10 NBA Players Most Likely To Get Dunked on in 2011-12

Some NBA players have an inexplicable level of confidence in their own shot-blocking abilities.

Other players just have a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Regardless of excuses and explanations, certain players across the league just have a tendency to get dunked on.

Here are the 10 players most likely to be put on someone else's poster.

10. Jermaine O'Neal

Jermaine O'Neal may have been dunked on more times than anyone on the list, and no dunk was as nasty as Tyrus Thomas' throwdown in 2009.

In fact, yougotdunkedon.com was able to fill 3:18 of video exclusively devoted to O'Neal being dunked on in the 2008-09 season.

But injuries and a limited role with the Celtics last season allowed him to avoid any exceptionally embarrassing attempts at getting in the way of someone else's SportsCenter highlight.

Whether he stays in Boston or goes to play with another team, O'Neal could receive the playing time necessary to add to his legacy as one of the most dunked-on players in the league. 

9. Pau Gasol

Pau Gasol arguably has the most refined offensive skill set among forwards and centers in the NBA.

His touch and finesse allow him to make shots few other post players would even attempt.

But touch, finesse and a refined set of post moves do not help Gasol when an athletic swingman is charging towards the rim.

With Andrew Bynum making a habit of getting injured, Gasol often has to play the role of rim-protector, and it rarely ends well for the Spaniard.

8. JaVale McGee

JaVale McGee has built a reputation as a feared shot-blocker, but that has not stopped players from ignoring his presence and going full speed towards the rim.

McGee has exemplified the thin line between brave and stupid in shot-blocking situations.

He has pulled off some spectacular blocks, but has also been put to shame in emphatic fashion on a number of occasions.

7. Gary Neal

Blake Griffin and Gary Neal were the only players to appear twice on NBA.com's top 10 dunks of the 2010-11 season.

Unfortunately for Neal, Griffin was doing the dunking while he was getting dunked on.

While Neal should have learned his lesson after a misguided attempt to take a charge against J.R. Smith, he tried once more against Tyreke Evans with similar results.

6. Ronny Turiaf

As an undersized center, Ronny Turiaf has been forced to build his NBA reputation on toughness and effort.

Unfortunately for the former Gonzaga standout, this career path comes with a collection of wallpaper-worthy photos of someone else dunking on him.

Many basketball fans in the Bay Area already have Monta Ellis' dunk on Turiaf as their screensaver, and Turiaf is likely to be involved in another posterizing dunk soon after the season starts.

5. Anderson Varejao

Dwyane Wade's jam on Anderson Varejao in 2009 may the best dunk of the current NBA era.

Varejao is another defensive-minded post player with marginal jumping ability and a tendency to try to block shots when he should get out of the way.

This trend continued last season, and the Brazilian's signature mop-top will likely be seen between the rim and a high-flying opposing player.

4. Zaza Pachulia

Zaza Pachulia is one of the angriest starting centers in the NBA.

He is also one of the least mobile players in that group, and has failed on several occasions to disrupt opposing players' top-floor business meetings with the rim.

His temper and lack of athleticism make him a constant target for dunkers across the league, and he is a lock to end up playing the wrong role on NBA.com's Dunk of the Night.

3. Timofey Mozgov

Timofey Mozgov has become a household name among NBA fans for no other reason than being dunked on by Blake Griffin on November 20, 2010.

In the same game, Mozgov was posterized once again by Eric Gordon.

During his rookie season, Mozgov showed all the necessary traits to develop into a player who will be dunked on for years to come. 

Now that the Russian international is with the Nuggets, he will have at least three meetings with the Clippers where his limited athleticism and inexplicable confidence in his shot-blocking ability will be on display.

2. Kendrick Perkins

Kendrick Perkins has the lower-body strength of a rhinoceros, making him an excellent one-on-one post defender.

But also like a rhinoceros, Perkins has minimal leaping abilities, and (as Dwyane Wade showed) can often be exposed when acting as a help-defender.

Perkins' permanent scowl is indicative of his temperament on the court, and this aggression motivates him to frequently leave his man and go for blocks.

The former Celtic would be smart to leave the shot-blocking duties in Oklahoma City to Serge Ibaka, but it is unlikely that will happen and fans will get to see Perkins get embarrassed at least one more time in 2011-12.

1. Anthony Tolliver

The discrepancy between a player's actual ability as a shot-blocker and their own perception of their abilities as a shot-blocker has been touched upon through the first nine players on this list.

That discrepancy is greater in Anthony Tolliver than in any other player in the NBA. This gap between Tolliver's real skills and his perceived skills is the only explanation for why he would subject himself to Amar'e Stoudemire's hellacious throwdown.

Now that Stoudemire is no longer in Phoenix, and Tolliver is no longer with Golden State, little has changed. 

Tolliver is still getting mixed up in low-post situations that he has no business being in, making him the most likely player to get dunked on in 2011-12.