Most Embarrassing Dunk Attempts of the Season

There's only one thing that beats an amazing dunk, and that's the amazing dunk that never was.

After all, we've seen guys like Blake Griffin crush the rim more times than we can possibly remember. It's the misses that stand out, the moments when superhuman athletes look mortal ever so briefly.

If that's not reason enough to take a tour of this NBA season's 11 most embarrassing near-dunks, this also may be the only time in history you'll ever find Greg Stiemsma and Andrew Bynum on the same list.

Enjoy.

11. Brandon Jennings Makes Up for Missed Dunk with Freak Shot

Brandon Jennings showed some resolve after missing a wide-open dunk on a fast break. He got his own rebound and wound up putting in an acrobatic and-one.

You can't come down too harshly on the 6'1" Jennings—he can throw it down pretty well for a guy his size. And he more than made up for it by staying with the play.

Given that there was no one even close to him on this one, he still makes the list.

10. Greg Stiemsma Shows Why He's Not a Household Name

This dunk might rank higher, but I'm cutting Greg Stiemsma some slack for a couple of reasons.

First, it doesn't look like he ever got a hold of the ball perfectly, so his attempt was perhaps a bit doomed from the start.

More importantly, though, it's too soon to come down hard on this guy. He's come out of relative anonymity to have a solid season for the Celtics, and he deserves some credit for that.

9. Luis Scola Makes Chandler Parsons Lose It

Luis Scola isn't known as a high-flyer, but he stayed especially low in earth's orbit on this ill-fated attempt.

The most embarrassing part of it all, of course, is that Scola's own teammates were in stitches. Showing the kind of sport he is, Scola laughed it off too.

Despite the minor blunder, Scola has been a model of consistency in Houston, averaging nearly 16 points this season a year after scoring over 18 per game.

8. Dwyane Wade Can't Get It to Go on the Fast Break

Given this dunk's degree of difficulty, this dunk isn't all that embarrassing. Dwyane Wade is well known for his uncanny ability to make the difficult shot, and he came pretty close to doing so here.

Had it gone down, it would have been just another highlight in a long series of Miami Heat highlights. Anytime these guys manage anything short of perfection, it's at least worth noting.

7. Glen Davis Dunks Like a "Big Baby"

Glen Davis always looks like he could lose a couple of pounds, but never more so than on this pathetic dunk attempt.

It looks like he's moving in slow motion even before the slow-motion replay.

And what was he thinking taking off from that far away? Davis has never had hops, and you'd think he'd compensate with a finger roll or old-fashioned layup.

Not so.

6. Blake Griffin Shows Why They Call Them Alley 'Oops'

Blake Griffin is well represented on this list, because he's unquestionably one of the most exciting and explosive dunkers of the decade. Whenever he slips up, it's a rare moment for his detractors to celebrate.

On this particular try, the degree of difficulty was somewhat high given the angle he approached that lob with. Nevertheless, Blake's dunk attempt makes this list thanks to its collision course with the back iron and subsequent liftoff into the stands.

That ball went quite a ways.

5. Blake Griffin Calls for the Lob and Regrets It

This time, Blake Griffin just looks like he forgot how to be Blake Griffin.

It's hard to even understand how he misses this one. Even though he had to get to a lob pass, it was right there for the taking.

Of course, this one's extra special thanks to Griffin's overt signal-calling for the pass. He can't say he wasn't expecting it.

4. Blake Griffin Misses the Easiest Dunk of His Life

After Chris Paul slaps the ball to Blake Griffin on the break in typical style, the inexplicable happens.

Griffin initially goes up with one hand but then tries to two-hand it (perhaps because he was losing control as he went up with it). The look on Griffin's face after he sees it fly off the front of the rim is just priceless.

It looks as if he couldn't believe that he was capable of doing such a thing.

3. Vince Carter Forgets He's Old

Ten years ago, this would have been an amazing dunk.

The 35-year-old version of Vince Carter may want to re-think going all in on the dunk attempt next time, though.

In the dunk equivalent of a midlife crisis, Carter desperately tried to go back in time and do what he's done countless times before: make posters.

I'd love to get my hands on a poster of this one.

2. Andrew Bynum Shows Why He's Working on His Three-Point Game

There aren't many big men as dominant as Andrew Bynum, and that's precisely why this dunk attempt is so embarrassing.

Bynum had room and plenty of time to gather himself in preparation to absolutely destroy that rim. Instead, he destroyed his dignity—at least for a minute or two, anyway.

After a miss like that, I guess we can all understand why young Bynum is so eager to develop his long-range shooting.

1. JaVale McGee Misses the Dunk and Goes Down for the Count

A couple of things make JaVale McGee's rim-crocker especially embarrassing.

On the one hand, McGee hangs on the rim for just a second too long. That second looks like an eternity when the ball doesn't actually go in.

On the other hand, he absolutely eats it on his way back down the floor, thanks to a brutal shoulder winding up in his oblivious face.

It was a no good, very bad day for JaVale McGee.

Honorable Mention: Nick Young Misses Everything...Literally Everything

JaVale McGee's former teammate Nick Young gets some honorable mention here—not only for being McGee's teammate, but for a missed layup that should make missed dunks feel a little bit better about themselves.

It helps that Young looks mortified by the event—he knows right away that he'll never live this one down. It also helps that the shot looks like something out of Semi-Pro.

The Washington Wizards were perhaps more upset about winding up in blooper reels than they were about losing. Both McGee and Young were shipped out just in time for the trade deadline.