NBA Rankings: Ranking the Top Dunks of the Young 2011-12 NBA Season

While the NBA lockout managed to rob fans of 16 regular season games, it hasn't managed to rob fans of the high-flying dunks and highlight reel moments that all NBA fans have come to expect.

The 2011-12 season so far has been full of memorable dunks and posterizing throw-downs.

Whether it's Blake Griffin powering past Andrew Bynum, or LeBron James posterizing Chris Dunleavy, there haven't been a shortage of dunks, alley-oops and ugly posterizations so far this season.

Ahead is a ranking of the top dunks of the 2011-12 NBA season so far.

Honorable Mention: Anderson Varejao Double Dribble Slam

The best part of this slam is that it started with a blatantly obvious double dribble at the top of the key.

Impressively enough, Varejao does a mini-pump mid dunk, which just adds to the degree of difficulty of his "Portuguese Smash." 

I know people are saying that Kyrie Irving could help the Cavaliers forget about LeBron James, but the real threat to do that is clearly Anderson Varejao, with his rim-rattling slams.  *Note the sarcasm here.*

Honorable Mention: Corey Maggete's One-Handed Alley-Oop Slam

Apparently Corey Maggette's still got it.  The most impressive part of Maggette's one-handed throw down is how long he stayed in the air.

I mean I knew Maggette could get up there, but I didn't think he had those kind of hops left in him.

On the bright side for the Bobcats, this thunderous slam is one positive they can take away from an abysmal start to their 2011-12 season. 

Honorable Mention: Kobe's Two-Handed Alley-Oop from Matt Barnes

Kobe's two-handed slam, courtesy of Matt Barnes, in an impressive dunk, but it manages to stay on the honorable mention list because the Suns forget that defense is a part of basketball.

The Suns lost focus of Kobe, the best player on the court, who made them pay by slamming an impressive alley-oop from Matt Barnes, who threw the pass from beyond the arc.

Hey Suns, next time make sure you know where Kobe's at, at all times.

Honorable Mention: Another Powerhouse LeBron Slam Set Up by Norris Cole

LeBron isn't a stranger to the world of "best dunks," but this alley-oop stays on the honorable mention list, because it's just more of the same.

The most impressive part of the throw down is just how high LeBron gets.

He's got enough time to plan his post-game get together, make some phone calls and still throw down a thunderous slam.  It's absolutely ridiculous. 

Honorable Mention: Wizards Rookie Alley-Oop Connection

Well here it is, one of only a few highlights from the Wizards miserable 2011-12 season.

The best part of this alley-oop connection is that it came between the Wizards two rookies on their roster, Shelvin Mack and Jan Vesely.

The worst part of this alley-oop is that the two rookies haven't done much else all season to help the Wizards.  It's going to be a long season in Washington.

11. Samuel Dalembert's Putback Dunk over DeMarcus 'I Don't Box Out' Cousins

Maybe this is the reason why DeMarcus Cousins is having such a bad attitude this season.

Samuel Dalembert,who's often considered a weak player, comes soaring over the top of Cousins for a thunderous putback slam, off a Luis Scola missed jumper.

The best part of this dunk is the look on DeMarcus Cousins face when he realizes he's just been posterized from behind.  That'll teach you to box out next time Cousins.

10. Carl Landry Posterizes the 'Birdman' on a Reverse Slam

Chris "The Birdman" Anderson rises once again, but this time it was on the wrong side of a thunderous dunk.

Carl Landry took Anderson to the rim, and instead of nicely laying the ball in, he took the opportunity to posterize Anderson.

Landry didn't even give a second thought to the fact that a 6'10'' tattooed monster was trying to stop him from making his way onto this best dunks list.  Kudos to you, Carl Landry.

9. Chris Bosh's Highlight Reel Spining-Slam

Who knows, maybe Chris Bosh should run the point in Miami.

He did an impressive job of doing just that, when he grabbed a rebound against the Spurs, and went coast to coast, ending with a ridiculous spin move and ferocious slam.

Who knew, Chris Bosh could be such a stellar point guard in the NBA?  The San Antonio Spurs sure know that now.

8. Blake Griffin Freezes Joakim Noah and Follows with a Thunderous Slam

Oh, Joakim Noah, why would you ever seriously think about guarding Blake Griffin's jump shot instead of staying between him and the basket?

Well, I guess at least you learned to never to do that again.

The best part of the dunk, aside from Noah's broken ankles, is that Bull's power forward Carlos Boozer had the opportunity to try and stop Griffin, but he wisely passed it up.

You're a wise man, Boozer.  You've learned to never get between a Griffin and his dunk.

7. LeBron James' Funky Floridian Windmill Throw Down

Mike Dunleavy should know by now that he can't guard LeBron, but if there was any question on the matter, LeBron clearly answered that on this disgusting reverse slam.

What's so crazy about this dunk is that LeBron makes it look so simple.  LeBron takes all 6'8'', 260 pounds of him six feet through the air, ending by throwing the ball through the rim as his body flies away from the basket.

LeBron's body control is ridiculous, and so is this reverse dunk.

6. Chris Bosh Takes Bobcats' D.J. White to School with a Ridiculous Slam

Chris Bosh isn't very well known for his highlight reel dunks, but he's doing a great job of changing that this season.

Bobcats' forward D.J White thought what we all used to think, "Bosh is a weak guy right?"  Well White learned that's not the case, after he got blasted by Bosh's left-hand slam.

The most impressive part of this dunk is that Bosh was going up with two hands, but quickly switched to his left hand to finish the dunk off.

The only thing keeping this from being higher is the weird "planking" thing Bosh does at the end of the dunk.  Don't do that next time, Bosh, it's pretty odd.

5. John Wall Rising to the Occasion Against the Celtics

John Wall has had quite an impressive rookie year last year, and while the Wizards are arguably the worst team in the NBA, he's continuing that rookie success this season.

The most impressive part of Wall's dominating dunk is that he's six inches shorter and 70 pounds lighter than the Celtics center that he posterized.  Wall is a freak of an athlete, and he clearly put that on display.

The only reason why John Wall's posterization of Celtics' rookie Greg Stiemsa isn't higher on this list, is because he didn't follow it up with the dougie. 

4. Blake Griffin's Posterizing of Former Mr. Kardashian

Maybe Kris Humphries should have accepted that offer to play hockey he got from the minor-league Syracuse Crunch, before re-signing with the New Jersey Nets.

If he had, he wouldn't be one of the latest victims of a Blake Griffin posterization.

Much like LeBron James, Griffin makes his slams look so easy.  Not only did Griffin rise up and throw down a thunderous slam.  He also did it with his off-hand, making it that much easier.

It's a shame Humphries doesn't have Kim Kardashian to go cry to anymore.  Poor guy.

3. Terrence Williams' Tomahawk Up-and-Under Throw Down

Terrence Williams' windmill, under-the-net dunk against the San Antonio Spurs, is one of the best dunks of the season so far, and not only for its degree of difficulty.

Williams also drew a foul on the play without even being touched.  Maybe the ref called a foul on the dunk because it was so ridiculously awesome.

Williams makes the windmill dunk look easy, but it undoubtedly has one of the highest degrees of difficulty.  Keep this up Williams and maybe you won't be demoted to the D-League again.

2. Blake's Double-Pump Dunk on Lakers Andrew Bynum

There is no player in the NBA with the same pure athleticism that Blake Griffin plays the game with.

Blake Griffin abused "the best big man in the NBA," Lakers center Andrew Bynum, on his way to one of the best dunks of the 2011-12 season.

Griffin soars through the air and ducks under Bynum's outstretched arms, on his way to a thunderous slam.  Absolutely disgusting. 

1. Double Alley-Oop Between Heatles LeBron James and Dwayne Wade

This alley-oop dunk is ridiculous on a lot of levels.

First of all, most players would have let Mario Chalmers' pass soar over their heads out of bounds, but LeBron has the athleticism to rise up and at least get a hand on it to tip the pass back to Wade.

On top of that, LeBron had the control to top the ball perfectly back to Wade in a spot where only he could catch the ball and throw it down.

The Heatles strike again, finishing out this list, ranking the top dunks of the 2011-12 season.