971]

That's what I find most intriguing about the Uncle Drew ads. They're a neat concept and lots of fun, especially the first one when you really got the feeling that the guys on the court had no idea what was going on. But what really strikes me is the credits: written and directed by Kyrie.

I'm not sure how much help or guidance he got, or whether Kyrie has some experience in directing somewhere along the line, but those shorts are really nicely done. They look professional, slick, well cut, well put together. If Kyrie's really directing and writing those ads, he's got serious talent...in addition to being one of the brightest young stars in the NBA.

I'd love to see Kyrie continue to do some writing and directing, to see what he could accomplish after he gets done playing basketball. It'd be truly awesome to walk into a theater one day to watch a movie directed by Kyrie. As long as it's not Die Hard 8: Die Already.

[brevity]

I'd love to see Kyrie continue to do some writing and directing, to see what he could accomplish after he gets done playing basketball. It'd be truly awesome to walk into a theater one day to watch a movie directed by Kyrie. As long as it's not Die Hard 8: Die Already.

He should talk to Elton Brand (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1580954/), who has some production experience. (As does Grant Hill (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384294/), but not that Grant Hill.)

Props to Uncle Drew for standing out in an era where we seek out ads on the Internet and skip them on TV. There's not much out there these days. Nice of Kyrie Irving and the NBA on ESPN crew (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLucZygQIgo) to pick up the slack.

[Billy Dat]

It wasn't a campaign with multiple ads over time, but I always loved this one:

Converse Weapons
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90fRlMQTdSs

Kevin McHale turns out to be the best MC of the All Star crew.

[weezie]

Kind OT but the Capital One commercial with Charles Barkley's underpants is superb. :D

[SupaDave]

These guys...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P38pCdsir8s

[SupaDave]

Lebron deserves his own post for this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GqaQS55ilc

[BD80]

These guys...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P38pCdsir8s

I refuse to watch a commercial so that I can watch a commercial!

[BD80]

Kyrie's got something going. here's the long edition of his first stop in getting the ol' team together:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1391995-kyrie-irving-and-kevin-love-team-up-for-epic-uncle-drew-pepsi-max-ad

[DevilWearsPrada]

Kyrie's got something going. here's the long edition of his first stop in getting the ol' team together:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1391995-kyrie-irving-and-kevin-love-team-up-for-epic-uncle-drew-pepsi-max-ad

Thanks so much for posting this!!! Kyrie and Kevin are sensational in this pepsi ad short video. Kyrie is amazing! If only the "Turf Toe" would not have been an issue! When Kyrie finishes his NBA career, which should be lengthy; he can have a career in acting or producing videos, movies, etc!!

Great Video!!!!

[gwlaw99]

If you haven't seen it, google "Uncle Drew" and check it out.

Seriously?

[blazindw]

Lebron deserves his own post for this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GqaQS55ilc

This one...THE best. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B21Px9fu5wI

Dunkin on that reindeer, dunkin on that reindeer, du, du-du, du-du, dunkin on that reindeer! LOLOL

[BD80]

Lebron deserves his own post for this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GqaQS55ilc


This one...THE best. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B21Px9fu5wI

Dunkin on that reindeer, dunkin on that reindeer, du, du-du, du-du, dunkin on that reindeer! LOLOL

Not even close to Kyrie's work!

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

This is one of the top three NBA player ad campaigns of all time. If you haven't seen it, google "Uncle Drew" and check it out. Kevin gets my "Love" for playing along. And Byron Scott's bobblehead conversation is classic.

The other two:

Mars Blackmon -- "Money money it's gotta be the shoes."
Little Penny -- "Hey Tyra, you left your toothbrush at my house."

Anything better?

What, no love for Bobby Hurley's ITZ shoes? He was in the zone! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzZHzcRYJNE

I'm sorry Matt, but those shoes were hideous.

Also, I almost forgot about the Mister Robinson's Neighborhood commercials. Those were dope (to use the parlance of the times).

[blazindw]

Not even close to Kyrie's work!

I meant of the LeBron commercials :)

[Mal]

This is one of the top three NBA player ad campaigns of all time. If you haven't seen it, google "Uncle Drew" and check it out. Kevin gets my "Love" for playing along. And Byron Scott's bobblehead conversation is classic.

The other two:

Mars Blackmon -- "Money money it's gotta be the shoes."
Little Penny -- "Hey Tyra, you left your toothbrush at my house."

Anything better?

These Uncle Drew films make me smile pretty much all the way through, I have to say. I hope at some point they expand it to a full 5-on-5 game.

On the other hand, Little Penny was one of the funniest series of commercials ever thought up. Chris Rock was just too good. The one ad with the Tyra line also gave us not one, but two, lines that were uttered in literally every pickup or intramural game from 1996-2002 or so: "I know my spot, fool!" and "You can't guard me! The Secret Service couldn't guard me!" Classic.

To this day, when I see that the local team's scheduled to play the Timberwolves, even though I know the answer, I go out of my way to ask someone over 30 "Who do they play tonight?" just so that when they answer I can go "Ohhhhh, los Loooobos!"

[dukedoc]

Cool video of Kyrie (sans makeup and costuming) - couldn't find it posted previously

Nike Basketball Inside Access: Kyrie Irving (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wXtL6x-X8E)

[Atlanta Duke]

Some less than flattering comments on Kyrie in today's New York Times regarding the Cavaliers re-hiring of Mike Brown

[H]e takes over a team with a new diva, Kyrie Irving, who many already suspect is a coaching handful and a half....

Brown takes over a talent-depleted roster with the task of pointing out to Irving that Brown’s specialty as a coach — defense — is something he might want to dabble in.


http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/the-mike-brown-redux-in-cleveland/?ref=sports

[Lord Ash]

I have heard literally NOTHING about Kyrie being a handful for a coach. Nothing. In fact, everything I've seen would lead me to believe otherwise. So until ANY other place mentions this, I will take it as a pile of unsubstantiated B.S.

[duke4ever19]

Some less than flattering comments on Kyrie in today's New York Times regarding the Cavaliers re-hiring of Mike Brown

[H]e takes over a team with a new diva, Kyrie Irving, who many already suspect is a coaching handful and a half....

Brown takes over a talent-depleted roster with the task of pointing out to Irving that Brown’s specialty as a coach — defense — is something he might want to dabble in.


http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/the-mike-brown-redux-in-cleveland/?ref=sports

Wow. I have only ever heard of Irving being a great teammate. I only remember seeing his contagious enthusiasm on the bench (during the toe injury) while watching his teammates play. This is the first time I've heard one peep about him being a "diva" or difficult to coach.

[Henderson]

"Diva" just means talented rich smart Duke NBA guy. It's how a lot of the world sees our guys through their own lenses. It has nothing to do with behavior or reality.

[BytheBeardofZou]

I was hoping "Uncle Drew" would turn out to be turnover Jesus himself, Larry Drew :(

Needless to say I figured out it wasn't him when his passes didn't land in the fourth row.

[dukelifer]

Some less than flattering comments on Kyrie in today's New York Times regarding the Cavaliers re-hiring of Mike Brown

[H]e takes over a team with a new diva, Kyrie Irving, who many already suspect is a coaching handful and a half....

Brown takes over a talent-depleted roster with the task of pointing out to Irving that Brown’s specialty as a coach — defense — is something he might want to dabble in.


http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/the-mike-brown-redux-in-cleveland/?ref=sports

Many refers to whom? NBA insiders? NBA players? UNC fans? A couple of folks in the lobby? And they do not even "know" this. They simply suspect. A nice piece of in depth reporting there. The author might have even googled from her couch.

[arnie]

Many refers to whom? NBA insiders? NBA players? UNC fans? A couple of folks in the lobby? And they do not even "know" this. They simply suspect. A nice piece of in depth reporting there. The author might have even googled from her couch.

Sounds like just another in a long line of poorly researched articles from a fading rag.

[flyingdutchdevil]

The article does accurately point out that Kyrie isn't good at defense. Okay - he's terrible at it right now. It's not one of his skillsets. That may be a product of Scott's terrible defensive schemes, but Kyrie also doesn't show much ability on that end. With Brown, I really hope that Kyrie can become an efficient defender. He will never be a Westbrook-like defender.

[g-money]

Sounds like just another in a long line of poorly researched articles from a fading rag.

Yes, a fading rag that just lost a paid subscriber, thanks to their constant cheap shots at all things Duke.

I'll be taking my $15/month and spending it on iPhone apps instead.

[SupaDave]

The article does accurately point out that Kyrie isn't good at defense. Okay - he's terrible at it right now. It's not one of his skillsets. That may be a product of Scott's terrible defensive schemes, but Kyrie also doesn't show much ability on that end. With Brown, I really hope that Kyrie can become an efficient defender. He will never be a Westbrook-like defender.

Westbrook is a totally different kind of athlete who probably benches a hundred pounds more than Kyrie. His defense is decent enough. Put him around some good players and he wont have to try and pick the pockets of the 5 anymore while still covering his man.

[Starter]

I love Kyrie to death, and in general I have no love lost for the New York Times*, but they're not the first or only outlet saying this sort of thing. Pretty much every story on Scott's firing either implied or flat-out stated that Kyrie was petulant the final few weeks of the season, capped off by a weird situation on Fan Appreciation Night (http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/kyrie-irving-skipped-fan-appreciation-night-duties-following-224625667--nba.html). (This story (http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/miamiheat/post/_/id/17376/heat-set-example-kyrie-irving-should-follow) probably gets into the most specifics.) I think Kyrie is a wonderful player and has been terrific the couple times I've gotten to talk to him, but he is just 21, and some growing pains are bound to happen as he hopefully transitions into the role of NBA superstar. Luckily, his father is a perfect one-man support team, and I would imagine Kyrie learned a few things from his experiences the second half of the season -- similar to how LeBron James had to learn some things a few years back.

The biggest surprise to me is finding that his defense is universally panned. Don't get me wrong, I don't doubt it, I just thought he was a pretty good defender at Duke and hoped it would carry over. I'm not saying he shouldn't have gone pro when he did -- he definitely should have -- but maybe a little more time with Coach K would have benefited him in this and other areas. But Mike Brown, though far from a perfect coach, will probably help out a bit, at least on defense.

*Lynn Zinser, who wrote this piece, is actually the wife of my former boss. Take it from me, or don't, but she's a good and responsible reporter.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I love Kyrie to death, and in general I have no love lost for the New York Times*, but they're not the first or only outlet saying this sort of thing. Pretty much every story on Scott's firing either implied or flat-out stated that Kyrie was petulant the final few weeks of the season, capped off by a weird situation on Fan Appreciation Night (http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/kyrie-irving-skipped-fan-appreciation-night-duties-following-224625667--nba.html). (This story (http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/miamiheat/post/_/id/17376/heat-set-example-kyrie-irving-should-follow) probably gets into the most specifics.) I think Kyrie is a wonderful player and has been terrific the couple times I've gotten to talk to him, but he is just 21, and some growing pains are bound to happen as he hopefully transitions into the role of NBA superstar. Luckily, his father is a perfect one-man support team, and I would imagine Kyrie learned a few things from his experiences the second half of the season -- similar to how LeBron James had to learn some things a few years back.

The biggest surprise to me is finding that his defense is universally panned. Don't get me wrong, I don't doubt it, I just thought he was a pretty good defender at Duke and hoped it would carry over. I'm not saying he shouldn't have gone pro when he did -- he definitely should have -- but maybe a little more time with Coach K would have benefited him in this and other areas. But Mike Brown, though far from a perfect coach, will probably help out a bit, at least on defense.

*Lynn Zinser, who wrote this piece, is actually the wife of my former boss. Take it from me, or don't, but she's a good and responsible reporter.

Great post. Thanks for the update. Kyrie will be okay, despite his recent behavior and subpar defense. Like the article said (as well as you did), he's only 21. Unfortunately, the Cavs either didn't draft great or got really really unlucky (2011 and 2012 weren't deep years). The jury is still out on Thompson, Waiters, and Zeller. I think a new coach was in order, but a roster shuffle may also be in order. Outside of the four rookies and sophomores, they need to keep Livingston and Walton and trade the rest. This should be one of the last years that the Cavs well from the lottery. They need to start being successful in the next few years to be taken seriously (and to retain Kyrie).

[Starter]

Kyrie playing pickup at Montclair State. Finally, a good reason to live in New Jersey, and I didn't even know about this until the day after. SMH.

http://www.slamonline.com/online/media/slam-tv/2013/04/kyrie-irving-plays-pick-up-at-montclair-state-university-video/

[antseg]

Kyrie playing pickup at Montclair State. Finally, a good reason to live in New Jersey, and I didn't even know about this until the day after. SMH.

http://www.slamonline.com/online/media/slam-tv/2013/04/kyrie-irving-plays-pick-up-at-montclair-state-university-video/

According to some people I know, there is a no dunking rule in that gym.

So maybe this is what the NYT was talking about when they called Kyrie a "diva." Rules do not apply to him!

[MarkD83]

I would enjoy these videos of Kyrie even more except I know that if times were different he would be going into his senior year at Duke.

[Jarhead]

...So maybe this is what the NYT was talking about when they called Kyrie a "diva." Rules do not apply to him!

The NYT must be confused. Diva is a female singer of high reputation. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diva). I don't think Kyrie sings, nor is he female, but he has a substantial reputation as a Duke alum, and a basketball player. Glad to help out.

[Duvall]

I would enjoy these videos of Kyrie even more except I know that if times were different he would be going into his senior year at Duke.

How long was the span of time during which Kyrie Irving could have been a freshman at Duke and would have been a senior at Duke - seven years? Eight? And even then he would have only played three years with the varsity.

[MarkD83]

How long was the span of time during which Kyrie Irving could have been a freshman at Duke and would have been a senior at Duke - seven years? Eight? And even then he would have only played three years with the varsity.

I am not sure I understand your comment (in bold).

2010 NCAA champs
2011 Kyrie is a freshman. Only 10 games so do we even count that as a year or would he have redshirted if players had to stay in college for 4 years.
2012 NBA (Soph)
2013 NBA (Jr)
2014 NBA (Sr) Parantheses are what would have been the year at Duke.

Going further down this path is not really fruitful since every other team would have kept their best players for 4 years and some of them would not have enough scholarships (Ky) but it is the offseason and it is fun to dream.