NBA Slam Dunk Contest 2012: The Ideal Lineup

Unfortunately for NBA fans, the players they want to see in NBA All-Star Dunk Contest will be watching from the stands.

This year's competition features the following participants:

• Paul George, SG, Indiana Pacers
• Derrick Williams, SF, Minnesota Timberwolves
• Jeremy Evans, SF, Utah Jazz
• Chase Budinger, SF, Houston Rockets

While these players are exciting young athletes, none of them have the star power of players who have displayed their dunking abilities in the past.

Here are the guys who would compete in an ideal Dunk Contest.

Alternate: Josh Smith

Josh Smith is one the NBA's premier athletes, which also makes him an incredibly entertaining dunker.

His ridiculous leaping abilities have led to some impressive accomplishments during his career.

In 2005, Smith won the Dunk Contest as rookie, and in 2007, he became the youngest player ever to block 500 shots. He has continued to terrorize shooters and, in 2010, he etched his name into the NBA record books as the youngest player to get 1,000 blocks.

Smith's explosive hops in addition to his length and height allow him to do things in the air that other players simply cannot do. 

He would be an extremely entertaining contestant if he chose to return to the Dunk Contest. 

4. Nate Robinson

Few things are more fun than seeing a little man dunk.

Nate Robinson is just 5'9" and has a 43.5" vertical leap. His otherworldly jumping abilities have helped him with the Dunk Contest three times (2006, 2009, 2010).

Robinson has bounced around the league in the last few seasons, but that has not stopped him from bouncing over bigger players.

He is a freakish athlete who has made a name for himself throughout his career with highlight jams.

Robinson's Dunk Contest pedigree make him an obvious pick for this list. 

3. Dwight Howard

NBA fans have never seen an athlete quite like Dwight Howard.

People as big and strong as Howard should not be as agile and explosive as he is. 

His jumping ability has allowed him to become the most dominant defensive force in the league, as well as an incredible dunker.

Howard won the Dunk Contests in 2008, and finished second to Nate Robinson the next year.

Along with being a sensational athlete, Howard is a ham in front of the camera. As a showman and a world-class leaper, he is capable of pulling off creative and memorable dunks.

2. Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin's unprecedented dunking talents are responsible for creating a new verb: Mozgoved.

To Mozgov a player involves throwing the ball viciously through the hoop as if one were dunking the ball, but without touching the rim. So far, Griffin has proved to be the only person alive capable of doing this. 

He rarely goes a week without ending up on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays and has pulled off some of the nastiest jams in the game's history.

Griffin proved last year that his raw athleticism translates well to the Dunk Contest format, as he took home the trophy at the 2011 All-Star Weekend.

No ideal Dunk Contest lineup would be complete without the defending champion.

1. LeBron James

LeBron James is not of this world.

That is the only explanation for how someone could be as big, fast and strong as he is.

He also has extraterrestrial leaping abilities and has thrown down some of the most jaw-dropping dunks of all time.

While the other players on the list have all won a Dunk Contest, James has never competed in one. 

However, no player in the league could attract more attention to the pre-All-Star Game festivities than James. He is the first player on the list when drawing up a roster for the ideal Dunk Contest.