The 3 Kings

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul…on the court…at the same time…during the lockout? No way. There’s no way. You’re telling us four of the best players in the game are playing together in a charity game during the lockout? No way. But the AP reported that LeBron James will be joining fellow NBA All-Stars Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul in a charity basketball game in Baltimore set to take place on Tuesday where this time it’ll be the ‘Melo League taking on the Goodman League. The game will be at 7 at St. Frances Academy and the proceeds of the ticket sales will go towards various charities affiliated with the New York Knicks. Durant won’t be joined again by John Wall. Instead, Jeff Green, DeMarcus Cousins and Brandon Jennings will play with him while a big three of James, Paul, and Anthony are scheduled to all be on the same team (talk about a Big Three). Now, this got us thinking. Will this be the most anticipated game of the summer? Will this charity exhibition live up to what we’ve seen at Rucker, Goodman and the Drew League? Will this game be YouTube worthy, “did-you-see-THAT-esque?” If so, would you buy a ticket? Here’s another question: what stars would you pick to combat that three-headed monster? Rose, Wade and Kobe? Maybe Westbrook to play with Durant? Howard for size, Rondo for his defense? We want to know. These are three guys almost impossible to match up with – LeBron’s size and athleticism, Paul’s playmaking ability and ‘Melo’s unlimited offensive arsenal. Let’s just say we wouldn’t want to be the guys trying to figure out a way to stop them. But sitting courtside, watching everything unfold – hey, we wouldn’t complain. And one final question: are James, ‘Melo, and Paul a better “Big 3” than the current James, Wade and Bosh trio? Who would you rather have? Would this charity team “Big 3” be the best trio in the league? What about all-time? … Besides that, the matchup we really want to see is KD and ‘Melo, the two guys whose names are most often brought up as the best pure scorers in the game. KD has undoubtedly been this long summer’s MVP, but how will Anthony play in a setting like this? We could see him chilling for most of the game, or he could take everyone in the gym into the high post, face them up and drop buckets at will … However, none of these guys may be the game’s biggest attraction. Eddy Curry is playing on the ‘Melo squad … The FBI is still hunting for former NBA player Javaris Crittenton. He’s been charged with murder after allegedly shooting and killing a woman as she was walking down an Atlanta street. There hasn’t been much word on where Crittenton has gone, although one report said Los Angeles … Dirk Nowitzki‘s summer has been oddly quiet since his MVP-worthy NBA Finals, but that’s just the way he likes it. German President Christian Wulff praised Nowitzki for being so humble in the face of glory, and presented the Mav with the Silver Laurel Leaf. It’s the highest honor a German athlete can receive. Dirk is the king in Germany right now, but we can guarantee on the opening night of the NBA season, hardly anyone will be talking about him or Dallas. It’ll be about Miami, KD, Kobe, etc. Dirk won’t mind … With the lockout, Patty Mills is the latest to put his foot into the international scene. The Melbourne Tigers are ready to officially announce the signing of Mills, who spent last season in Portland. No word yet on an opt-out, but we have to believe Mills will have the chance to return to the NBA once the lockout is resolved … And David Stern is hopefully promising that the owners and players will sit down and make some progress before Labor Day. If not “then we may be head to a bad place,” he said … We’re out like Crittenton.