10 Most Embarrassing Moments of the 2011-12 NBA Season

It's been a hectic 2011-12 NBA season thus far. With 66 games crammed into 122 days from Christmas to April 26th, there has not been a dull moment.

There has also been no shortage of moments players, teams, fans and the NBA would like to imagine never happened.

They range from the silly to the downright farcical, with a quick visit from the free-throw demons thrown in for good measure.

This won't be a descending list, as these are all pretty bad. Make your own mind up in the comments section below which one you think deserves recognition as the most embarrassing. There's only one answer in my mind.

Free-Throw Demons Part I: DeSagna Diop

DeSagana Diop sums up the Charlotte Bobcats' entire season in one free throw.

Just awful.

The foul shot is one of the easiest in basketball. There's no defense; you're standing still with time to collect yourself.

How can you not even hit the rim?

Step up DeSagana Diop.

Just check out the reaction of the Washington Wizards bench in the background. They know what's up.

Glen Davis Being Glen Davis

The Orlando Magic traded Brandon Bass for Glen Davis.

Good move? Debatable.

We all knew Davis' penchant for being a bit of a clown. He and Nate Robinson were great together for the Boston Celtics and we enjoyed watching the man grow into becoming a big part of Boston's rotation.

He came to Orlando as a backup for Dwight Howard and to take some minutes at the power forward position. Since Dwight's injury, Davis has stepped into the starting lineup and has been playing some of the best basketball of his career.

However, he reminded us all why his nickname is "Big Baby" in a game in mid-January where after picking up a questionable foul, Davis walked towards the referee who made the call and pulled down his shorts.

Yes, pulled down his shorts as a show of his annoyance.

Don't change, Glen.

The Charlotte Bobcats

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The Charlotte Bobcats have run up a 7-57 record this season.

64 games. S-E-V-E-N wins.

Let's just never talk of this again?

Free-Throw Demons Part II: Blake Griffin

DeSagana Diop air-balled one free throw.

Blake Griffin can go one better.

Two air-balled foul shots in one trip? That's impressively embarrassing. If he wasn't in the gym shooting 2,000 free throws in practice the next morning, he's making a mistake.

There's excuses for missing one: the ball slipped; loss of concentration; pressure.

But two?

Congratulations.

Paul Silas Beats Up Tyrus Thomas

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

This is so Charlotte Bobcats.

Head coach Paul Silas and controversial forward Tyrus Thomas got into a locker room "altercation" after a Bobcats loss to the Boston Celtics.

Rather than it being an altercation, it turns out Silas just shoved Thomas into his locker.

Beaten up by a 69-year-old? Good job.

Also, can we give Silas some kind of an award for what he's been through this season? I'm pretty sure the majority of us would have quit about two weeks into the season.

Credit to him.

Chicago Stomps All over Cleveland

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The Chicago Bulls beat the Cleveland Cavaliers. That's nothing to be ashamed of; the Bulls have the best record in the NBA.

But they lost to the Bulls without Derrick Rose. That certainly makes things worse.

And the Cavaliers were at home. The score?

114-75.

A 39-point home loss.

Cleveland fans knew it could get worse before it would get better, but this was a humiliating new low.

Metta World Peace Attacks James Harden

Metta World Peace created a firestorm of controversy with one swing of his elbow.

With that swing, people forgot about his new name and his citizenship awards and were reminded why deep down, people rarely change.

The man responsible for the darkest day in NBA history reared his head again when he wheeled away in celebration of a dunk and proceeded to viciously elbow James Harden in the back of the head.

Harden collapsed and World Peace continued walking as if nothing were wrong.

When he was confronted by Oklahoma City Thunder big man Serge Ibaka, Metta's boxing stance instantly made people fear for a repeat of the events of the Malice at the Palace.

Not embarrassing for the players, but highly embarrassing for a league that has been battling to rid thuggish behavior from its ranks and change lingering public perception that its players are violent people.

Cleveland Gets Humiliated by Detroit

Yes, that scoreboard does say that the Detroit Pistons had a 100-50 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers at the end of the third quarter.

Detroit and Cleveland are both similarly bad teams looking for the season's end, but you've got to have more professional pride surely?

This game was frankly ridiculous, with the Pistons shooting 45-of-75 from the field, 8-of-18 from three-point territory and 18-of-20 from the free-throw line, it was always going to be a blowout.

LeBron James Makes John Lucas Feel Small

LeBron James is 6'8". John Lucas III is 5'11".

Except it feels like Lucas is even shorter.

LeBron saw the path to the basket, saw the ball arcing through the air towards him and made the jump. John Lucas never saw it coming and the first he knew about it was when he felt James' knees coming over the top of his head.

An ABC courtside reporter showed LeBron a replay as he came off the court at halftime and James just laughed.

Embarrassingly amazing.

The Lockout

Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images

Is it obvious which is the most embarrassing moment of the season?

It should be.

Millionaire players and billionaire owners arguing over money? To argue over money at a time when the Western world is suffering from the effects of a massive financial crisis?

Unforgivable.

That the league did not lose viewer numbers and money is a testament to the quality of play and the lure of professional basketball.

For months, we had to listen to and read about the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Words like litigation, mitigation, basketball-related Income, revenue, mediation and decertification dominated sports news.

Thankfully, the players and owners reached a deal, albeit late in the day, to salvage what has become a memorable season.

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Agree? Disagree? The comments section is your podium.

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